Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Cox.
Hi Abby, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The event industry is often a place where you start at the very bottom and work your way up — and that’s exactly how my career began. While still in college, I knew I wanted to be in the event industry, so I took a summer internship at a local venue in Franklin, Tennessee. It counted as class credit, which meant I actually had to pay tuition to work there — something my husband and I still joke about as “paying” for my first real industry experience. That internship opened the door to my first paid position just weeks after graduation: overseeing weddings at a Knoxville venue for a whopping $7.50 an hour. I was thrilled — not because of the paycheck, but because I was finally working in the field I’d dreamed about, ready to learn, grow, and climb the ladder one event at a time. Back then, there wasn’t really a roadmap or training program for wedding planners — it was trial by fire, and I learned through hands-on experience, instinct, and a lot of late nights.
I spent the next decade working in venues, honing my skills and learning how to run events from start to finish. Eventually, I stepped into the business side when I joined the City of Brentwood to oversee two city-owned wedding venues. That role turned into something much bigger — I was responsible for everything from business development to marketing to budgeting and team-building. I spent five years there growing two thriving businesses, and while I loved it, I hit a point where I wanted a new challenge and a new chapter.
In 2022, I joined Downtown Band Entertainment with the vision of eventually stepping into the CEO role — which I officially took on in 2023. When I started, the company was operating as The Downtown Band with a single band capable of doing just about anything. It was an amazing band, but I saw the potential to grow into something much larger. Over the past few years, myself along with our incredible team have built out a full entertainment brand with nine bands, several specialty products, immersive acts, and a national (and international) presence. We now produce hundreds of events a year — not just in Nashville, but across the country, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Europe for corporate events, weddings, and private events.
I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve built and where we’re going. I’m incredibly grateful to lead this team and help shape what’s next for our company and the entertainment side of the private event industry.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think if anyone says their path in business has been totally smooth, they’re either lying or they haven’t pushed themselves far enough outside of their comfort zone. Growth and challenge go hand in hand.
Almost nothing I do today was directly taught to me. Sure, I learned fundamental business skills in school, but so much of what’s required — especially in leadership — came from real-world experience. I read books, listened to podcasts, took online courses, asked a lot of questions, and made a ton of mistakes along the way. Trial by fire was definitely a theme early on, especially in the event industry, where you’re building your own systems, managing stress, and learning how to lead — often without a roadmap.
One of our core values at Downtown Band Entertainment is: We don’t always have to be right, but we’re committed to getting it right. That mindset gives our team space to fail forward and be honest about where we can improve. I try to model that myself. I’ve taken risks. I’ve made the wrong calls. But I’ve also learned how to adjust, grow, and keep going.
A lot of my challenges have stemmed from being a deeply ambitious person — I seek challenge almost to my own detriment sometimes. There have been long nights, hard decisions, and moments where I’m sure my husband wishes I had a 9-to-5 that I could mentally clock out from. But when you run a business, especially one you care deeply about, it’s always with you. The stakes are high — not just for the company, but for the people who depend on it.
Another big one for me has been imposter syndrome. Going from a director position to CEO in just a few years required a serious mindset shift. I absolutely believed I could do it, but that didn’t mean the doubts didn’t creep in. It’s something a lot of leaders experience but don’t always talk about. Over time, you grow into the role. You learn to trust your instincts and your team. But those early moments — where you realize the weight of your decisions and the number of people depending on you — can be heavy.
In the end, I wouldn’t trade the hard parts. They’ve shaped who I am as a leader and helped build the culture we have today.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professionally, I serve as the CEO of Downtown Band Entertainment — we are known for being a full-scale entertainment company that specializes in high-end, custom live music experiences for private events across the country and beyond.
The company was originally started by Justin Caldwell in 2011 as The Downtown Band, and over the years, it’s grown into Downtown Band Entertainment, now encompassing nine different bands, multiple entertainment products, and a robust operation in both Nashville and New Orleans. What began as one powerhouse party band is now an expansive entertainment brand — and we’re still growing.
As the CEO of Downtown Band Entertainment, my role touches nearly every part of the business. I lead a team of 12 and our team oversees hundreds of musicians across multiple markets. I set the yearly vision for the company and build out a strategic plan for each month to ensure we’re aligned, focused, and continually pushing forward. I’m responsible for high-level leadership development, company culture, forecasting, budgeting (for not one, but two companies), hiring, operations, planning launches, and contract creation — while also jumping into sales and client strategy when needed.
One of my main focuses right now is empowering our team to build scalable systems so we can continue to grow without compromising our quality. We’re not just trying to grow for the sake of it — we’re building something sustainable, intentional, and long-lasting. I have ambitious goals for this company, and I set the bar high for myself and for our team — and then I work alongside everyone to help us meet (or exceed) them.
What makes Downtown Band Entertainment unique is how we operate behind the scenes. We’re in the entertainment industry, but we function more like a high-performing corporation than you would ever see in just a traditional band. We’ve adopted a lot of principles from Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, and we aim to deliver a white-glove level of service that’s rare in this space. Internally, we have the SOPs, intentional leadership development plans, and vision planning of a corporate structure — but we pair that with an artistic, creative, deeply human approach. It’s a balance of process and party.
We joke that we “party for a living,” but the truth is we work incredibly hard on the back end to make the front end feel effortless. That’s the magic — and I’m so proud of the team that makes it happen. While I may be the one driving the vision, the credit belongs to our team. They are the heartbeat of this company, and they’re the reason we’ve come so far.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.downtownbandentertainment.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/downtownbandentertainment
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/thedowntownband
