Taking Home the Gold!
 The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau's new marketing materials are receiving kudos from everyone - including the ad men themselves. The new campaign, created by Gish Sherwood & Friends, recently won five Gold ADDY Awards and two Silver ADDY Awards at the Southern District Advertising Federation Awards ceremony in Memphis. (In February, the campaign won one Gold ADDY Award and eight Silver ADDY Awards in Nashville.) The five regional Gold ADDY Award-winning pieces will go on to compete at the National Competition in Louisville in June. With over 60,000 entries annually, the ADDY Awards are the world's largest advertising competition. As our strategic materials continue to spread the Music City brand, we're happy to say they're not only getting awards - they're getting results! Six New Honorees Announced for Induction into the Music City Walk of Fame  Music City, Inc. announced the names of the six newest inductees into the Music City Walk of Fame. The Crickets, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Wynonna Judd, Frances Preston and Michael W. Smith will each be officially recognized with the unveiling of commemorative sidewalk markers on Sunday, April 22, beginning at 3:00 pm at the Hall of Fame Park. The public is invited to attend the induction ceremony, and large crowds of fans are expected to come out in support of their favorite honorees. The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City, Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and is produced with the support of founding sponsor Gibson Guitar, exclusive television sponsor Great American Country, the City of Nashville and Metro Parks. Get ready to roll out the red carpet as Music City prepares for thousands of people to come together for a month full of celebrations, parties and concerts. To kick things off, the 103.3 WKDF Birthday Bash will bring fans of Taylor Swift, Jason Michael Carroll, Clay Walker and others out to celebrate on April 1 at the Nashville Arena. On April 16, more country music lovers will gather at the Curb Event Center as the biggest stars get to savor the spotlight and receive their CMT Music Awards. Next, for eight visually entertaining days, the Nashville Film Festival will take over Music City, bringing more than 16,000 independent-film aficionados to the Regal Green Hills Cinema from April 19 through 26. And, from April 21-25, more than 3,000 gospel and Christian music industry professionals will take over downtown for GMA Music Week, culminating in the GMA Dove Awards on April 25 at the Grand Ole Opry House. On April 28, more than 100,000 spectators will come out to watch 25,000 people as they run or walk the Country Music Marathon & 1/2 Marathon. All of this and more wraps up April on a very good note. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Industry Indicators
February hotel occupancy was 61.1%, a decrease of 0.7% compared to February 2006. YTD hotel occupancy was 55.8%, a decrease of 1.6% compared to YTD last year.  January hotel tax collections were $1,580,144.26, an increase of 4.1% compared to January 2006. Fiscal YTD collections were $13,997,949.90, an increase of 11.6% compared to this time last year. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  The Frist Center for the Visual Arts has embraced the Music City brand wholeheartedly by mingling music and art in a variety of ways. On Thursday and Friday evenings, they offer classical music in the Grand Lobby. Then, on the last Friday of the month from May through October, the popular Frist Fridays will return. This year's lineup features greats like Webb Wilder and Junior Brown. And from May 11 through September 9, "The Nashville Portraits" exhibit pays homage to Music City's country music heritage with 60 black and white photos of beloved artists such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings and Bill Monroe. The images were taken by one of the industry's most celebrated photographers, Jim McGuire. You can learn more about these uniquely Music City events by visiting their website at fristcenter.org. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 • The NCVB booth was very popular at the recent Religious Conference Management Association meeting. By showcasing a real GMA Dove Award and allowing attendees to "walk the red carpet" and be photographed with the award, the NCVB booth was one of the most interactive booths at the show. The sales team met with 66 clients, which produced three leads for a total of 9,555 room nights. • The NCVB sales team made contact with 136 clients when they attended the CESSE Mid-Winter CEO Meeting and Conference Direct Partners Meeting, producing five leads for a total of 14,790 room nights. • The tourism sales team recently attended the Heartland Travel tradeshow and made contact with 55 clients, producing a total of 37 leads. This show is consistently a good resource for Nashville and continues to increase the positive image Nashville has among the tourism community. • Key bookings for February included the Genworth Corporation in both January 2008 and 2009, totaling 9,600 room nights. • The marketing team conducted its first specialized NCVB Branding Session as part of February's New Member Orientation. Upcoming Items: • Nashville is set to host a Chicago Roadshow in April that will include a sales mission calling on approximately 100 clients and a private concert for approximately 250 key clients, with Phil Vassar as our entertainment. • The NCVB will be adding signage to the Visitor Information Center in the Arena to improve visibility for visitors and increase visitation. |
 April 5 New Member Orientation, "Beyond the Benefits" 11:30 am - 1:00 pm Nashville CVB Boardroom RSVP to Fatima@visitmusiccity.com April 19 GNHLA and NCVB co-sponsor Mayoral Candidates' Forum 11:30 am - 1:00 pm War Memorial Auditorium Register at http://www.tnsae.org/cde.cfm?event=163670. June 21 Creating Applause, Customer Service Training 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Nashville CVB Boardroom RSVP to Fatima@visitmusiccity.com Upcoming Member Events: NCVB Membership lunch meeting Music City PM networking event Membership invitation Please email Melinda Judd if you know a company that would benefit from an NCVB Membership. We will be happy to contact them! Melinda Judd, VP of Membership (615) 259-4751 / Melinda@visitmusiccity.com Fatima Thompson, Member Services (615) 259-4744 / Fatima@visitmusiccity.com View the list of NCVB Members.   The "Hit of the Month" is a discounted product at the Visitor Information Center. For the month of April, enjoy Nashville attractions at a discounted rate by purchasing a Music City Total Access pass. This pass will allow you entry into four of the 13 pre-selected attractions, plus the Parthenon, for only $30 (a $5 savings off the already discounted price). Purchase your discount pass online or at the Visitor Information Center located on the ground floor of One Nashville Place at the corner of 4th and Commerce. While you're here, check out our wide variety of Music City items. (Use promo code: APRIL. Promotion not valid with any other discount or coupon.) |
  If you have live music in your venue at least four days a week, then make sure our visitors know. Call Allie Hardee at (615) 259-4734 or email her at allie@visitmusiccity.com to order your guitar pick sign today. |