Marriott Chosen as Flag for Convention Center Hotel
Metropolitan Development and Housing Authority has selected Marriott International to run the 1,000-room headquarter hotel for the proposed new downtown convention center.

Marriott plans to build a Marriott Marquis adjacent to the Music City Center. The Marquis is the top-of-the-line brand that Marriott attaches only to convention centers. It would be only the fourth of its kind, joining facilities in Atlanta, New York's Times Square and Washington, D.C.

Nashville CVB Adds Staff; Promotes Within
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) has hired Jerelle Anthony as Senior Sales Manager and promoted Randy Kidwell to Associate Director of Sales.

Anthony will manage the West Coast meetings market for Nashville. Prior to joining the NCVB she was the Manager of National Sales at the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau for 10 years. Anthony is a member of Meeting Professionals International and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. She received her B.S. in Recreation and Tourism Management from Arizona State University West, graduating with honors.

Kidwell, who has been with the NCVB for two years, will now manage the Midwest market as Associate Director of Sales. Prior to joining the NCVB he was the Director of Sales and Marketing for the historic Hermitage Hotel. A graduate of Thiel College, Kidwell is a Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP) and has more than 23 years of experience in the industry.

Titans Packages Available
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) is offering weekend getaway packages to Music City to see the Tennessee Titans at LP Field.

Packages start at $279 and include a minimum two-night stay at participating hotels and tickets to the game. You choose the number of tickets and seat assignments will be provided according to best available seats at time of booking.

For details about these packages, or for more information on Nashville, visit www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors or call 866-303-8417.

Music City Specialty Plates Available
Express your love for music and the city it calls home with a new Music City specialty license plate designed by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) to benefit the organization’s Music City, Inc. foundation. Applications for the plate, which will feature the city’s signature branded red music note, are currently being accepted.

There is a $36 registration deposit required for each vehicle you wish to tag using a Music City-branded plate. Tennessee residents wishing to purchase a new Music City plate can fill out a form online at www.visitmusiccity.com/licenseplate or print the form and mail it with their $36 check to the address at the bottom of that form. Forms are also available at Regions Bank branches throughout the city.

Industry Indicators
June’s hotel occupancy rate was 65.3 percent, a decrease of 7.1 percent compared to June 2008.

The 2009 year-to-date occupancy rate is 56.5 percent, a decrease of 9.9 percent compared to last year.

May hotel tax collections were $1,835,817, a decrease of 14.3 percent compared to May 2008.

The 2009 year-to-date collections are $8,840,390, a decrease of 17.9 percent compared to last year.

Brand Champion
There’s no better way to spend a summer weekend than listening to great live music and soaking in the natural beauty of Middle Tennessee! Locals and visitors alike can enjoy such an experience at Music in the Vines, a weekend live music concert series on the grounds of Arrington Vineyards. With these concerts and other programming the winery has successfully incorporated the music brand into their business model. For this musical promotion Arrington Vineyards is our August Brand Champion! Congratulations!

Upcoming Events
New Member Orientation
August 20
11:15-11:45am Lunch
11:50am-12:50pm Orientation
NCVB Boardroom
Learn how you can make the most of your NCVB membership at the New Member Orientation. Lunch will be provided by Demos' Steak and Spaghetti House.

Conventions & Meetings Calendar