Music City Soul Series
Looking for some fun to kick the winter blues? All you need is music!

In celebration of Black History Month, The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau is hosting a series of concerts every Thursday evening in February. The concert series titled, Music City Soul Series, will take place at B.B. King's Blues Club and Restaurant on Second Ave.

The Soul Series line-up is as follows:
Feb. 5, 7 p.m. - Jason Eskridge
Feb. 12, 5 p.m. - Damien Horne
Feb. 19, 7 p.m. - Thomas Cain
Feb. 26, 7 p.m. - Tommy Sims

General Admission tickets are available by calling (615) 256-2727 or by visiting B.B. King's Blues Club and Restaurant between 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., 7 days a week. General Admission tickets are $10 in advance or $15 on the day of the show. Reserved Table Seating is available for $25 per seat or $100 per table by calling B.B. King's Blues Club and Restaurant in advance.

Nashville Visitors Likely to Return
The average per party, per visit spending in Nashville is almost $1,600, up from $695 in 2001, and 92 percent of visitors say they are likely to return, according to the results of a year-long Visitor Intercept Study conducted by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB).

The study, which began in October 2007, measured the responses of 1,622 visitors to questions such as: how long are you staying in Nashville; what is the purpose of your visit; and did Nashville meet your expectations. Study respondents were chosen at random at venues and events throughout the city.

"It is important that we know what our visitors think of Music City and what they do while they are here; and then we can make what we give them that much better," said Francis Guess, chairman of the NCVB Board. "This information will guide our work on behalf of tourism."

More than 50 percent of visitors arrive in Nashville by automobile, with 36 percent arriving on a commercial airliner, and 50 percent of visitors come to Nashville to sightsee and enjoy events and attractions, while 26 percent visit Music City for conferences or meetings. Study results also show that the average size of a visiting party is 3.5 people, and the average length of stay in Music City is 3.5 nights.

To view study results visit http://www.visitmusiccity.com/members/researchstatistics.

Convention Sales
September 08 October 08 November 08 Total
Leads 99 79 111 289
Bookings 54 11 24 89
Room Nights 81,053 8,771 24,877 114,701

Tourism Sales
September 08 October 08 November 08 Total
Leads 21 26 26 73
Room Nights 1,046 2,257 5,136 8,439

Marketing Activity
September 08 October 08 November 08 Total
Unique Visitors to Website 70,114 78,348 69,303 217,765
Articles Generated 138 58 119 315
RMN Booked Online 356 308 279 943

Industry Indicators

November's hotel occupancy rate was 61.1 percent,
a decrease of 5.3 percent compared to November 2007.

The 2008 year-to-date occupancy rate is 63.6 percent,
a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to last year.

November 2008 hotel occupancy tax collections were $2,032,880,
a decrease of 9.8 percent compared to November 2007.

The 2008 year-to-date collections were $23,772,050,
a decrease of 0.2% compared to last year.



The CVB Sales, Marketing & Membership Teams:

Sales

  • The Sales team attended the Rejuvenate Conference in Virginia Beach and returned with 29 contacts and 11 leads.
  • Tourism staff attended the NTA convention in Pittsburgh garnering 42 contacts and 28 leads.
  • Key bookings for November include the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society for March 2016 totaling 8,700 room nights and Associated Locksmiths of America for August 2011 for 3,500 total room nights.

    Marketing

  • The Marketing team produced the fifth Music City Walk of Fame ceremony. Seven new artists were presented with stars on the Walk of Fame bringing the total number of stars to 31. The next induction ceremony is planned for April 2009.
  • Marketing completed production and released the new promotional video "Music Calls Us Home." Great American Country (GAC) has begun running the music video in regular rotation.
  • PR staff hosted five international journalists for a press tour around the CMA Awards Show.
  • Staff worked with Elle Decor magazine to produce a six-page feature story on Nashville in the magazine's January issue.

    • Membership
    Sell Nashville Meeting
    January 22
    NCVB Boardroom
    7:45-8am Networking
    8-9am Sell Nashville Meeting

    Chairman's & President's Lunch
    January 29
    Benefit for Double Platinum, Corporate and Hall of Fame members and Strategic Partners.

    Special Thanks
    Special thanks to NCVB member Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center for running Nashville's new "Music Calls Us Home" music video on monitors throughout the hotel property.

    Maximize Your Membership
    Use your NCVB membership benefits to grow your business! For great information on how to maximize your membership, please contact Fatima Thompson, Manager of Member Services at (615) 259-4744 or fatima@visitmusiccity.com.

    Training opportunities for your business
    Your NCVB membership offers complimentary training programs. This service is provided in hopes of enriching the guest experience through increased knowledge of the city and providing applause-worthy service. This is done by offering three training programs: Nashville Backstage (Nashville Familiarization), All Access (Disability Sensitivity), and Creating Applause (Customer Service). For more information or to schedule a training session at your property you can contact Shannon Largen, Director of Training, at (615) 259-4789 or shannon@visitmusiccity.com.

    Membership Invitation
    If you know a company that would benefit from an NCVB membership, please send us their name. We will be happy to contact them.
    Chris Brown, Vice President of Membership
    (615) 259-4751 or chris@visitmusiccity.com

    For a complete listing of our new members as well as existing member businesses, visit our online membership section at www.visitmusiccity.com/members/newmembers

    Brand Champion
    Maker's Mark kicks off the new year as a Music City Brand Champion! Their innovative designs displayed proudly on each of their delivery trucks say "Appearing Nightly" and include a microphone and music notes. This creative marketing technique makes them a true Music City brand! Congratulations to our January Brand Champion - Maker's Mark.

    Hit of the Month

    The Visitor Information Center gift shops are offering great deals in January! Enjoy 20% off Music City's favorite t-shirts, home goods and gifts. Discount does not include Art By Deann or Titans merchandise and cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.