| One Star - Two New Hits With more than $1.5 billion worth of investment in two new meeting facilities, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau  (NCVB) has been hard at work marketing and selling the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center expansion along with the new downtown convention center.
The NCVB has made pitches on behalf of both facilities to more than 15 conventions. To date, Sherwin-Williams has committed to meet in the new Gaylord Opryland expansion 2012 and beyond, The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance has committed to meet at the Music City Center in 2018, the Southern Baptist Convention signed for June 2013 and 2019, and the Academy of General Dentistry will meet at the new downtown facility in 2013. Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center will unveil an additional 400,000 square feet of convention and meeting space and a new 400-room luxury all-suites addition in 2011. Upon the project's completion, Gaylord Opryland will offer 3,281 hotel rooms and more than one million square feet of convention and meeting space. The proposed 1.2 million-square-foot Music City Center will feature more than 375,000 square feet of exhibit space, 128,000 square feet of meeting space, two ballrooms, a business center and a 2,500-seat theater. Popular Songwriting Competition Back for a Second Year  The NCVB kicked-off its second annual "Music City Songwriting Competition" on July 1. Country superstar Phil Vassar is returning as honorary host and the NCVB will partner with GAC, XM Satellite Radio, Jack Daniel's, Southwest Airlines, f.y.e, Universal Records South, The Music Group International, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Renaissance Nashville Hotel to conduct the competition.
The winning songwriter will receive a $1,000 cash prize and two round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets to Music City. While in town, the winner will be featured and interviewed on GAC Nights and the winner's song will be performed on the show. It will also be played on XM Satellite Radio's "Music City Connection: Heroes Behind the Hits," a monthly radio show recorded and produced by the Nashville CVB. In addition, The Music Group International will publish the winning song as a single-song contract. Transportation, hotel accommodations at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel and complimentary admission to over 30 Nashville attractions are also included. The competition will accept entries from July 1 - August 15, 2008 and is open to amateur songwriters only. Songs may be submitted on cassette tape, CD or as an MP3 file online at www.sonicbids.com/musiccitysongwriting. The fee for the first entry is $30 and additional entries are $25. Entries will be narrowed down to the top 25 which will then be judged by a panel of top names in the Nashville music industry. NCVB Launches Video Contest Everyone knows there’s no place that does country music like Nashville. Music City is the capital of country music, but if you listen closely you’ll also hear the sounds of rock, classical, pop, hip-hop and so much more on the "flip side" of this hub of creativity. In support of this musical diversity, the NCVB launched a video competition focusing on the "flip side" of Nashville’s signature industry. The winning video contestant will receive a $2,500 cash prize, two round-trip tickets to Music City on Southwest Airlines, four nights at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel, 2 VIP tickets to the Next Big Nashville music festival, an autographed CD from Gabe Dixon and a Music City gift bag. The winning video will be featured on www.visitmusiccity.com along with Music City’s YouTube and MySpace pages. Contestants are required to create a video using the city’s new song title "Music Calls Us Home" as inspiration. The song, written by Nashville singers/songwriters Gabe Dixon and Jeremy Lister, can be downloaded from the NCVB website at www.visitmusiccity.com/flipsideofnashville for use in the video, but it’s not a requirement. Sponsored by Jack Daniel’s and Southwest Airlines, the competition will accept entries from July 15 – August 24, 2008. There is no entry fee and the contest is open to amateurs and professionals alike. The first 1,000 entries will get the new Gabe Dixon self-titled CD, and the top 100 YouTube fan favorites will receive a $100 cash prize. The judges’ top 10 will receive a top 10 certificate and Music City gift bag in addition to a $100 cash prize. For more information on the competition, a copy of the rules and regulations or to enter please visit, www.visitmusiccity.com/flipsideofnashville . |
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Industry Indicators
May’s hotel occupancy rate was 60.9 percent, The 2008 year-to-date occupancy rate is 61.3 percent, April hotel occupancy tax collections were $2,575,491, Year to date hotel tax collections were $8,623,188, |
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| The CVB Sales, Marketing & Membership Teams: Sales Key bookings for the month include: the National Association for Healthcare Quality in September 2010 with 2,900 total room nights, the National Wild Turkey Federation in February 2012 with 7,500 total room nights, and Microscopy Society of America in July 2011 with 6,400 total room nights. The Sales team conducted its first site visit for the Music City Center with the Academy of General Dentistry. The convention will be here in June 2013 with a total room night count of 8,300. Marketing The NCVB partnered with EMG to promote new country act Julianne Hough. The Marketing team ran a special promotion in 15 television markets that garnered a total promotional value of more than $800,000.00. Marketing's public relations division hosted more than 70 travel writers and journalists during the month of May. The writers were affiliated with more than 85 national and international publications. The Marketing team created event packages around the riverfront fireworks spectacular and the Kenny Chesney concert to increase room nights over the July 4th weekend. |
| Member Notes
Sell Nashville Meeting July 24 NCVB Boardroom 7:45 - 8 a.m. Networking 8 - 9 a.m. Sell Nashville Meeting New Member Orientation Tuesday, August 5 Learn how you can make the most of your NCVB membership at the New Member Orientation. 11:15 -11:50 a.m. Lunch 12 -1 p.m. New Member Orientation. Lunch provided by Demos' Steak and Spaghetti House. 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 Nashville Backstage (Nashville familiarization), All Access (disability sensitivity),and Creating Applause (customer service). Each training session is designed to enrich the guest experience. 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 For a complete listing of our new members as well as existing member businesses, visit our online membership section at |
Hit of the Month  The month of July is book crazy! All books are 20% off throughout the month of July at both Visitor Information Centers. Books include: Jack Daniel's, Loveless Café & Notably Nashville cookbooks, Spirit of Nashville art book and more. This discount cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount. |
Brand Champion  What better way to make a name for yourself in the Music City than to create an advertising campaign that intertwines the city's signature product and your product? Shane Company Jewelers has done just that with its advertising. The company's billboards read "Classic Rock meets Heavy Metal." For this showing of incredible creativity, Shane Co. is our July Brand Champion! |
