Nashville Launches Visitor Loyalty Program
Nashville is launching Music City Troubadours, a new visitor loyalty program, this month to reward Music City’s best customers with special offers and exclusive package deals sure to keep them coming back. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) will administer the program and will work with local hotels, attractions and restaurants to create members-only offers for Troubadours.

The Music City Troubadours program will allow visitors to enroll by visiting www.visitmusiccity.com/troubadours. Then, upon becoming a Music City Troubadour, visitors will receive a personalized email with their temporary Troubadour card which they can later exchange for their permanent card at the Nashville Visitors Center. On their first “member visit”, they will receive a special gift. Troubadours will then receive periodic communication from the CVB with special offers for exclusive discounts and packages at NCVB member businesses. The first offer will run in March and April with attraction discounts and participating hotels offering “buy two nights, get the third free.”

“Nashville for a Song” Promotion Looks to Boost Short Term Sales
Drastic times call for creative measures and Music City is delivering authentic creativity to the meetings market! “Nashville for a Song” will provide meeting planners with extra value in an already affordable market.

Meetings which book 101+ rooms peak for a minimum of 2 nights will also receive a complimentary performance by a professional Music City songwriter. Other package options are available for meetings and include incentives such as Southwest Airlines tickets, complimentary rooms, complimentary meeting space and complimentary coffee breaks. Planners can also choose from an array of attraction, restaurant and service discounts. Full details on the “Nashville for a Song” program can be found by visiting www.visitmusiccity.com/meetings/nashvilleforasong.

100 Appointments Set in Washington D.C.
The NCVB Sales staff and more than 20 Hall of Fame partners will travel to Washington D.C. March 23-25 for the D.C. Road Show. With 100 appointments booked, Road Show participants will divide up to make individual and group sales calls during the three-day sales blitz. Award-winning Nashville songwriters Billy Montana and Karen Staley will perform for clients during group sales calls, and MCA Nashville Recording Artist Josh Turner will entertain clients during a special reception held on the final night of the trip.

Industry Indicators
December’s hotel occupancy rate was 51.1­­ ­­percent, a decrease of 5.9 percent compared to December 2007.

The 2008 year end hotel occupancy rate was 62.5 percent, a decrease of 6.5 percent compared to last year.

December 2008 hotel occupancy tax collections were $1,839,033, a decrease of 9.4 percent compared to December 2007.

The 2008 year-to-date collections were $25,611,084, a decrease of 0.96 percent compared to last year.

Brand Champion
The United States Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Detachment of Nashville is our February Brand Champion! The MSD of Nashville used the Music City brand to distinguish themselves from other detachments across the country by adding it to their logo. The new design features Nashville’s skyline along with the Music City brand emblem. Congratulations to the members of the USCG MSD of Nashville on their unique new logo and inspiring creativity. View all the Brand Champions here.

Upcoming Events
Sell Nashville Meeting
April 2
7:45 – 8 a.m. Networking
8 – 9 a.m. Sell Nashville Meeting
NCVB Boardroom
Sell Nashville is a bi-monthly meeting that provides insight into current Nashville CVB sales and marketing efforts. This is also an opportunity to share information on upcoming events, new exhibits, renovations and more.

New Member Orientation
April 16
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
NCVB Boardroom
Learn how you can make the most of your NCVB membership at the New Member Orientation.

Conventions & Meetings Calendar