Music City Walk of Fame Inducts Seventh Class
Tootsie Bess, Charlie Daniels, Dolly Parton, Kid Rock and Ernest Tubb were inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame in a star-studded ceremony on Nov. 8 in Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville.

Created in the fall of 2006, the Music City Walk of Fame is a landmark tribute to those from all genres of music who have made significant contributions to preserving the musical heritage of Nashville. With the induction of this new class of honorees, there are 42 total stars along the Walk of Fame.

The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City, Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB), and is produced with the support of presenting sponsor Gibson Guitar and sponsors GAC, the City of Nashville and Metro Parks. Additional sponsors include Makers Mark and Hard Rock Cafe.

New Music City Station on Pandora.com
Listen to great music created right here in Music City on Pandora.com! Through a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourism, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) will expose Music City to Pandora’s 6.8 million monthly unique visitors for free.

Pandora, an automated music recommendation and Internet radio service created by the Music Genome Project, allows users to enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Listeners can also tune into pre-made genre stations and other users' stations.

The NCVB has custom-built a Pandora station titled "Nashville Mixtape" which consists of 80 tracks, 12 artists and 12 albums that represent Music City and its wide range of musical genres. To listen to Nashville’s Mix Tape visit www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors and click on "Listen to Music City’s playlist."

Nashville Conducts Fall Sales Blitz in Chicago
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) conducted a fall sales blitz in Chicago Nov. 10-12. Sales staff and more than 20 hotel partners traveled to the Windy City last week for the "Chicago Road Show."

With more than 100 pre-arranged appointments, Road Show participants divided up to make individual and group sales calls. Award-winning Nashville songwriters Billy Montana and Karen Staley performed for clients during group sales calls, and MCA Nashville Recording Artist Josh Turner entertained clients during a special reception held on the final night of the trip.

Nashville Implements New Taxi Driver Training Program
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB) along with the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute and the Metro Transportation and Licensing Commission announced a new taxi driver training program titled Taxi Pro Hospitality Training Program (Taxi Pro).

The three-day Taxi Pro course will educate persons seeking to be licensed taxi drivers in Metro Nashville in the areas of customer service, cultural etiquette, map reading and taxi driving regulations. The training was developed to promote a positive image of Nashville to both visitors and residents while also building an understanding and tolerance of different cultures among the taxi driver population.

Taxi Pro expects to train approximately 200 drivers in its inaugural year, with the first class taking place this week. A $15,000 grant from the Nissan Foundation is providing much-needed financial support for this collaborative effort.

Get Your Music City Specialty License Plate Today
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 interested in purchasing 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
September’s hotel occupancy rate was 57.6 percent, a decrease of 2.5 percent compared to September 2008.

The 2009 year-to-date occupancy rate is 57 percent, a decrease of 9.4 percent compared to last year.

August hotel tax collections were $1,709,177, a decrease of 18.3 percent compared to August 2008.

The 2009 year-to-date collections are $14,509,363, a decrease of 17.1 percent compared to last year.

Brand Champion - Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
Our November Brand Champion really demonstrates how you can incorporate music into almost any business sector. Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery’s new advertising campaign features a member of their sales staff with a conductor’s wand offering to "orchestrate" a homeowner's dream. Great play on words and a wonderful way to promote Ferguson and its hometown - Music City. Congratulations to Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery – our November Brand Champion!

Upcoming Events
New Member Orientation
December 9
11:30am-12pm Lunch & Network
12-1pm Orientation
NCVB Boardroom
Learn how you can make the most of your NCVB membership at the New Member Orientation.

Conventions & Meetings Calendar