Music City Walk of Fame Inducts New Class of Honorees
The November induction of the Music City Walk of Fame presented by founding sponsor Gibson Guitar includes Rodney Crowell, Bob DiPiero, Vince Gill, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Killen and Barbara Mandrell. The six honorees were recognized officially with the unveiling of commemorative sidewalk markers on Monday, Nov. 5. The induction ceremony, sponsored by Great American Country (GAC), drew more than 400 visitors.

The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City, Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB).

"This class of inductees showcases the immense talent, creativity and diverse musical styles that make Nashville, Music City," said Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Each honoree has left an indelible mark on our city's musical heritage and music worldwide. It is a privilege to pay tribute to their great success."

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 and have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaboration. With the induction of this new class of honorees, there are 18 total stars along the Walk of Fame.

Permanent sidewalk medallions were installed in the sidewalk along the Music Mile, the roughly one-mile stretch of Demonbreun Street from 4th Avenue South to the Buddy Killen Circle at 16th Avenue South. The plaques for this class of inductees are inlaid in Hall of Fame Park on Demonbreun, between 4th and 5th Avenues South.

Rhythms of the South to be held in New Orleans
Nashville will once again partner with Atlanta and New Orleans to host Rhythms of the South Southern Marketplace Nov. 29 - Dec. 2. This year's marketplace will be in New Orleans.

The Southern Marketplace, first held in 2001, is designed to bring qualified tour operators and journalists from Delta Air Lines' international gateway cities to meet one-on-one with Southern suppliers, thereby creating more tourism business from mature and emerging markets. More than 100 tour operators and journalists are expected at this year's marketplace.

New Research
Beginning in November, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau will have interviewers on the street at our Visitor Information Centers and area attractions asking visitors about their travel experience in Music City. We will capture this information on a quarterly basis throughout 2008 and will share the results with our members.

Live Music Venue Sign

If you have live music in your venue at least four days a week, then make sure our visitors know. Call Allie Hardee at (615) 259-4734 or email her at Allie@visitmusiccity.com to order your guitar pick sign today.
Convention Sales
  July 07 August 07 September 07 Total
Leads 67 99 105 271
Bookings 5 14 33 52
Room Nights 11,019 7,913 45,964 64,896

Tourism Sales
  July 07 August 07 September 07 Total
Leads 19 26 27 72
Room Nights 1,146 9,120 16,282 26,548

Marketing Activity
  July 07 August 07 September 07 Total
Unique Visitors to Website 107,619 105,027 71,685 284,331
Articles Generated 104 32 44 180
Circulation 20,590,096 12,450,206 4,637,211 37,677,513
RMN Booked Online 268 293 245 806

Industry Indicators

September hotel occupancy was 65.0%,
a decrease of 2.7% compared to September 2006.

YTD hotel occupancy was 66.9%,
a decrease of 0.3% compared to this time last year.



August hotel tax collections were $2,081,038,
an increase of 3.3% compared to August 2006.

Calendar YTD collections were $17,051,753,
an increase of 7.5% compared to this time last year.


Brand Champion
The Country Music Association (CMA) showcases and promotes the Music City brand through all aspects of their advertising, marketing and event production. They have embraced the brand and the city, driving tourism and generating local revenue. Congratulations to the CMA on being named Music City's November Brand Champion.


Titans Weekend Packages on Sale Now
Titans Weekend Packages are on sale now exclusively through the NCVB. The packages include a minimum 2-night hotel stay plus Titans game tickets, encouraging fans to spend the entire weekend in Nashville. For information on how to get your hotel included in Titans Packages, please contact Samantha Hunt at 615-259-4776 or Samantha@visitmusiccity.com.
The CVB Sales, Marketing & Membership Teams:

  • The Sales team attended the Student Youth Travel Association in Whistler, British Columbia. The team was very productive, making 28 appointments and returning with 6 leads.

  • Sales also attended AAA's Taste of Tennessee which was held in Nashville. AAA hosted 16 Auto Clubs representing 13 different states. Attendees experienced Nashville attractions, hotels and nightlife.

  • Sales attended MPI-SCC Education Summit in Westlake Village, CA and ITME in Chicago. They made 44 contacts between the two shows and 1 lead which produced approximately 8,000 total room nights.

  • In September, the Convention Sales team booked the International Music Products Association with 23,000 attendees representing 7,530 total room nights, the Technology Student Association with 3,500 attendees representing 7,300 total room nights, and the National Beta Club with 2,000 attendees representing 6,020 total room nights.

  • The sales team made trips to Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, the Carolinas and San Francisco and conducted 50 appointments resulting in 14 immediate leads for approximately 52,194 total room nights.

  • The NCVB Marketing team produced Music City J.A.M. at Riverfront Park. For the first year, the NCVB sold a presenting sponsorship, increasing revenue for the event.

  • Marketing conducted the first Music City Songwriting Competition garnering nearly 2,000 entries. Great American Country ran more than 100 T.V. spots promoting the contest and f.y.e. promoted it in more than 15,000 stores. It was a great success.


    • Marketing Plan Now Available
    The NCVB 2007 -2008 Marketing Plan is ready. If you would like to request a copy, please contact Molly Sudderth at 615-259-4703 or molly@visitmusiccity.com.

    Member Notes
    Maximize Your Membership
    Use your NCVB membership benefits to grow your business! Contact us for great ideas on how to maximize your membership.

    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 / chris@visitmusiccity.com

    New Members
    The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau welcomes its newest members:

    Adagio Massage Co. & Spa
    Music Row / The Gulch
    615.777.0602
    www.adagiomassageco.com

    Arrington Vineyards
    6211 Patton Road
    Arrington, TN 37014
    www.arringtonvineyards.com

    Century II
    278 Franklin Road, Suite 350
    Brentwood, TN 37027
    www.centuryii.net

    Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
    P.O. Box 40541
    Nashville, TN 37204
    www.nashvillehispanicchamber.com

    Radius 10
    1103 McGavock Street
    Nashville, TN 37203
    www.radius10.com


    Hit of the Month


    The Spirit of Nashville Poster Art Book
    This book brings together Music City's favorite memories through archival photos, historic information, time lines, maps and stories by real people about Nashville's most famous landmarks. This book is a must-have for everyone who wants to keep a piece of Nashville on their coffee table. The Spirit of Nashville poster art book is regularly priced at $34.95, but throughout the month of November we are offering it at 20% off the regular purchase price. Please visit the Visitor Information Center gift shops to see our entire collection of Spirit of Nashville merchandise.