 Mark Your Calendars: Music City Brand Strategy Luncheon Sept. 18 The Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with the Nashville Business Journal, is hosting a Music City Brand Strategy Luncheon featuring award-winning author and branding expert Duane Knapp on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 11:30am at the Hilton Nashville Downtown. Selected by IBM and American Express as the "must read" for their top 400 executives, Knapp's book "The Brand Mindset" has been instrumental in building Nashville's Music City brand. Don't miss the opportunity to hear this outstanding speaker. You'll gain insight into creating your own genuine brand and learn new ways to incorporate the Music City brand into your business. For more information or to register, please visit http://www.visitmusiccity.com/ecards/knapp/card.htm XM Radio Expands Nashville Presence  XM, the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than 8.2 million subscribers, announced an agreement with the city of Nashville to expand its presence in Music City with new studios located in the Sommet Center's arena tower. Construction on the new space is scheduled for completion later this year.
XM has also teamed up with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau to collaborate on free, live music events for Music City's Visitor Information Center which is located on the main level of the arena tower. XM's original performance series, "Music City Connection: Heroes Behind the Hits," is produced by the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Music City Center Campaign Hits a Milestone The campaign for a new downtown convention center in Nashville took a huge step forward with the city council's approval of funding legislation. The bill initiates the collection of visitor taxes, starting Sept. 1, in preparation to fund the proposed center. Earlier this summer, the Tennessee state legislature overwhelmingly passed enabling legislation, which allowed the council to vote on the funding measure. At the same meeting, the Metro Council approved legislation that sets the stage for Metro to secure an $80 million bond issue for Gaylord to help it fund a proposed $400 million expansion of its Opryland Resort & Convention Center. The completion of both facilities will greatly enhance Nashville's ability to compete with any city in the country for convention and tourist business. Kick-Off Fall with Great Music  Get your lawn chairs and cameras ready, Nashville plays host to three major music festivals in September.
Kicking things off at Riverfront Park on Labor Day weekend, the Music City J.A.M. will feature multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated R&B artist Brian McKnight and a host of other jazz, blues, gospel and reggae artists. The two-day festival will conclude with a fireworks display on Sunday evening. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. A two-day pass is available for $25 or a one-day ticket is $15.  To round out the Labor Day weekend, the city of Nashville is hosting the End of Summer Labor Day Blast, Monday, Sept. 3 at Centennial Park. Diamond Rio, Pam Tillis, Luke Bryan, The Dirt Drifters and Whiskey Run are set to perform beginning at 2 pm. The event is free and open to the public.  More than 100 artists will perform during Next Big Nashville, a three-day rock music festival held in some of the city's best venues including Mercy Lounge, Cannery Ballroom, Exit/In, The Rutledge, 3rd & Lindsley, City Hall and The Basement, September 5. For more information, or to purchase an all-access wristband, go to www.nextbignashville.net.
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Industry Indicators
July hotel occupancy was 70.1%, a decrease of 2.2% compared to July 2006. YTD hotel occupancy was 67.1%.  May hotel tax collections were $2,306,868, an increase of 14.2% compared to May 2006. Calendar YTD collections were $10,253,212, an increase of 7% compared to this time last year. |
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| The CVB Sales, Marketing & Membership Teams: Attended the MPI World Education Congress in Montreal, Canada. Sales staff made contact with 78 attendees resulting in three immediate leads, representing a total of 2,375 room nights. The sales staff is also following up with 16 other groups to generate more leads. Booked U.S. Department of Education conference for November 2009. The event will attract approximately 4,500 attendees for a total of 10,400 room nights. Produced three XM radio shows showcasing rock, country, bluegrass, and Americana music from Music City. |
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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. |
Marketing Plan Now Available The NCVB 2007 -2008 Marketing Plan is ready. If you would like to request a copy, please contact Brooke Jaggers at 615-259-4793 or Brooke@visitmusiccity.com. Member Notes September 18 Music City Brand Strategy Luncheon Brand Expert Duane Knapp Registration: 11:00am Lunch: 11:30am Hilton Nashville Downtown 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! Fatima Thompson, Manager of Member Services 615-259-4744 / Fatima@visitmusiccity.com |
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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. |
