For the ultimate Southern experience, three ingredients are needed: history, music and passion. The destinations in central and west Tennessee fill the bill perfectly, providing planners with a unique and unforgettable setting for work and play.
Music born here went on to conquer the world; Nashville has become known internationally as the symbol of country music, while Memphis beats with a rock ’n’ roll heart, and both cities are rich with the sounds of
blues, gospel and soul. Jackson and Hardin County preserve the past with attractions like the Shiloh Indian Mounds landmark and Casey Jones Village, and the entire region thrums with the passion of potential, whether it’s all business in the cutting-edge biomedical scene of Memphis, or cheering at a basketball game or powerboat race in Hardin County.
Memphis
As a city, Memphis has always practiced the art of reinvention, weaving its history into the future. The threads of country, blues, gospel, and soul music came together over 50 years ago in Memphis to spin rock ’n’ roll, and Sam Phillips, Elvis Presley and Sun Studio became icons of a new age. Within the last several years, Memphis reinvented itself again with the redevelopment of its famous Beale Street into a booming attraction that also reflected the heart and soul of the town with unique features like the B.B. King Blues Club, a model that has inspired destinations across the country to do the same.
Now that the Beale Street entertainment district is one of the top attractions in the state, Memphis is busy expanding services and amenities to appeal to meeting planners. The Memphis Cook Convention Center recently finished its renovation and expansion, nearly doubling the 200,000-square-foot facility to 350,000 square feet of event and meeting space, which includes a 28,000-square-foot ballroom and the new 2,100-seat Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.
New hotels are also beginning to pop up, according to Kevin Kane, president and CEO of the Memphis CVB.
“The Westin Beale Street just opened, making it the first Westin in the state,” he says. “What we’ve done over the last five years is improve the quality of hotel product downtown.”
Indeed, more hotels are lining up for downtown development, augmenting the city’s existing meetings-ready portfolio, which includes standouts such as the Hilton Memphis and the Peabody Memphis. Two new Indigo properties will debut within the next year, and a Hyatt property with more than 200 rooms is slated to open in 2010 at the other end of Beale Street.
Additionally, with the recent expansion of the Memphis Marriott Downtown, there are 603 guest rooms attached to the convention center.
All of the development downtown translates into a more convenient package for groups, according to Kane.
“It’s a tight package, with attractions, new restaurants and hotel rooms all within walking distance,” he says. “Add in the vintage trolley cars that service the area, and it makes accessibility very easy.”
Meanwhile, Memphis has refocused its efforts on industry-specific meetings, especially since the city is home to FedEx and is considered a leader in the bioscience field with facilities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Regional Medical Center and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Corporate and biomedical meetings are rapidly growing markets for the city.
Groups heading to Memphis can look forward to lots of great off-site activities. Planners can arrange events at the Smithsonian Rock ’n’ Soul Museum or Graceland, plan group tours through the Gibson guitar factory, or block out some free time for attendees to enjoy Beale Street. The original Sun Studio and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, which is celebrating 50 years of soul this year with special exhibits and events, are other top cultural highlights of the city. Add in the Center for Southern Folklore, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Alex Haley House and Museum, the AutoZone Baseball Park, and a Memphis Grizzlies game at the 18,400-seat FedEx Forum, and you have a meeting no one will ever forget, something Kane and the Memphis CVB are counting on.
“If you haven’t been here in the last six years, you’ll be shocked at the amazing changes in Memphis,” he says. “We’re still a very well-kept secret in the meetings market.”
Nashville
When most people think of Nashville, they think of cowboy hats and country songs. And while the city is the hub of the country music scene, with nearly 200 recording studios, more than 80 record labels and dozens of clubs with live music, Nashville also has a savvy business side. New developments are keeping pace with the region’s growing biomedical and corporate markets, thanks to bioscience research facilities at Vanderbilt University and last year’s relocation of Nissan’s headquarters from California to Nashville.
“Nashville is very hot right now,” says Kay Witt, senior vice president of sales for the Nashville CVB. “New hotels are coming in, plans are under way to build a new 5,000-square-foot amphitheater on the riverfront, and legislation is in the works to build a new convention center.”
The new Music City Convention Center, slated to open by late 2011 if approved, would offer 400,000 square feet of event and meeting space. Plans are also being discussed to expand the existing Nashville Convention Center, while the Gaylord Opryland Resort is planning to expand with more rooms and an additional 300,000 square feet of space, according to Witt.
As befits a destination known as “Music City USA,” Nashville brims with unique attractions and off-site venues for attendees. Groups can enjoy the history of the Grand Ole Opry at Ryman Auditorium or have a reception at the new Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, with a live jam backing an event in the 5,000-square-foot performance hall.
Groups can also soak up some classical sounds at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which opened last fall, or get down with the blues at B.B. King’s and a host of other live venues.
For something completely different, planners can arrange a progressive dinner at a series of historic and lovely plantation homes, including brandy and appetizers at the Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum, followed by courses at Belle Meade Plantation and Belmont Mansion.
For something light with Old World flavor, groups can try a Greek wine and cheese reception at Centennial Park’s Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original, complete with a nearly 42-foot-tall likeness of Athena Parthenos inside.
The fact that Nashville has more to offer than its signature country music makes it an ideal destination for meetings, according to Witt.
“I think people are looking for a new and different destination, and we’re within a day’s drive of 60 percent of the country,” she says. “We have the product, the value and the unique experience planners are looking for.”
The Nashville Convention Center, with more than 160,000 square feet of meeting space, is the city’s primary group venue, while major meetings-friendly hotels include the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center; the Renaissance Nashville Hotel, connected to the convention center; the Hilton Nashville Downtown; the Sheraton Music City; and Union Station–A Wyndham Historic Hotel.
Just outside Nashville in Williamson County, planners can take advantage of the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs and the attached Cool Springs Conference Center.
Jackson
Head northeast on Interstate 40 from Memphis and in about an hour you’ll discover the historic town of Jackson.
Unique lures make Jackson irresistible and fun, such as Casey Jones Village, which honors the brave deed of railroad engineer Casey Jones, who saved his train passengers by sacrificing himself in the now-legendary 1900 wreck of Engine 382. Visitors can see a replica of that engine, along with Jones’ historic home. The village also features an old-time country store, shops, an ice cream parlor, and a 500-seat restaurant.
Jackson celebrates its own musical legacy; it seems fitting that the town located between the rock ’n’ roll of Memphis and the country of Nashville should have the International Rock-a-billy Hall of Fame, a museum with interactive audio exhibits that tell the story of this musical genre and of its hometown star, Carl Perkins, best known for the song Blue Suede Shoes.
Within the larger area surrounding Jackson, there’s a treasure trove of Civil War sites and offbeat museums. Several battlefields dot the area, the largest of which is Shiloh National Military Park, which features a brief film before its tour and has more than 200 cannons on display. Groups can also check out the National Bird Dog Museum; the Sheriff Buford Pusser (of Walking Tall fame) Home and Museum; or the Tennessee River freshwater pearl farm, where visitors can not only learn about freshwater pearls, but shop for them as well.
Group venues in the area include the recently renovated Carl Perkins Civic Center, with 22,000 square feet of event space; the 5,600-seat Oman Arena; and the 446-seat Ned R. McWherter West Tennessee Cultural Arts Center.
The Doubletree Hotel Jackson, the Holiday Inn Jackson and the Old English Inn Hotel and Convention Center are among the most popular hotels for meetings.
Hardin County
History and natural beauty make Hardin County a great site for smaller meetings, with attractions such as the Shiloh Civil War Relics Museum and the Cherry Mansion in Savannah, which served as headquarters for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in 1862.
Nearby, Pickwick Lake and Park satisfies outdoor enthusiasts with sailing, swimming and fishing. Hardin County is known as the “Catfish Capital of the World,” and the National Catfish Derby is held here annually, as well as the annual Pickwick Challenge powerboat race.
For drier fun, football fans watch their teams hit the turf at Jim Carroll Stadium, and visitors also flock to the area’s four premier golf courses.
With so much to see and do, Hardin County has become a popular choice for small groups heading to the region.
“Business is better than ever,” says Rachel Baker, tourism director of Team Hardin County, the umbrella organization for the Hardin County CVB. “Our conference center stays full through the week, and we’re the perfect spot for retreats.”
With an average meeting size of 100 delegates, Hardin County sees quite a bit of association and state business, Baker says.
“We’re a convenient and relaxing setting for small meetings, and people just fall in love with the atmosphere,” she says.
In fact, so many people come back to Hardin County that it was chosen as part of the state’s “Retire Tennessee” program.
Meeting facilities in the region include Pickwick Landing State Resort Park and Conference Center, featuring a golf course, a 500-seat conference center and a 7,500-square-foot convention center; the Hampton Inn Pickwick Dam; and the Comfort Inn Savannah.
For More Info
Hardin County CVB 731.925.8181
www.tourhardincounty.org
Jackson CVB 731.425.8333
www.jacksontncvb.com
Memphis CVB 901.543.5300
www.memphistravel.com
Nashville CVB 615.259.4730
www.musiccityusa.com
