Memphis
- Memphis was mostly spared from the floodwaters of the Mississippi River this spring, with the airport, major roads (some detours), hotels and riverboats all remaining open. The entertainment section of Beale Street between Second and Fourth Streets was untouched by the water, and clean-up of affected areas was well under way at press time.
- The Memphis Management Group will officially assume management of the Memphis Cook Convention Center (901.576.1200; www.memphisconvention.com) July 1. Meeting planners will now be able to work with CVB representatives at both the CVB and the center, which has recently undergone some light upgrades, including building-wide Wi-Fi.
- Scheduled for completion in fall 2012, Beale Street Landing (901.312.9190; www.memphisriverfront.com) will feature three different park spaces on varying elevations, a 400-foot-long floating riverboat dock and a multiuse, 13,000-square-foot building under a grass roof.
Nashville
- Virtually every Nashville venue affected by the historic May 2010 floods has now reopened, including Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center (615.889.1000; www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-opryland). The 2,881-room property reopened last November following an extensive reconstruction and renovation project, which also included three new restaurants as well as technology and energy efficiency upgrades.
- Offering more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space, the Sheraton Nashville Downtown (615.259.2000; www.sheratonnashvilledowntown.com) completed the final phase of a multimillion-dollar renovation last fall, with updates to all 474 guest rooms and refreshed common areas.
- Scheduled to open in 2013, the $250 million Omni Nashville Hotel (www.omnihotels.com) will connect with the expanded Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and will feature 800 guest rooms and suites and over 80,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
- Targeting LEED Silver certification, the 1.2 million-square-foot Music City Center (www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com) is slated to open in early 2013. It will feature 350,000 square feet of exhibition space, 90,000 square feet of meeting space and a 57,000-square-foot ballroom.
Jackson
- The 92-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites Park Place (731.736.1174; www.hiexpress.com) debuted in May, while this summer sees the opening of the meetings-ready Residence Inn by Marriott (731.935.4100; www.marriott.com).