I love Nashville

I just returned from Nashville. Ok, not just but I’ve been back long enough to clear the cob webs, catch up on some sleep and stop my checking account from the bleeding it seemed to do while in the fine state of Tennessee. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. Regardless of if you love country music or not.

I’ve been trying to come up with a witty/clever/show stopping blog from the trip. Since I seem to be suffering from writer’s block in both my professional and personal worlds, however, I’m going to have to stick to some rather boring (or professional related) facts I discovered about Nashville.

Two things (of many) I have to give Nashville props for: their marketing/branding department and their CVB.

Marketing: Nashville – Music City. That slogan is all over their websites and marketing materials. And boy that tag line doesn’t lie. From the time I stepped off the plane, music was everywhere.

Examples:
• Vintage music posters hanging in the airport
• Live bands (sometimes multiple) in every single restaurant and bar regardless of the time of day. And they were all good bands of every genre you can imagine.
• Outdoor speakers outside of restaurants and bars so you could listen as you stroll along the streets.
• Outdoor service “contraptions” (for severe lack of better word) that doubled as a. a service station for city workers and b. speaker system that played music on the same stroll even when not on 2nd or Broadway. Cool.

 Marketing Lesson: Keep it consistent and simple. Nashville gets a big A+. They promised me music and boy, they didn’t lie.

Convention and Visitor’s Bureau: I got a lot of flack for emailing their CVB before I left for the south. However, non-profits are experts in their specific subject matter… something I’ve quickly learned from being in the biz myself. When visiting a new city, you bet I’m going to find out the must-see from not only locals but locals whose job it is to sell place X. And so I crafted a (perhaps over the top) email to my non-profit friends in Tennessee. My new friend, Greg emailed me back two days later with a hearty list of must experiences. As my friend Jake says in his post about a city’s customer service, it’s imperative that CVB’s are accessible. Another A+ for Nashville.

Greg’s CS was impressive, so much so that I’m still talking (and blogging) about it. I even stopped to snap a quick (and rather awkward) photo when I happened across their building on our downtown adventures.

Travel Lesson: when you travel somewhere new, please reach out to the chambers/CVB’s in the area. They really do know what they’re talking about.

And with that, I'll step down from my Nashville soap box.