[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6334097,"mediaKeyId","2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761","parentId",2298753,"title","Commission highlights business accelerator cohort and industry recognition for local producer","audioSeconds",162,"startMs",2764000,"endMs",2926000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761&start=2764&end=2926","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761/thumbnail_2764000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6334097/Tennessee/Commission-highlights-business-accelerator-cohort-and-industry-recognition-for-local-producer","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334097-1657097c0279a7b268ac879c230462a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176302&Signature=DzQQEFqGfbsVu1Znb~a1KMuyAcrvGx6lD0-Sq~oFwNdnTNEjHxQtHixj9IxFyAgGq9U6jdj7T7AS7nSeOc18K3KZVn5OhDBR4lLqEvOsQi9OQL2hGM~EfQHA4pKVI4P8-Rpf66-u5e8fO0hOvUAWAR6atDmHOcl7LPrcu-GlqxQeAlcfZ0X-aDgcdSNHi79mdc-i1pNJn1QLeVJvlz5-nmcej3L8sRqP~6119or-yWzJW5Q0fjUPanmwPupNyHp9xdTaQhLIodCRMWnbI06JauB9envJKv-rFlBC8QxmdjPvZFrolkytkCuPmJTvOqYTqlXkMRnIihf5gzm8ysdblQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Nashville, TN","date","2025-02-13T03:32:52Z","article","Marie (last name not provided), staff, said the Music City Truck Climbers business-accelerator program has launched with a 15‑business cohort representing industries such as transportation, printing, video production, food and beverage, and gift/experience businesses.

Marie said the cohort completed an introductory session and that staff from multiple departments—marketing, sales and others—participated to explain how the commission attracts visitors and how businesses can align with destination promotion. The program is intended to support growth for local and minority-owned businesses; Marie said participants have been highly engaged and have asked for additional time and follow-up sessions.

Staff also reported that Shannon Sanders, a BMI executive and two-time Grammy winner who formerly served on the commission’s board, is the subject of a temporary exhibit at the National Museum of African American Music through early April. Marie said the exhibit recognizes Sanders’s career and his contributions to the music and hospitality communities.

Commission members praised the accelerator’s early reception and the museum exhibit as positive community-facing work that connects the local music and hospitality ecosystems.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","02/12/25 Tourism and Convention Commission","oneSentenceSummary","Staff launched the Music City Truck Climbers business-accelerator cohort of 15 small businesses and flagged an exhibit honoring Shannon Sanders at the National Museum of African American Music; staff described positive early feedback from participants.","taxTitle","Tourism and Convention Commission Meetings, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee","taxId",69307,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6334102,"Sales staff point to convention wins and longer-term group bookings",1165,1211000,2376000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761&start=1211&end=2376","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761/thumbnail_1211000.jpg","/articles/6334102/Tennessee/Sales-staff-point-to-convention-wins-and-longer-term-group-bookings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334102-7589da748f7d06ce3078712d36a0aaa6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176302&Signature=RFvlD9bq4hRAfT1VZcxi~gyx2WIeTKQIoEtqoI2djsmWvQoO0qBQL1cbeV9LDwauRJkw~SdB1~fM8mpub9aRcLGgQQWwDUWKttA3APf0~el5j0ugWs8d8~hHkyq5j1vQeqz9Mjt86MyEMlpVtnViA434VURFCzbS0Q7afx9GdQ5INleR-8WlHcwJj2vdAL-5w~bmfGoeVi~xoDqCquzDcnsGwmOL6Qj29zA42hebmWJOGENEX2kgXyaGVrrdaXzPkNiy-W5-6gH0X~Nh4LaRm2KIskTaD~xv-j5awmFEYXUkIH16ZKk0qRjS2x0YPocoMuc0RFBqunwhYzgTeuNjmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adrianne, sales staff, told the commission that quarter 1 and quarter 2 definite room-night goals are on pace and that several large conventions in January at Music City Center contributed to a January lift in downtown demand.

Adrianne said Safari Club has secured a 10-year deal to return to the city each January, providing a dependable annual event. She also announced that Cvent Connect, a meeting-industry event, will be held in Nashville in July 2026 after a competitive bid process; staff estimated roughly 3,000 meeting professionals will attend that event, which could help fill future pipelines for both current hotels and new construction.

The sales team described other recent convention activity—Anheuser-Busch, Granger and similar groups—that helped January room demand, and said they are pursuing multi-market sales blitzes to drive future bookings. Adrianne also noted staff are monitoring potential federal and medical-sector spending changes that could affect group attendance and are tracking reported cancellations from some international markets.

Commission members asked about outreach to hotel sales directors for cancellation tracking; staff said they planned additional communications with the hotel community and partners such as Opryland to capture timely data.","Sales staff said January convention business at Music City Center boosted downtown demand; Safari Club secured a 10-year commitment and Cvent Connect will bring roughly 3,000 meeting professionals to Nashville in 2026.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6334107,"Staff cites record New Year's Eve attendance and readies international marketing for new flights",1031,917000,1948000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761&start=917&end=1948","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761/thumbnail_917000.jpg","/articles/6334107/Tennessee/Staff-cites-record-New-Years-Eve-attendance-and-readies-international-marketing-for-new-flights","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334107-1402d719a35461fda2e5436613aae16f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176302&Signature=NyRoTZwfql0PgN8sTVkSFcGwoHLVRYnNZGmzT-LBjxzpGm-e74q1S-yLK~cDN8LZ8UcJ8O~gsVXnOyangJ~TufFse-EfVSadq6R2VrLEnD0F0ozv3RTkj8fqlAO88Z233rvcRFyBfZAwORiwbwYfybWy-DgAaCN3tdku0IO1oI3xMsw~PGL2XneJTZxev0HZm15jdo0ft~tx1H8XfeUvABUrp~8sg3WjwL4bCLCxhrjrVml~SjtePHg0lxFQga2e2jBmKyogIC26UTmJPHdWavu2g3qCA22Xyyfi94M~mfhtx3Aq8pcuFXpLuc1JX6ir40RPEY8Tp3tofxTbYOsxKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dina (last name not provided), staff, summarized the New Year’s Eve event and broader marketing activity, saying the live broadcast on CBS drew an estimated 6.9 million viewers and that on-site attendance at Bicentennial Park reached a record 220,000.

Dina said the broadcast functioned as “a 5 hour commercial for Nashville” and that event-related outreach and partnerships included a sober space, safe-bar training, outreach partners such as Cumberland Heights, and accessibility supports coordinated with Culture City. She reported an estimated $41,000,000 in direct visitor spending connected to the event and said survey results showed 83 percent of attendees came specifically for the New Year’s Eve event.

Heather, marketing staff, outlined the international marketing plans tied to two new nonstop flights launching in April: Icelandair on April 10 and Aer Lingus on April 12. Heather said staff are targeting the U.K., Ireland, the Nordic countries, France, Germany and the Netherlands with programmatic digital marketing, content partnerships and social promotion, and that a launch event is planned in Dublin on March 11 in coordination with Aer Lingus.

Staff also reviewed ongoing promotional programs: a winter-promotion umbrella, targeted discount tickets with local attractions, and Dine Nashville, which entered its fourth year and includes chef-collaboration events and restaurant-week participation aimed at encouraging visitation during slower months.

Dina said negotiations with CBS to continue the televised New Year’s Eve broadcast are underway and that staff expect a decision in the coming weeks. She also noted a site visit for a Special Olympics 2030 U.S. Games bid—if successful, staff estimated the event could be worth about 40,000 room nights.","Staff reported 220,000 on-site New Year's Eve attendees and 6.9 million TV viewers; the commission's marketing team described plans to promote new Icelandair and Aer Lingus flights and ongoing programs such as Dine Nashville.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6334111,"Research: Nashville lodging demand flat in 2024; short-term rentals gain ground",300,395000,695000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761&start=395&end=695","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761/thumbnail_395000.jpg","/articles/6334111/Tennessee/Research-Nashville-lodging-demand-flat-in-2024-short-term-rentals-gain-ground","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334111-2d0d18a3458c39be813fe49afe10ad80/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176302&Signature=S0cdF0xYJO8YG8H-ygOnOCjTjDE--~knbq~3MRyvlHTJ4ixIe3YJQgpdnEeeS4fkldP~3EKEHHJs1koK9dctSzwROZFwf4zkeHvICDPzLcOZcLmpuAYg2DXsOv2SJM2jqorLDCod3aPgzIOn4ujcbeo5~E-U4w1TJcmlaFG9-cj7mgicdd2BlDrXNWOuJ1htUPaPv03jYX0FQdEC2aIDr~eQE3DjjAbqxDlacBN7OFDkB70MHbC8GMY1WLWh6D4BpyFeHfmGGI-pB4ZKAI34nUv5SioI2u7EoL5-NVfiPkyGVHZgjuaxzS8sNb~2tGGkZdxsrazsBicndjR8qtBLKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bruce McGregor, research staff, presented 2024 lodging results for Davidson County and said hotel demand was “essentially flat” last year, with a countywide decrease in demand of 0.3 percent and an average daily rate (ADR) decline of about 2 percent to roughly $201.

McGregor told the commission RevPAR fell about 5 percent because of the rate drop and a 2.7 percent increase in room supply; he said eight new hotels added roughly 1,300 rooms last year. He added that despite those changes, room revenues still exceeded $2 billion in 2024.

A major theme of McGregor’s presentation was the rising role of short-term rentals. He said 12‑month revenue for short-term rentals was up 18.7 percent year over year and accounted for about 23 percent of total lodging revenue in the county. McGregor said data for short-term rentals came from AirDNA and that there are roughly 9,500 active countywide listings, about 1,300 of which are downtown.

On downtown performance, McGregor cited a strong downtown showing: demand up 3.4 percent, supply up about 3.2 percent, occupancy around 75.5 percent and a downtown ADR near $283; downtown hotels produced just over $1 billion in room revenue and represented roughly 52 percent of countywide room revenue while comprising about 33 percent of county supply.

McGregor described a bifurcated market: luxury and upper-upscale hotels performed well (luxury demand up about 2.2 percent), while economy-class hotels showed larger declines. He said higher-income travelers continue to drive the luxury segment while lower-income travel demand has softened amid inflationary pressures.

Looking ahead, McGregor said projections for 2025 show measured growth: domestic visitation roughly in line with U.S. trends at about 2 percent, hotel demand projected to increase about 2 percent to approximately 10.2 million rooms sold countywide, and hotel revenues expected to grow about 2.7 percent. McGregor attributed some upside to conventions at Music City Center, new nonstop international flights and major concerts scheduled for the spring and summer.

Commission members asked about permitting and taxation for short-term rentals; McGregor said the short-term rental listing data come from third-party tracking (AirDNA) and that permitting and enforcement are handled by Metro codes (staff), and that major booking platforms typically require a local permit number for listings.","Commission research staff presented 2024 lodging metrics showing essentially flat hotel demand, falling RevPAR, an increase in supply and growth in short-term rental revenue; staff forecast modest growth for 2025 driven by conventions and major concerts.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6334117,"Commission reviews midyear finances as hotel tax collections stay strong",145,163000,308000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761&start=163&end=308","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2298753-c71244348e0df5d7fa9d93c7a2449761/thumbnail_163000.jpg","/articles/6334117/Tennessee/Commission-reviews-midyear-finances-as-hotel-tax-collections-stay-strong","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6334117-3ca85b0957be13169d7a141b809bccf3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176302&Signature=WwIKtFEEkwJ90ejEyRhV9LKPu1Twy0huMPvyBRHl~4LVO0HQBPQtvKBqNgZUeNArLHFCY67Df6OErVVeuLxOBb1bfy1Vb90iU9a5OpmtSEgyvilEQxHTsoCCS4Bzd34HkU5jGH01EkWeVPe-LrtO3b8~SyHliv1aOo65oRUb~PouZc2JwF9SdIl-joUY1173ry2oUL-QLO0GM5LMmbvQObBhvKRhoQc7RGHXKPRqBTAErB8CLhZq1LAVoa2skAcCp-F4-HFJHfG8e~~tpjz5lhB5ubf87Q76onuJ2lIRjdGUmuLv1v288AfwFuZs80egeCJhJAzBOBODOy6wFf0HTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jeff Mefford, finance staff, told the Tourism and Convention Commission that hotel tax collections reported through November totaled $66,817,000, with $19,360,000 of that amount dedicated to tourism promotion.

The report matters because the commission reimburses eligible tourism-promotion expenses from those receipts rather than receiving the tax revenue directly; Mefford said, “the hotel taxes do not come directly to the CVC. We're only reimbursed for the actual expenses which are incurred in promotion of the city.”

Mefford said overall revenue for the reported period was $21,247,000 and that the portion allocated by the CVC to the metro contract for the first half of the fiscal year was $17,318,000. He told commissioners that revenues and expenses are “tracking very much in line with expectations at this midpoint of our fiscal year,” and that the city’s June 2024 CPA audit issued an unqualified (clean) opinion. Mefford also noted that hotel tax collections for the five-month period are 40% higher than in the same pre-pandemic months in 2020.

Commission members asked clarifying questions about the scope of the tax. Mefford confirmed the technical term is an occupancy tax and that collections include short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb. After addressing a spelling correction in the prior meeting minutes and hearing the financial presentation, commissioners moved to approve the minutes and then the financial report; both motions passed with an affirmative voice vote.

The financial presentation emphasized that recent monthly hotel tax receipts include record months (October set an all-time monthly high) and that expenses have been weighted toward marketing because of timing of activities; Mefford said he expects spending to equalize over the fiscal year. He invited commissioners to ask questions and offered to circulate the audit report to the city once it is filed.

Less critical details: Mefford apologized that the financial report had not initially been placed in meeting folders and offered to address follow-up questions by email.","Commission staff reported year-to-date hotel tax collections of $66.8 million and a clean audit for the June 2024 year; commissioners approved the financial report after a brief discussion and a spelling correction to the minutes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission highlights business accelerator cohort and industry recognition for local producer

Sales staff point to convention wins and longer-term group bookings

Staff cites record New Year's Eve attendance and readies international marketing for new flights

Research: Nashville lodging demand flat in 2024; short-term rentals gain ground

Commission reviews midyear finances as hotel tax collections stay strong