Director outlines hires, marketing priorities, agritourism push and AI feasibility study for hotel

Executive Director Mark presented the director’s report highlighting recent hires, marketing priorities, and new initiatives aimed at growing Sumner County’s tourism economy.

Staffing and partnerships: Mark announced the hiring of a new director of business development, "Kendall," described as having a background in natural resources and conservation/wildlife management and already contributing ideas, and a new administrative assistant, Taylor Jones, who brings event planning and hospitality experience. Mark also said the office remains short one marketing hire and plans to recruit a social‑media specialist.

Marketing and heritage: Mark shared a recent industry study noting historic landmarks ranked as the top attraction interest for 2025 and described work with a new historic‑sites collaborative to market those assets as a group. The tourism office is developing a digital "passport" for historic‑site visits and coordinating kickoff events and joint calendars for seasonal programming.

Print and distribution: The board discussed the tourism guide print run and distribution. Mark said the guide print run is being reduced from earlier years; the guide will be printed in the order of 13,000 guides with a planned distribution run of 20,000 copies overall, down from 30,000–35,000 in previous years. The board discussed the contractor (identified as Phillips Distribution) that handles distribution to hotels and welcome centers; staff will request a list of distribution locations and more detailed restock data.

Agritourism and events: Mark said the office is actively pursuing agritourism opportunities (farm experiences, classes, beekeeping, boat building demonstrations) and is working with farmers and small businesses to create visitor experiences that can drive overnight stays. He identified special‑needs group programming and multi‑day events (example: an expanded Irish festival) as priorities to encourage longer stays.

Data and strategy: Mark reviewed occupancy tax and hospitality metrics. He said statewide occupancy tax and hotel occupancy have softened but overall hospitality and leisure receipts are up in the county because spending on eating, recreation and other sectors has increased; he emphasized that lodging represents roughly 16% of total tourism dollars, so sales tax and day‑visitor spending matter as well.

AI feasibility study for hotel: Mark described an initiative with the University of Tennessee to pilot an AI‑assisted feasibility study for a prospective convention‑sized hotel in the county — a cost‑saving alternative to an external consultant study that typically costs $30,000–$50,000. The university partnership would produce a feasibility model and projections for potential lenders and stakeholders.

Other items: Mark noted new creative content (photography and video) will be captured countywide for promotional use, the Temple Theater piano concert series planning, and an expanded slate of sponsorships and events.

The board asked staff to provide more granular distribution and P&L reports and to include a list of where printed materials are distributed in the next director’s report.