Music City Center To Wine And Dine Convention Of 6,000 Convention Planners

The Music City Center spans six city blocks and feels enormous from the inside, even though it’s much smaller than the country’s largest facilities. Credit: Stephen Jerkins/WPLN

The Music City Center is preparing for its biggest convention yet: a convention of convention planners — the holy grail of the conference industry.

They’re coming in August, and tourism officials plan to wine and dine all 6,000 attendees.

“When they come into a city like Nashville, they’re going to be either your best or your worst critics,” says John Graham, CEO of the American Society of Association Executives.

Cities trying to keep their massive convention centers busy bend over backwards to bring Graham’s group to town.

Nashville isn’t charging a dime for using the new Music City Center. And the Convention and Visitors Corporation is spending roughly $1.5 million to provide everything from private concerts with country music superstars to Nashville-branded air fresheners in taxicabs.

CVC president Butch Spyridon says it makes sense to waive the rental fee and go all out.

“You’ve got to build a mousetrap to capture the money,” he says. “And if you want to be in the game, you have to be competitive.”

Historically, the ASAE says 20 percent of the associations who come to its annual convention end up booking their own meeting in the host city.