Convention Bureau Works To Keep Business Moving

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by Rodney Dunigan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Since the May flood, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau has been frantically working to keep conventioneers from bolting to other cities.

This week, the annual Moose International Convention was scheduled to be held at the Opryland Hotel and more than 2,800 people had to be shifted across the city. But with a little extra work that convention as well as others in the city have been going off without a hitch.

Butch Spyridon, the head of Nashville's Convention and Visitors Bureau, said immediately following May's flood he and his team had a difficult mission: reaching out to potential visitors and conventioneers, assuring them that the city would recover.

"It took the entire hospitality industry to pull together. 35 hotels, 50 or 60 shuttle buses, every resource we had," said Spyridon.

The work has been non-stop. Kurt Wehrmeister, spokesman for the Moose International organization, said it was thanks to the help of the NCVB as well as the Mayor's office that they were able to keep the convention in Nashville.

"This experience in Nashville has been really good. We were very impressed in that just 10 days after the flood in a city that obviously had a lot else to deal with the people in charge here in Nashville made it a pretty easy decision for us to remain," Wehrmeister told NewsChannel 5.

The Little People of America are also holding their national conference this week at the downtown Convention Center. Participants told NewsChannel 5 they have had a great time and felt that it was important to show support by keeping the conference in Nashville. The NCVB is hopeful that message spreads across the country.

"One of the best ways you can help Nashville is to come visit. If we put people to work and generate sales revenue, our recovery is smoother, faster and better," said Spyridon.

The Convention and Visitors bureau said their work is far from over. With the Opryland Hotel not slated to open until the fall, they'll be on the phones, setting up meetings, doing everything in their power to ensure the city doesn't lose needed conventions and revenue.

Email: rdunigan@newschannel5.com