NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — About 200,000 revelers are expected to pack into Bicentennial Mall to ring in the new year. Some will come for the music, but the focal point is when the clock strikes midnight. And in order to pull off the show, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation relies on a local company.
Deep inside a Nashville warehouse, you'll find signs of success all over their walls.
"As the city has grown, we’ve definitely been able to kind of piggyback on that," said Scott Volesky, the Director of Productions for Made First.
Made First now has clients all across the country, but none of it would have happened if the company hadn't started on a colorful note.
"When the city came to us the first time, it really kind of was the big step for us," he said.
Eleven years ago, the Nashville CVC commissioned them to make their first music note to drop at midnight on New Year's Eve.
"A lot of tension, a lot of hoping it makes it to the bottom," said Volesky.
Both the company and the party have only gotten bigger with age.
"To have a 5-hour, live television show is incredible for this city," said Deana Ivey, President of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation.
This is why, on this second year of the celebration, airing in front of a national audience, there's a whole stockroom full of LED signs ready to light up the night at the big bash.
"And we just try to add elements that will make it more exciting, and bigger and better," said Ivey.
But, fittingly, the centerpiece is that iconic eighth note.
"Technology has really gotten to the point where, especially with the new note, we can basically turn any shape into a video screen and be able to run video content through it," said Volesky. "We can do sparkle effects; we can run logos across it."
While Made First was definitely nervous in the first year, eleven years later, perhaps confidence is another sign of success.
"We’ve done it so many times; we feel pretty confident it’ll go off without a hitch," he said.
If you want to celebrate the arrival of 2023 without dealing with all the crowds, you can watch Nashville's Big Bash on NewsChannel 5.
