NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The NFL Draft in Nashville will bring more than just football fans and a national spotlight to Music City, it will bring big business to downtown Nashville and the businesses there.
Nudie's Honky-Tonk, which is owned by Icon Entertainment Group, already has plans to dedicate their second floor to draft viewing, including dedicated TV screens, food and drink specials, and other surprises.
Here’s what we know about the NFL Draft in Nashville
“I gotta say, the average honky-tonk at night is lively and rowdy and fun and enthusiastic with all the bands, so I expect it to be like that still, maybe more amped up, and a little more diversified with the visitors that are coming in, but I think it’s going to be crazy and a blast like it always is," Angela Dodson, Icon Entertainment Group senior vice president, said.
With the fun will likely come a lot of business, as thousands of reporters, NFL officials, fans, and other people visit town for the week. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is also the same weekend, bringing tens of thousands more to patronize the downtown businesses.
While many businesses will make special preparations to accommodate football fans, some businesses downtown are being rented out by the city or the NFL specifically for the draft, including Nashville Underground.
Owner Joey DeGraw said that it's an exciting time for Nashville with so many great events coming to town, and when an event like the NFL Draft is held in Nashville, it can spur even more business coming to the city.
“It brings other business in," DeGraw said. "I think that people that come here from other cities, when they see the action going on here, they want to bring their party here, their business here, their convention here.”
