The neon lights and twangy guitar sounds emanating from Nashville, Tennessee’s Broadway Street rival the buzz of the Las Vegas Strip, but for years, the city’s hotel inventory struggled to keep up with meeting planners’ demand. Now, Music City is singing a different tune, explains Adrienne Siemers, chief sales officer at the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “In the past, we were under-built for the amount of demand we have seen, but that’s finally changing,” she says. “For clientele who have not been able to [host meetings in the city] before, I encourage you to try again and our team will help.”
A boom in new luxury properties has reshaped Nashville’s ability to accommodate groups. In recent years, the city announced new InterContinental Hotels Group, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Pendry Hotels & Resorts properties. The planned Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Nashville, a part of the East Bank development and near Texas-based software company Oracle’s emerging new headquarters, signals further growth. Siemers says the additions will expand the city’s ability to attract incentives and high-end corporate clients.
Already, city officials have noticed an upswing in these types of bookings, as in September, Nashville played host to San Francisco-based software company Autodesk’s 12,000-person Autodesk University 2025 conference at Music City Center, the city’s main convention facility. Siemers says the event was a turning point—proof that Nashville can handle large-scale, tech-focused events. She also notes Nashville has become more popular for incentives. “It used to be [that] people were looking for a beach locale for incentive meetings, but now, people are looking for more creative options,” she says.
Iconic Venues
Every successful event starts with identifying the right venue, and in Nashville, there is no dearth of large-scale spaces that ring true to the city’s musical charm. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum offers planners versatile spaces downtown. Its 10,000-square-foot event hall fits up to 900 attendees theater-style, while its CMA Theater provides 776 seats and room for 50 people on the stage. For social events, the Hall of Fame Rotunda and Mike Curb Conservatory suit airy receptions, happy hours, and fundraisers, with the latter’s glass ceiling allowing for evening gatherings underneath the stars.
Also downtown is Ryman Auditorium, known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” with a 2,362-seat hall that is ideal for keynotes, concerts, and awards shows. Planners can host on-stage dinners or receptions for groups of up to 180, supported by robust in-house production and broadcast infrastructure. The Grand Ole Opry House, which is home to one of the country music industry’s most prominent stages, accommodates everything from board dinners to awards galas. The 4,400-seat auditorium provides options to host dinners atop its stage or receptions for 170 and 275 attendees, respectively. The adjacent Opry Plaza, a 100,000-square-foot outdoor space, hosts up to 5,000 people.
For breakout sessions and after-hours events, Siemers recommends booking recording studio spaces for added flair. Additionally, the mixed-use Fifth + Broadway development, opened in 2021, houses more than 30 restaurants and entertainment venues available for private rentals, just steps from Ryman Auditorium and the honky-tonks (bustling bars that feature live country music) of the Lower Broadway district. Siemers notes she has seen an uptick in team-building experiences that embrace Nashville’s culture, too. Groups can tour the Johnny Cash Museum, learn to bake biscuits with Southern Belle Biscuit Co., or partner with Strings for Hope, a nonprofit that repurposes old guitar strings into jewelry, all crafted by women aiming to rebuild their lives. Siemers says the many hands-on options allow attendees to connect with the city while supporting the community, with some providing a keepsake attendees can take home.
The Honky-Tonk Pulse
Even as Nashville’s meetings and events infrastructure develops, the heartbeat of Lower Broadway still drives the experience, particularly at the iconic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, one of the city’s most famous honky-tonks. “Being able to say your event is at Tootsie’s would be the biggest draw,” says Laura Sumpter, director of events at the bar. Planners looking for distinctive elements might love the walls lined with black-and-white photos of artists who have graced its stage. “The stage is the best floor to do big group events. Everybody’s going to want to say, ‘Oh yeah, I was in Tennessee, and I was invited to a party at Tootsie’s.’” For nonprofit groups seeking more affordable options, Sumpter points to sister venues Rippy’s Honky Tonk—a barbecue staple with a rooftop—and Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse, popular with charitable organizations like the Green Beret Foundation of Southern Pines, North Carolina.
Planners looking for a more branded experience can buy out any one of several venues managed by TC Restaurant Group (based in Marion, Ohio). These include Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa, Luke’s 32 Bridge, and Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar. According to TC Restaurant Group Vice President of Sales Katie Goyette, these spaces hold anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 attendees and frequently hold events featuring layered sponsor activations. Such activations might include bourbon-and-bacon stations and branded dessert carts, or add-ons like the crowd-favorite “Strolling Dolly,” a Dolly Parton impersonator who mingles with eventgoers. Songwriter sessions for up to 150 attendees let groups interact with Nashville artists in a more personal way. “We are able to bring in celebrity talent, which is another draw of why people are coming to Nashville,” Goyette says.
Creating interactive experiences is increasingly of interest to planners, notes Kristofer Carlson, area managing director for Aimbridge Hospitality, which is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and operates the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown, Holiday Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown, and Holston House Nashville. His hotels’ recent renovations include more flexible meeting rooms and glass-walled studios at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown that can be transformed into karaoke lounges. Meanwhile, Holston House Nashville underwent a redesign that embellishes its original art deco style. “When you walk in, it feels like you are a part of ‘The Great Gatsby,’” Carlson says.
Southern Hospitality
Much of Nashville’s appeal comes from its authenticity, and genuine Southern hospitality elevates the experience at many businesses in the city. Nashville-born chain Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, for instance, caters everything from midday luncheons to upscale soirees. The private dining room at its Midtown Nashville location seats 55 to 60 people, and its food trucks can travel across central Tennessee. To elevate typical fried chicken served on white bread, Hattie B’s plays with presentation when it comes to catering, individualizing portions and creating engaging experiences. “[Our sauce is] a beautiful deep-red sauce that you can dip fried chicken into, and we make [dipping] it almost a show,” says Hattie B’s General Manager Joe McGrath. “What it comes down to is, how do we present it? How do we serve it? And how do we share it? Because all Southern hospitality is rooted around the love of sharing around the dinner table.” Planners also can work with Hattie B’s to set up a “Taste of Nashville” event, which includes interactive tastings involving chicken of different spice levels, sparking camaraderie among attendees of varying mettle.
Such warm welcomes and one-of-a-kind experiences keep planner Raymie Chavez Grimm returning to Nashville every year to host her organization’s 20,000-person convention. As director of international events and conventions for Safari Club International, based in Washington, D.C., she shifted her event from Las Vegas to Nashville in 2023, citing walkable streets, warm hospitality, and cultural energy as reasons for the move. Her team now buys out Music City Center for the convention, and hosts off-site soirees at Jelly Roll’s Goodnight Nashville, Ryman Auditorium, and several other venues, blending business sessions with the city’s musical vibrancy. Each year, her team expands programming farther into Nashville’s neighborhoods for variety, and next year is no exception.
“We are literally labeling the event, ‘You don’t know till you go,’” Grimm explains. While she made a big jump moving from Arizona to Nashville to better scope out talent, activation options, and venues, Grimm encourages all planners to at least make a short trip to experience the city firsthand. She also notes partnering with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. early in the process can be helpful. “Do your due diligence,” she says. “Walk around, look at different things. Pay attention to social media. Make friends and build those bridges.”
