Tennessee Notes - Volume 3 Issue 2

An Official Publication of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association

TnHTA Had a Very Successful 2017

Legislative Session Plus, News from Local Associations Around Tennessee

Volume 3, Issue 2

6 Contents | Volume 3, Issue 2 Features

Departments

6 Cover Story

2 4

Save These Dates!

1 0 14

Local Association News

14

Index of Advertisers

We Had a Very Successful 2017 Legislative Session!

Save These Dates!

October 4–6

October 4

October 5

2017 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism Gatlinburg, TN

TnHTPAC Golf Tournament Gatlinburg, TN

2017 TnHTA Stars of the Industry Gala Gatlinburg, TN

2 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

rom the TnHTA Chair F and CEO/President Darik Dawes and Greg Adkins elcome, New W TnHTA Members

An official publication of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association 475 Craighead Street l Nashville, TN 37204 l T: 615-385-9970 l F: 615-385-9957 l john@tnhta.net l www.tnhta.net

Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street l Franklin, TN 37064 l T: 615-790-3718 l F: 615-794-4525 l info@leadingedgecommunications.com l www.leadingedgecommunications.com Tennessee Notes Editor: John Whisenant, TnHTA | Managing Editor: Liz Nutter, Leading Edge Communications

2017 TnHTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

* Denotes Executive Committee Member

2017 Officers

Kimberly Carlson Memphis Restaurant Association

Johnny Hill Holiday Inn, Pigeon Forge

Darik Dawes (2017 Chair)* MainStay Suites, Chattanooga

Dottie Clabough Wilderness at the Smokies, Sevierville

Steve Holmes Cornerstone Insurance Group

Bo Connor (Vice Chair)* Connor Concepts Wayne Tabor (Secretary/Treasurer)* Holiday Inn Select, Downtown Memphis Tom Loventhal (Immediate Past Chair)* Noshville Delicatessen

Carol Agee Dollywood Entertainment Park, Pigeon Forge Andrea Anderson Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association Martha Axford* ABC Design and Consulting, LLC, Knoxville Strategic Planning Chair Regena Bearden Memphis CVB Lauren Boggs Uncle Donald’s Restaurants, Memphis Shannon Bowles* Marriott, Nashville Airport AH&LA Representative Ben Brock Amerigo Italian Restaurant, Nashville Doug Browne The Peabody Hotel, Memphis Fred Bullard Hilton Garden Inn, Knoxville West Kim Bumpas* Visit Knoxville Non-Dues Revenue & Governor’s Conference Chair

Don Collier Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance, Nashville Christie Connatser* Hampton Inn, Gatlinburg Local Association Chair Ron Crivellone Smokey Mountain Wedding Association, Gatlinburg Claire Crowell Puckett’s 5th & Church, Nashville

Anthony House Chick-fil-A, Memphis Brad Ivens Eagles Ridge Resort, Pigeon Forge Patrick Jordon Westin Memphis Beale Street Anita Lane* Hampton Inn & Suites, Downtown Knoxville Communications/PR Chair

Tom Cupo The Chattanoogan Hotel & Conference Center

Jackie Leatherwood* Greystone Lodge on the River, Gatlinburg Membership Chair

Shawn Danko* Kooky Canuck, Memphis Restaurant Caucus Chair

Dee Lundy Lundy & Assoc., Knoxville

Cornelia Dobbins Hilton Garden Inn, Gatlinburg Bob Dollinger 3H Group Hotels, Chattanooga Troy Edwards Sysco Nashville, LLC Anne Marie Famalette Courtyard by Marriott, Collierville Michael Gibson* Gibson Hotel Management, Inc., Knoxville TnHTEF Chair Ben Goldberg Strategic Hospitality, Nashville

Ken Maples* Comfort Inn & Suites, Dollywood Lane, Pigeon Forge Past Chair Andy Marshall* Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant, A. Marshall Family Foods, Inc. Government Relations Chair Brenda McCroskey Sevierville Chamber of Commerce Jeff Messinger* Mt. Vernon Restaurant, Chattanooga NRA Representative

Gary Hahn Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., Memphis

Hugh Morrow* Lookout Mountain Attractions, Chattanooga Tourism Caucus Chair

Jacob Hall Rutherford Co. Hospitality Assn.

Lori Nunnery Jackson CVB

Theresa Harrington Clarksville/Montgomery Co. CVB

Ray Ogle* The Inn at Christmas Place, Pigeon Forge TnHTPAC Chair

Rick Cadena Courtyard by Marriott, Hamilton Place, Chattanooga

Dan Haskell Gullett, Sanford, Robinson, & Martin, PLLC, Nashville, TN

Phil Campbell Leconte Center of Pigeon Forge

Tom Headla Bluff Mountain Rentals

Lynne Overton Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Lenoir City

Mitch Patel Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Cookeville Dee Patel The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville Heetesh Patel* Neves Investments, Knoxville AAHOA Representative Scott Pejsa Homewood Suites by Hilton, Knoxville Tony Phillips Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, Nashville Mary Phillips Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg Chuck Pinkowski Pinkowski & Co., Memphis Michael Riley The Oliver Hotel Restaurant, Knoxville Deanna Ross Metropolitan Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association, Millington John Rothkopf MeadowView Marriott Resort & Convention Center, Kingsport John Rucker Key Magazine of Memphis Matt Scanlan Gullett, Sanford, Robinson, & Martin, PLLC, Nashville Jackelyn Schafer The Park Vista Hotel, Gatlinburg

Danny Sumrall* The Half Shell Restaurant, Memphis Past Chair Butch Sypridon Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation Bobby Tanner S&D Coffee, Inc., Chattanooga Kris Tatum Tennessee Distillers Guild, Nashville Jud Teague Kingsport CVB Mark Thomas Fee Headrick Entertainment, Pigeon Forge Karl Thomas* Inn on the River, Pigeon Forge Lodging Caucus Chair Jill Thompson Greater Knoxville Hospitality Association Mahasti Vafaie The Tomato Head, Knoxville Brenda Whitson Johnson City CVB Melissa Woody Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Cleveland

TnHTA STAFF Greg Adkins President & CEO

Paul Schramkowski* JHS Holdings, LLC, Nashville Audit Committee Chair

Lisa Bass Director of Membership & Business Development

Sarah Scokin Hampton Inn & Suites, Jackson

Jessica Cardwell Director of Finance & Administration

Pam Smith Bluff Mountain Rentals, Pigeon Forge

Sandi Goad Director of Member Services, Retention and Restaurant Liaison

Max Stephenson Puckett’s Chattanooga

Austin Schneider Director of Education

Jindy Strader InterContinental Hotels Group, Franklin

John Whisenant Director of Tourism

Radesh Palakurthi The University of Memphis Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association • 3

Message From The Chair and the President/CEO

So Many

Great Things Happening with TnHTA! We

wanted to co-author an article for this issue of NOTES because we are so excited about all the amazing things happening at TnHTA! There are so many things happening that it’s hard to know where to start.

First, we had one of our most successful legislative years ever. Our lobbying team held off the Short-Term Rentals Properties (Airbnb & VRBO) bill, passed a predictive scheduling bill with the help of the Retail Association and passed a liquor bill that deregulated infusions and clarified many confusing liquor matters. We scored several important victories, and we want to personally thank our lobbying team for all of its hard work and success in the 2017 legislative year. You can read a more complete overview of our legislative activity on pages 6–8 in this issue of NOTES. 4 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

On the administrative front, TnHTA has hired a marketing firm, headed up by Jay Sheridan from Sheridan Public Relations, to help revamp our marketing materials and develop a video campaign to sell memberships and increase retention. Sheridan will also be assisting us in retooling all of our sales materials for the sales team, as well as assist in publications and communications.

Speaking of our sales team, the TnHTA board of directors recently approved the hiring of two new commission-based sales positions that will focus primarily on growing TnHTA membership in east and west Tennessee. We have sent out information on those open positions and hope to have those filled by the end of summer.

TnHTA is also in full swing with events!

Our association served as the lead organization for Tennessee’s participation in the Southeast Tourism Society’s Congressional

Summit on Travel and Tourism in Washington, DC, in June. Two TnHTA staff members participated in the event, which included visits with the state’s Congressional delegation to discuss and advocate for both national and Tennessee-specific tourism issues.

The 6th Annual TnHTA Legal Symposium took place on July 13 at the Baker Donelson law firm in Nashville. This free member event attracted a record number of attendees who heard from dozens of attorneys presenting the latest information on labor, human resources, hospitality and business law. It is arguably one of the best educational events that we put on — where else can you get such great “free” legal advice?

The 3rd quarter TnHTA board meeting will be held in Memphis in August, and after the board meeting, we will be proud sponsors and participants in the Southern

Lodging Summit presented by the Metro Memphis Hotel & Lodging Association and Chuck Pinkowski Company. It’s a great event, and we encourage your participation.

You can learn more about the event at www. southernlodgingsummit-memphis.com.

Of course, we’re busy this summer getting everything ready for our biggest annual event, the 2017 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism, which will be held October 4–6 in Gatlinburg. We have some exciting plans for the conference, including opportunities to enjoy the attractions and points of interest in Gatlinburg and Sevier County, outstanding keynote speakers and educational seminars, the combined TnHTA Tourism EXPO and TnHTA Food & Lodging Show, the annual TnHTA Stars of the Industry Awards and Gala and great updates and presentations from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. You can learn more about the conference and register at www.tngovcon17.com.

We want to thank you, the members of TnHTA, for all that you have done this year to support our programs and our core legislative initiatives. Without the participation and support of our members from across the state and from every industry sector, the association couldn’t be as successful as it has been. And the future looks even more exciting!

Stay “COOL,” and have a great summer!

Please don’t ever hesitate to contact either of us or any member of our TnHTA staff if you have any questions or if we can be of assistance to you in any way.

Darik Dawes

Greg Adkins

2017 TnHTA Chair TnHTA President/CEO

Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association • 5

Cover Story

TnHTA Had a Very Successful 2017

Legislative Session

End of Legislative Session Report by the TnHTA Lobbying Team: Greg Adkins, Dan Haskell, Matt Scanlan and Dustin Goforth

The

2017 legislative year was a busy one for the state’s hospitality and tourism industry, and it was one that ended as arguably one of our most successful years in the recent history of the Association.

Your lobbying team wanted to let you know that we really appreciate the opportunity to represent this organization, and we particularly appreciate all you have done this year to help support our lobbying efforts, as we could not do it without your help.

Below are highlights from the Tennessee Legislative Plaza.

Short-Term Rental Properties (Airbnb/VRBO) House Bill 1086 by Rep. Sexton and Sen. Stevens

TnHTA opposed this bill because it eliminated local governments’ ability to regulate where Airbnbs existed by zoning. Zoning has controlled business functions in residen-

6 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

tial areas for the past 80 years. The bill also contained language that would have permitted Airbnb itself to collect taxes due on Airbnb rentals from the amounts paid by the customer and then pay them over to the state in a single monthly check. It was believed that this would have brought in more income to the state and been more efficient overall.

Through the committee process in the middle of the session, the bill was reduced to only that part of the bill removing the language eliminating local government regulation. We always believed that the Airbnb/ VRBO and its lobbyists were just trying to get the bill in a shape where they could get it to the floor and turn it back into the original bill. In the final week of the session, the bill got to the House floor, and our hunch was correct: it was amended to return it to its original form, which we disliked, and it was passed. The next morning, the Senate Finance Committee that had the bill before it amended it to delete the parts we dis-

liked and eventually had the Senate sponsor Stevens (R- Huntingdon) defer the bill until next year because he didn’t have the votes to get it out of the Senate Finance Committee.

This bill will be before us in the Senate when we return in January 2018. We expect that the nature of the bill will continue to evolve over this summer. The problems with the bill demonstrate how different one city is from another and how they regulate businesses in residential areas. We expect that there will be some substantial discussion over the summer about this bill and its future. It will be very difficult to come up with something that is acceptable to all of the cities that are already regulating Airbnb/ VRBO locations.

TN Improve Act (Gas Tax Bill) Much of this year’s session (and most of the blame for its slightly longer period of time) has to do with the introduction, consideration and passage of the Governor’s Improve

Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association • 7

Cover Story | Continued

Act (fuel tax bill – SB1221). TnHTA supported this bill before it was introduced and supported it consistently through the session. When the actual amendment that made the bill was made public, we had some heartache with the provisions that allow local governments to propose referendums increasing both sales and hotel-occupancy taxes at the same time.

After many discussions with Senate Leadership, we were successful in getting a 20% total maximum limit inserted in the bill. In addition, we have had discussions with officials in Davidson County to make it clear to them that 18% total sales and hotel-occupancy taxes are about the maximum that the industry can withstand. An increase in the gas and diesel fuel tax creates additional monies to be used for the improvements of roads and bridges across the state.

TnHTA Alcohol Bill – Senate Bill 798 by Dickerson and Powell, which is now codified as Public Chapter 338

(Senate Bill 798 was our annual alcohol bill.)

The first major portion of this bill was to delete much of the language in T.C.A. § 57-4-108 relative to the production, storage and sale of infused alcohol products.

Portions deleted by the bill are a requirement that the licensee give the ABC written notification of its intent to infuse alcoholic beverages, limitation on the amounts infused and how long the infused product can be retained, and language concerning how infusions must be labeled. The labeling requirements are entirely replaced with the following language: “A batch of infused products shall be labeled with a list of each ingredient contained in the infusion.”

The bill also permits the commission to certify online testing/training programs for the first time. Included in that requirement is the ability to take the test and have it graded online. We expect this to make the certification of employees much easier and quicker.

Section 7 of the bill speaks to the requirement concerning how the liquor-by-the-

8 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

drink tax should be shown on menus. It says that a licensee “may include the tax on the menu price of the alcoholic beverage or may include the tax on the final bill to the customer.” It goes on to say that if you do not include the tax in the menu price of the alcoholic beverage that you must advise the customer that a 15% tax on the sale of alcoholic beverages will be added to the final bill for alcoholic beverages.

Finally, the bill created an exception from the general distribution of alcoholic beverages for “bitters” products. The bill states that any product that receives a nonbeverage product designation from the Federal Tax and Trade Bureau is not considered an alcoholic beverage for purpose of regulation.

Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Budget As in past years, TnHTA vigorously supported direct advertising funding increases for the State Department of Tourism’s budget. This year, the total amount budgeted for that advertising in the Tourism budget is $5.9 million, which amounts to an increase of $900,000 for this year. In addition, additional funds in the amount of $4.8 million were funded through the Department of Tourism for advertising Gatlinburg as a result of last year’s wildfires.

Fewer hotel tax bills This year, we had fewer hotel tax bills than normal, at least partly because we have consistently opposed bills that exceed about 17% in total hotel and sales taxes, and we have been 100% successful in getting those changes made in recent years. This year, the

towns of Millersville, McMinnville and Portland all added new hotel taxes where they had not had one before. In each case, they originally asked for a 5% hotel tax but accepted a 2.5% hotel tax, which kept their total hotel and sales tax amounts to 17% or less. In addition, each bill requires that all of the money from this source be used to support tourism in the cities.

Senate Bill 262 Senate Bill 262 was brought to the General Assembly by the Tennessee Retail Association and with the help of TnHTA. The bill prohibits local governments from adopting ordinances that impose any requirement on an employer relative to an employee’s scheduling (commonly known as predictive scheduling). This bill was in reaction to some local ordinances passed in other states requiring lengths of notice to employees about changes in their schedules. This bill does not affect any existing ordinance in the state, but rather it precludes an ordinance that would be a problem for anybody dealing with flexible schedules.

We accomplished a lot this year, but we asked more from our members than any year that we can recall — and we genuinely appreciate your help. Many of you got engaged in legislative matters on an almost weekly basis. Without your assistance, we might not have been able to beat the Airbnb bill or pass our comprehensive TnHTA liquor bill.

As always, please feel free to contact the any member of your lobbying team or Greg Atkins if you have any questions. We look forward to working with all of you in the next legislative year. J

Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association • 9

Local Association News

Local Association

News and Updates Gatlinburg Hospitality Association GHA held its annual Golf Tournament in May at the Gatlinburg Golf Course, attracting great participation by players and sponsors. This event benefits tourism in Sevier County, local schools and local charities such as SWARM and Sevier County Food Ministries.

The July Membership Luncheon, held at Rocky Top Sports World, featured a presentation by Lori Moore on news and updates on the facility. The August meeting was held at Ober Gatlinburg, with presentations by Cindi Cohn of Intrax Work Travel, Ashley Moore of Ober Gatlinburg and Ashley Burnette Justice of Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

We are planning and preparing for a number of events, including the Joint Luncheon in September with TnHTA President/CEO Greg Adkins, the annual Joint Legislative Luncheon and the 2017 TnHTA Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism, which will be held October 4–6 at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.

Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association GCHA’s 2017 monthly membership meetings have been both interesting and informative with a wide variety of topics and speakers. January was National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and our guest

10 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

speaker was Jerry Redman with Second Life of Chattanooga. The February meeting focused on our annual “Hospitality Expo” that attracted over 120 students from 8 local high schools. Our March meeting’s guest speakers from the Chattanooga Police Department addressed public safety issues specific to the hospitality industry. April was designated as our “Chattanooga Green” month, and our guest speaker for the meeting was Kim White with River City Company. Our annual GCHA Golf Tournament was held on May 22 at Black Creek Club, with proceeds distributed to four local charities: Chattanooga Food Bank, Orange Grove, Alzheimer’s Association/Mid-South Chapter and Make-A-Wish East Tennessee.

GCHA’s 2017 Stars of the Industry event was held in June at the Hilton Garden InnHamilton Place.

The Tennessee Aquarium celebrated its 25-year anniversary on May 1. Since opening in 1992, it has greeted more than 23 million guests. The Chattanooga Bakery will celebrate the 100th birthday of the Moonpie this year.

Greater Knoxville Hospitality Association In January, GKHA (in partnership with the Middle East Tennessee Council and Visit Knoxville) hosted the 16-county East Tennessee region state legislators for a Hospitality/Tourism lunch in Knoxville. In February, GKHA members and guests enjoyed lunch at Veloce Indoor Speedway; the meet-

ing included the unveiling of a new Knoxville Visitor Guide and an open book “Are you smarter than a tourist?” pop quiz.

March’s meeting at Jubilee Banquet Facility featured a personal-development seminar with David Horsewood of Fire by Light. The Relix Variety Theatre, a historic building in Downtown North Knoxville, was the location for the April lunch with an educational presentation about the National Parks. The stars were out in May at the GKHA Stars of the Industry Luncheon with PAULY Awards and Scholarship Presentations, as well as a presentation on effective communication skills by UT Assistant Professor Dr. Stefanie Benjamin.

For the June lunch meeting, GKHA members were treated to a tour and lunch at the new convention center in Lenior City.

Speakers Rachel Baker (executive director of Loudon County Visitors Bureau) and Dr. Stefanie Benjamin shared information on tourism for Loudon County. The August GKHA lunch presentation will be from a TSA officer stationed at McGhee Tyson Airport. The September meeting location will be at Blue Slip Winery and Bistro with guest speaker, Greg Adkins, TnHTA president/CEO. The Greater Knoxville Hospitality Trade Show is planned for September 13 at The Grande Event Center.

Greater Nashville Hospitality Association GNHA has had an action-packed year thus far! The January membership meeting, held

at the Embassy Suites Nashville South/ Cool Springs, featured a presentation by Lon LeMaster. In February, many association members volunteered for the annual TnHTA Education Foundation fundraising event and the TnHTEF ProStart completion in Columbia.

In March, we held an exciting new event, an Industry Briefing and Leadership Skills breakfast and seminar at the Omni Nashville. Featured speakers included Amanda Hite (president and CEO of Smith Travel) and Judy King (founder and principal of Quality Management Services). In April, our annual Bowling for a Cause event was held, with proceeds benefitting the ARC of Davidson County.

Our annual GNHPAC Golf Tournament was held at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin in May. With a large turnout, the event enjoyed great success despite some real weather challenges! The annual GNHA Stars of the Industry Awards was held in July at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel, attracting a packed house.

Memphis Restaurant Association The MRA has welcomed Sally Fienup as its new executive director. Sally replaces Kimberly Carson, who served the association for over seven years.

The Memphis Restaurant Awards Gala was held in February at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis. Volunteers from the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality manned the registration desk and directed the standing-room crowd to the reception, banquet and awards ceremony.

Our April meeting and mixer featured a presentation on background checks. April was also the month for the MRAPAC Skeet Shoot at the Memphis Sport Shooting Association facility in Arlington. An Associates Coffee Club event was held in May at LIVE Kitchen. In June, our Membership Social was held at a Redbirds game at AutoZone Park. We are working on a number of upcoming activities, including our September membership meeting and the October MRA Golf Tournament.

Metro Memphis Attractions Association Highlights from our year include meetings at Shelby Farms Park at the FedEx Event Center with executive director Jen Andrews, breakfast on stage at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, lunch at Blues City Cafe with Terrance Patterson (president and CEO of Downtown Memphis Commission), a meeting at the DoubleTree by Hilton with Holly Whitfield (social-media expert for I Love Memphis), a hospitality and tourism panel at the University of Memphis and lunch on stage at the historic Orpheum Theatre with Kevin Triplett, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

Our July social was held at the Madison Hotel at its Twilight Sky Terrace rooftop overlooking the beautiful Mississippi River on Thursday, July 20. We look forward to having Greg Adkins with us as our speaker at our MMAA August luncheon at the Hilton Memphis. Other meeting plans ahead include our regular 3rd Tuesday luncheon at Memphis International Airport, an outing to the Delta Fair & Music Festival and a musical tour of Memphis with Backbeat Tours.

Metropolitan Memphis Hotel and Lodging Association The annul MMHLA Stars of the Industry Awards was held in April at the Peabody Memphis. In May, members and guests were treated to exceptional views and a wonderful networking opportunity at the MMHLA Reception held at the Madison Hotel. In June, we held our annual Golf Tournament at the North Creek Golf Course. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the MMHLA PAC. Our July meeting was held at the Hilton Memphis and featured a presentation by Len Edwards, executive director of the Commission on Missing and Exploited Children.

One of our biggest events of the year, the annual Southern Lodging Summit, takes

place in August at the Cook Convention Center. The SLS provides a unique forum for owners, operators, sales executives, financial institutions, architects, attorneys and hotel company representatives to interact with industry notables and speakers.

Nashville Originals The Nashville Originals held our Annual Meeting at Corsair Distillery on May 15. A great social event is planned for the end of July with a Night Out at the Sounds event, where we have rented a party deck and invited members to bring key staff for networking and fun.

Our social-media and website numbers continue to grow, with Facebook at over 16,000, Twitter at over 7,200 and Instagram at over 4,100. Traffic to the website continues to hold steady, averaging about 6,000 unique visits a month outside of our peaks around the bi-annual Nashville Restaurant Week and the holiday season, where spikes can be as high as 50,000 visits. The Nashville Originals app continues to be well utilized by our constituents and is seeing hundreds of new downloads a month. We continue to distribute 10,000 rack cards each month to hospitality sites. Also, monthly and as needed, we send email newsletters to about 6,000 people.

The second Nashville Restaurant Week of 2017 will run from August 21–27, with nearly 70 member restaurants participating.

We will push Restaurant Week and gift certificate sales; redemptions are nearing $200,000 for 2017.

We have renewed our sponsorship agreement with TPAC, and we will continue our role as the cast party sponsor for the 2017– 2018 Broadway at TPAC season. We are also participating in the Music City Food + Wine Festival in September.

Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association In May, NETTA honored the top performers in the region’s tourism industry at the

Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association • 11

Local Association News | Continued

20th Annual Pinnacle Awards. Presented by Bristol Motor Speedway and produced in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, the event saw a record number of 47 entries in categories for advertising and promotions, special events, special projects, public relations and volunteers. The Bristol Motor Speedway staff was given the newly added Platinum Pinnacle Award for their efforts and the economic impact felt across the region for the World’s Largest Football Game featuring the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech held last September.

Members and friends of the NETTA gathered in Historic Jonesborough at Tennessee Hills Distillery on June 23 for our annual meeting. The meeting included the election of new board members and updates from NETTA executive director Alicia Phelps, Dave Jones from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and representatives from Jonesborough, the International Storytelling Festival, the Tennessee Hills Distillery and Hands On! Regional Museum and Gray Fossil Site and Museum.

We are producing a new Northeast Tennessee Magazine that will be released in August and will feature NETTA’s new branding, trip ideas and in-depth, experienced-based articles and photography.

Pigeon Forge Hospitality and Tourism Association The April PFHA membership meeting at the MainStay Suites and Convention Center focused on “Celebrating Future Leaders” and welcomed Pigeon Forge High School staff and students, the PFHS State Champion wrestling team, 2017 National BETA Club Semifinalist Kassadi Mace and the PFHS Marching Band. We also presented this year’s scholarship check to Walter State Community College. Also in April, a “Meet the Candidates” event was held at RiverStone Resort & Spa with all of the candidates for the Pigeon Forge City Commission participating.

At our May’s meeting, held at Hatfield & McCoy’s Dinner Show, we met CORE

12 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

(Children of Restaurant Employees) from Nashville. CORE was instrumental in providing aid to wildfire evacuees last November in and around Gatlinburg. May also was the date for a Human Trafficking Certification/Seminar, where PFHA embers and area residents learned how to identify human trafficking and the role the hospitality industry has in the fight against this crisis.

A “Forging Together” After Hours event was hosted by Tennessee State Bank in June.

This free networking event included fantastic door prizes and the famous TSB Money Machine! Also in June, the PFHA participated in the SCHA Joint Associations meeting.

Other summer events included a July Membership Family Fun Night at a Tennessee Smokies ball game at Smokies Stadium and the 20th Annual PFHTA Benefit Golf Tournament and August membership meeting honoring teachers at Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Adventures.

2017 with our Annual RCHA Luncheon for our members.

Sevier County Hospitality Alliance Representing the joint interests of the hospitality associations of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, the Smoky Mountain Wedding Association and the Smoky Mountain Lodging Association, the SCVA held its annual Sevier County Tradeshow in April at the Sevierville Convention Center. More than 170 vendors and about 400 attendees participated in the event.

The SCHTA Joint Associations meeting was held in June at the Holiday Inn Convention Center and featured Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett as the keynote speaker.

Rutherford County Hospitality Association

Sevierville Hospitality Association

The RCHA and the Rutherford County CVB welcomed the 2017 TSSAA Spring Fling in May. This event brings a $3.5M impact to the area for the week that it is here.

We welcomed VP of Economic Development Brian Hercules as guest speaker at our June meeting and found out that 3 companies will be adding another 350 jobs to our ever-growing area.

RCHA is also glad to welcome a partnership with Extreme Networks and PCS as 2017 Sponsors for our meetings and events.

We are looking forward to hosting some of our bigger events this fall: the Annual RCHA Bowling Fundraiser, with proceeds going to our TnHTA PAC donation, and the 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off, with proceeds going to local high schools that participate in the ProStart Program (last year, we were able to donate $1,000 to the schools, which helped them purchase ServSafe Instructor Booklets.)

RCHA usually meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month and will continue our meetings the rest of the year. We will wrap up our

The SHA May meeting was held at the Tennessee Smokies Ballpark. Representatives of the Smokies organization shared information about recent renovations and upgrades to the facility and about how important it is for them to be a charitable member of their local community. Sevierville administrator Russell Treadway reported that business in Sevierville was up 7% over the past 7 months through March and that, since February, last year was the best ever and saw an increase of 15%. Sevierville Chamber of Commerce executive director Brenda McCroskey spoke about the Chamber’s various promotional appearances, especially in the Atlanta area.

The June SHA meeting was held at the Sevierville Golf Club. SHA also participated in the SCHTA Joint Associations meeting in June. The July meeting was held at the Titanic Museum Attraction, and the August meeting was held at Dollywood.

SHA has awarded three $1,200 scholarship to graduating seniors who either work in or whose parents work in a tourism business. J

Welcome, New TnHTA Members

Welcome, New Members (Since 2/1/17)

Associates The Cook’s Kitchen, Nashville Cleveland High School, Cleveland St. Thomas Hickman Community Hospital, Centerville

Construction Residence Inn/Springhill Suites Nashville Downtown

Lodging Candlewood Suites Nashville Metrocenter Guest House at Graceland, Memphis Hilton Garden Inn Brentwood Holiday Inn & Suites Express Brentwood North LaQuinta Inn & Suites Goodletsville-Nashville Old Mill Lodging, Sevierville The Westin Nashville

Restaurants Chattanooga Billiard Club Freebirds World Burrito Hog Wild-Real Memphis BBQ & A Moveable Feast Catering Co. Merridee’s Breadbasket, Franklin

Tourism Donelson – Hermitage Chamber of Commerce Goodlettsville Area Chamber of Commerce Hands on Science Center, Tullahoma Hickman County Chamber of Commerce

14 • Tennessee Notes • Volume 3, Issue 2

Mountain Valley Vineyards, Pigeon Forge Soar Adventure Tower, Franklin Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lebanon

Preferred Vendors Adams Keegan, Inc., Memphis Alternative Cleaning Equipment & Services (dba ACES) Applied Media Technologies Corp., Clearwater, FL Baker Roofing Company, Madison Chappell’s Pest Control, LLC, Elizabethton Citadel Construction, Sevierville Designsensory, Knoxville Evans Petree, PC, Memphis HD Supply, Nashville Hotelhelp/General Hospitality Holdings, LLC, Cordova Hospitality Real Estate Counselors (HREC), Memphis HRB Universal, LLC, Birmingham, AL Interstate Graphics of Morristown, Inc. Libera, Inc., Jamestown, NY JennsCo, Springfield Marsh USA, Inc., New York, NY MiTech USA Partin & Associates, Brentwood Parking Management Company LLC (PMC), Nashville Patrice and Associates Hospitality Recruiting Lawrenceburg Patrice and Associates Williamson County, Brentwood Spectrum The Cherokee Group, Sevierville Towne Park, Nashville Zander Insurance Group, Nashville

Index of Advertisers

Anderson Benson Insurance................. 9 www.AndersonBenson.com Billboard Connection........................... 5 www.BestNashvilleBillboards.com Gullett, Sanford, Robinson & Martin, PLLC................... 5 www.gsrm.com Kooky Canuck...................................... 9 www.kookycanuck.com Leading Edge Communications.......... 13 www.LeadingEdgeCommunications.com M. Gibson Hotel Group.............. Inside Back Cover www.mgibsonhotels.com Nolan’s Audio Visual, Inc...................... 9 www.nolansav.com Sysco, LLC............................ Back Cover www.sysco.com The Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Notes, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright ©2017 by the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association. Notes is published quarterly.

Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association. Thirdclass postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the editor for contribution information. Advertising: For advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.