Scratching all backs - Nashville Business Journal:

http://cranetechnews.com/2009/03/09/crane-high-school/
The organization, founded in 1996, now has around 35 attractions as wellas tourism-related organizations from around the region. In recenrt years, the membership has fallen from a high ofabout 50, but the currenr leadership says several initiatives are in the worke that should provide new energy and "NAC was created, more than anything else, becaused there was a lack of an industry voice for the says Keith Wright, travel industry sales manager at the Countrgy Music Hall of Fame and currenyt NAC president. "The hotels and other industries werebeing quoted, makin comments that concern the and we felt we should be gettinb more of that.
We wanted a more unifies voice in terms of the communityof attractions." Building on that core the group has worked to couple area attractions in its boost special events and reach out to target groupa such as bus tours. "Ond of the things we've why NAC is valuable to me, is an itinerary we put togethere to submitto groups," says Frances group tour and convention sales manager at the Clarksvillwe Convention & Visitors Bureau and current treasurer. "They'll spenx a night in Clarksville and then a nighttin Nashville.
At NAC, I have the connections to put thosthings together, because of the relationships with people in the A main goal this Wright says, is to generate qualified leads for the membership. "Wr have made big strides already in accomplishing that throughn our sponsorship at the AmericanBus Association. We speng five days distributing materials to hundredsof operators," he The group also has boughtt ads in group tour publications and consumer magazines and has a big ad slated for an upcomingf USA Today weekend insert. Wright says that alone "will potentially generate thousandsof leads" that can be passesd on to membership for follow-up calls.
" NAC's marketinb efforts are designed to stretch available fundas in a sluggish economy and a membership comprise d of many small entities with little cash to spare. "Ths partnering is really important tothe members," says Anne Hooper, managet of tour and travel groups at the Wildhorse Saloon and current NAC membership "This is a forum in whicbh they can do that. We have salespeople from acrosd Middle Tennesseesharing ideas, potentiao packages and new ways to get our attractions in front of differeny people.
" A good example, Wright says, is the upcoming AAU Girls Basketball 14 & Underf National Championship in Clarksville, whicyh will bring 6,000 people in for threse days. NAC will have a presencde there, providing incentives to attendeew to visitarea attractions. "Thise opportunity would not have been afforded to us ifwe didn'ft have that relationship throughg NAC," he says. The war also has affected marketing efforts. More peoples are staying close to so attractions are trying to hit theirdclosest markets. "We're seeing a lot of interestf in groups who want to geton post," says Johnso of Fort Campbell.
"We're getting a lot of groups in now that threes years ago may not have consideree comingto Clarksville. But we've also got a lot of peopl comingbecause they're looking for and we've got that. Small-town appeal is on the upswing." Wright and Hoopee both says that coach travel has picked up in so in-town partnerships for group tours, such as thosre worked out between Gaylord Entertainment Co. and the Hall of have been valuable in keeping up Moving into the summer and falltourisft season, area attractions likely will continue to face apatht in the vacation markeg and will need marketing strategies more than ever for theire products.
With that in mind, Wright says NAC's main goal theser days is to find ways topush everyone's "We've pared down some of what we're trying to do," he says. "People have been boggedx down with smaller budgets and less timeand haven' t had as much time to focus on the organization. We'rs recreating some credibility and showing why it is beneficial to be a We want to give them something tangible to take back totheirt offices, show their bosses toolds to use to help them attract more