Nashville Music City Center Conference Tips

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What is Nashville Music City Center?

Nashville Music City Center in Tennessee is a fabulous venue for a conference or event, whether or not it’s music-related. The convention center occupies an entire city block and is four stories tall! The architecture and finishes are beautiful inside and out. Right across the street one way is Bridgestone Arena, where the Nashville Predators play and many concerts are held. Across the street another way is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Half the fun (or more for some) of attending a conference at Nashville Music City Center is its location in downtown Nashville. This is prime downtown Nashville territory.

There’s something special about Nashville that I just love. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but the “y’alls” and “yes, ma’ams” might have something to do with it. Music everywhere might be another reason…and not just country. Gospel music has deep roots in middle Tennessee. And that brings us to why I was in Nashville in the first place…attending a Gospel music conference with my Dad!

My kids were in good hands with my husband and my Mom, who filled in as substitute teacher in our homeschool!

Onward to the tips for attending a conference at Nashville Music City Center!

Shoes

In terms of walking around downtown Nashville, there is one word: hills. Uphill. Downhill. Downtown Nashville’s hills are unavoidable.

The thing is…I actually knew there were hills. I brought my most comfortable flats to wear, because I knew there were hills. Even still, within one day, I had a dime-sized blister on both little toes. Not fun. Of course, I had packed bandages, but not enough to handle that business. As we had no car, the downtown Walgreens came in very handy, as it may also come in handy for you! It was right on the way between Nashville Music City Center and our hotel.

The moral of the story is…make sure you bring comfortable, proven, blister-free shoes. You’ll thank me later!

Hotels

Speaking of hotels, downtown Nashville is full of them. It’s highly possible and probable that the conference you are attending will have negotiated special rates with some of the surrounding hotels for your mutual benefit. We registered for the conference a little late, and most of the conference rate hotels were all booked up. We stayed in a great hotel (Hotel Indigo Nashville), but it was further away from Nashville Music City Center.

Also consider the hotel’s proximity to Bridgestone Arena, Broadway, and 2nd Avenue. There were two country music concerts at Bridgestone Arena in the few days we were in town (Luke Bryan and Chris Young). This caused additional vehicle and foot traffic, as well as outdoor entertainment. Broadway and 2nd Avenue are two of the major restaurant-laden streets in downtown Nashville. And it wouldn’t be Nashville without live music…at just about all hours of the day.

Another consideration is whether or not your hotel provides (free) breakfast. Our hotel did not, so we went to a downtown grocery store, purchased yogurt and juice, and stored it in the mini fridge in our room. We could have eaten somewhere in the surrounding area, but we were economizing on both money and time. Our plan worked well. We ate our breakfast while we were getting ready, and then I found coffee somewhere each day on our walk to Nashville Music City Center.

Fitness

Y’all, if I had known ahead of time how much walking we’d do, I would’ve at least tried to build my endurance…or something. Note to self: get in shape! Besides the walking we’ve already talked about in the shoes and hotels sections above, Nashville Music City Center itself provides ample opportunity for exercise.

Yes, Nashville Music City Center covers just one city block and is four stories tall. Yes, Nashville Music City Center has elevators and looooong escalators. But, you will still do a considerable amount of walking…and probably stair climbing…and then some more walking. I kid you not. The first day of the conference, according to my iPhone, I walked 4.8 miles, and I did not leave downtown Nashville. The second day of the conference, I walked even further…5.1 miles…all in Nashville Music City Center and downtown Nashville.

Interestingly enough, the main ballroom where the large group gatherings took place, is on the fourth floor (the top floor) of Nashville Music City Center. Based on prior experience, the main ballroom is usually on the first floor, but not so at Nashville Music City Center.

Luggage

All conferences provide something that you will bring home with you. Conference swag. Stuff that you purchased at the conference bookstore. You name it. There will be stuff, and you will want to bring it home. Therefore, you will need to leave some room in your luggage when you are packing to account for the space you will need.

P.S. Make sure to AirTag your bag!

I haven’t been to a conference in umpteen years, so I did not think about this when I packed my bags for this trip. As a result, I literally had to sit on my suitcase to get it zipped for the trip back home!

Expandable luggage is great for this purpose. Pack your bags with the expandable part not expanded. Then, utilize that extra space for your conference swag. It sounds simple enough, but there are a couple of things to consider here. First off, make sure you can still handle the bag that now has more surface area and weight. Second, make sure it doesn’t weigh too much for your airline’s requirements. Semi-budget travelers like me don’t like paying extra baggage fees. Use this handy luggage scale to make sure your bag is within the weight limits.

Have Fun!

Well, appropriate fun, y’all! You are at a conference, after all. But not only that! You’re at a conference in downtown Nashville Music City Center! Enjoy downtown. Enjoy the live music. Enjoy the good eats.

And remember your comfortable shoes!

Have you ever been to downtown Nashville? Please share in the comments below!

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