Our team just returned from our Annual Marketing Conference where we spent two days equipping our member venues with the latest and greatest in terms of marketing venues. We aim to give our members enough take-aways that they leave with new ideas, fresh marketing initiatives, and a few business cards of fellow members who understand the unique skillsets needed for planning events at non-traditional event venues.
Personally, one of my favorite things about the conference this year was the food. The conference was held in Nashville so we partnered with Vanderbilt University to truly showcase the southern cuisine that the region is known for in Tennessee.
Breakfast during our first session kicked off with mini skillets of apples and granola. Lunch introduced the attendees to a spin on an old classic: soup and sandwiches. For the afternoon break we had a popcorn bar complete with toppings such as chocolate, bacon bits, and Goldfish!
For the second day of the conference, we filled up everyone's bellies with a biscuit bar. I'm talking sweet potato biscuits. Peach yogurt. Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy.
Oh, and a basket of jelly. Y'all it was all sorts of southern at Vanderbilt!
Our first ever awards luncheon featuring the “Best of” from our members was held on Friday. We celebrated with a BBQ luncheon complete with Nashville’s hot chicken and pulled pork. Jalapeño corn bread, blueberry cobbler, and sweet tea served in mason jars completed the menu for the shindig.
To cap off the entire conference, we ended with a refreshment break that included southern delicacies like pimento cheese, Goo Goo clusters, Moon Pies, and RC Cola. A little sugar high to send our member venues on the road is never a bad thing in my book!
While the food was definitely a highlight of the conference, the content and speakers were note worthy in their own right. So, I will save their nuggets of wisdom for a recap post all of their own.