NASHVILLE – The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has launched Music City Chart Climbers: Amplifying Diverse Hospitality presented by Amazon to engage and equip diverse communities by connecting them with opportunities in Nashville’s hospitality industry. The program is a key priority of the NCVC’s and hospitality industry’s strategic plan that was released earlier this year.
Music City Chart Climbers will offer complimentary NCVC membership, education, and networking opportunities during the eight-month program to small and economically disadvantaged businesses owned by people of color, LGBTQ+, women, the disability community, and veterans. The NCVC is partnering with several local minority and multicultural business organizations on the program to broaden the depth of reach in the city’s business community.
“Ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity is a key effort Nashville must undertake as a city,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell said. “Ensuring minority businesses have access to our ever-growing hospitality industry is a good step in that direction. We are grateful to the Convention and Visitors Corp for launching the Music City Chart Climbers initiative, and our Mayor’s Office of Economic Development is fully committed to supporting this valuable effort.”
“Music City Chart Climbers grew out of our strategic plan as a commitment to empower minority-owned businesses to seize opportunities in the hospitality industry,” said Deana Ivey, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “Whether it’s securing contracts with conventions coming to Nashville or better serving our leisure travelers or partnering with large-scale event organizers like the NFL, who actively seek diverse vendors, this program will better ready more small businesses to tap into our industry.”
Fifteen Nashville businesses will be selected by industry and community leaders for the first cohort and will attend two-hour sessions once a month on topics such as hospitality, sales, marketing, PR/social media, human resources, finance and accounting, and entrepreneurship.
The program will culminate with a ceremony at the NCVC’s annual Chairman & President’s Luncheon in Fall, 2025. Graduates will also receive a monetary gift to invest in their business, along with one free year of NCVC membership and a reduced-price membership for a second year.
Applications for the first cohort of Music City Chart Climbers are now open and will close on Friday, November 1, 2024. Nashville-based licensed businesses that have been in operation for at least one year and are eager to expand their reach in the hospitality industry are encouraged to apply. For more information and a link to the application, go to visitmusiccity.com/music-city-chart-climbers.
“Amazon is pleased to sponsor Music City Chart Climbers, as it aligns well with our commitment to supporting minority and multicultural businesses in Nashville,” said Courtney Ross, Senior Manager of Community Engagement for Amazon. “Nashville’s hospitality industry is a key economic sector for the city, and this program will help spread the industry’s prosperity to a broader range of local minority businesses in a long-lasting and impactful manner.”
Participants will be selected by an advisory board of industry and community leaders, ensuring that the program reaches a diverse group of business owners, including AAPI, Black, Hispanic/LatinX, Kurdish, Middle Eastern, Native American, disabled, LGBTQ+, veterans, and women. Businesses interested in partnering with the NCVC on the Music City Chart Climbers program can contact Erin Foglia, NCVC Vice President of Membership, at erin@visitmusiccity.com.
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Visit Music City
The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Visit Music City is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website at www.visitmusiccity.com and follow us on social media @VisitMusicCity.
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