Flyte World Dining & Wine is a unique culinary experience. Flyte features 30+ interesting wines by the glass, a connoisseur draft beer list, and "flytes" of wine, beer and even special dinner menu items. The restaurant interior is lively, colorful and beautifully lit to provide the perfect setting to your dining & wine adventure.  Flyte’s Chef Robert MacClure incorporates organic produce, free-range meats and beautiful presentations into a seasonal, multicultural menu.

Paradise Park is located in downtown Nashville, this trailer park themed bar and restaurant is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The diner serves such theme meals as Trailermade Chile, the Paradise Patty Melt and Shady the Acre Club Sandwich.  Paradise Park features a bar with a separate entrance and southern rock music.

THE HERMITAGE HOTEL

Located on 6th Avenue in the heart of downtown Nashville, The Hermitage Hotel is within walking distance of the Nashville Convention Center, the financial district and historic 2nd Avenue.

The Hermitage Hotel, an American landmark since 1910, underwent a $20 million restoration project in 2002.  It is one of the finest small luxury hotels in the nation and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, The Hermitage Hotel received the Mobil Five Star award.  It marks the first time a Tennessee property has achieved this distinction. 

There are 122 luxurious guest rooms and suites, including the Presidential Suite, which has 2,000 square feet, a flat screen TV and overlooks the State Capitol. There are 5,271 square feet of meeting space distributed throughout intimate conference suites and the Grand Ballroom. Every function is assured of superb attentive service and attention to detail.

The hotel's AAA Four Diamond-rated restaurant, The Capitol Grille, was named one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire. The Grille features creative interpretations of southern cuisine.

The goal of The Hermitage Hotel is clear:  to exceed its guests' expectations in every way throughout their stay and to offer a genuinely warm and uncommonly friendly experience each time they return.  What sets The Hermitage Hotel apart from other hotels is their commitment to a style of exceptional, personalized service. Their dedicated staff takes a perfectionist approach to anticipating your every wish. At the same time, their genuine warmth and friendliness will make you feel as if you have come to visit close friends and family. They want you to feel extraordinarily pampered.  For more information, please call their Sales Department at (615) 345-7120 or email them at sales@thehermitagehotel.com

What is a DMC?  According the Association of Destination Management Executives a Destination Management Company (DMC) is a professional services company possessing extensive local knowledge, expertise and resources, specializing in the design and implementation of events, activities, tours, transportation and program logistics.

A DMC can help you by creating unique ideas for special events, teambuilding and other challenging situations, as well as, being the one contact who manages all the details of your event on-site including vendor payments.  Working with a DMC can give you the flexibility to focus on the other important aspects of your meeting or job.  A DMC can work on part or all your meeting needs.

An association, corporation or third party company can benefit from a DMC relationship due to their familiarity with their city, the hotels, attractions and suppliers.  

Your DMC partner becomes an extension of your team by working on your behalf to accomplish your goals while keeping your budget in mind.

First, when selecting a DMC, ask around for referrals and look for DMC’s who belong to ADME (Association of Destination Management Executives), which has membership criteria to ensure member reliability.  When evaluating a DMC, look for longevity, reputation, industry involvement and experience of their staff.  Also, be sure to ask how many of the DMC’s staff members are DMCP’s (Destination Management Certified Professionals).

To get the most out of your DMC, it is important to share your goals, expectations and budget. Be specific by providing as much information as possible.  A good DMC will work effectively to understand your needs as well as communicate the realities of the destination as it fits to those needs. Your DMC should become a strategic partner in helping you met your meeting objectives.

KE&HMG recently worked on a jewelry company’s incentive meeting.  The excellent exchange of information enabled KE&HMG to provide extra local touches to the events which complimented the meeting theme that simply would not have been achieved without it. The end result was an ecstatic meeting planner who reached her event goals.

The keys to any successful event are achieving the event goals, anticipating any challenges and planning for them accordingly.  When your DMC is an integral part of your team, you can achieve greater ROI with your events.

Jamie Hulet KE&HMG Sales Manager

Jamie began her career in destination management at the La Quinta Resort and Club as program coordinator.  Her responsibilities included program operations, transportation logistics, vendor relations, staff scheduling and accounts payable.  She was quickly promoted to Destination Services Manager where she sold and operated groups from 50 to 900 guests.  Most recently Jamie was an Account Executive with PGI.  Additionally, she has experience working as an event coordinator at an off-site venue. 

Clients find Jamie’s broad array of destination management experience, commitment to customer service and passion for event planning brings creativity and organization to her work.  Her clients include fortune 500 companies, associations and incentive houses.  She prides herself on building strong relationships with clients in order to anticipate and fulfill their needs.

Jamie is an active volunteer with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  While living in Palm Springs she served as volunteer event coordinator for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic where she assisted in the production of pairings parties and managed the player’s hospitality tent.

Jamie is a graduation of Central Missouri State University with a degree in Public Relations and Broadcasting.

Westin will break ground later this year on its first hotel in Nashville.  The $105 million Westin hotel/condo tower will be 19 stories with approximately 375 rooms located in downtown Nashville.  The hotel plans to open in late 2009.

The Renaissance Nashville Hotel has long described itself as a musically themed expressive destination. The hotel has taken the Music City Brand and incorporated it into the very fibers of the facility.  The hotel has purchased and laid custom carpeting that features an inlaid keyboard and musical notes woven into the fabric.  Flooring all the meeting rooms, the Renaissance is putting is best foot forward in promoting Music City.

Congratulations to Sheraton Music City for being in the top 10 percent of all Starwood Hotels for meeting planner satisfaction scores.  In addition, the Sheraton Music City recently hired Kenny Earl as Sales Manager.  He was previously Convention Sales Manager with Aladdin for 4 years.  Prior to that he worked in Phoenix for American Express.

Gaylord Entertainment Company has announced it is planning a $400 million expansion of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center that will add more than 400,000 square feet of convention and meeting space and a new 400-room, luxury all-suite hotel adjacent to its current facility. With a proposed completion as early as 2010, Gaylord Opryland will then have 3,281 hotel rooms and more than 1 million square feet of convention and meeting space.