Memphis, Tennessee maps out its Coronavirus Comeback

Christmas is Memphis, Tennessee, a time celebrated by Elvis Presley, a longtime Memphis resident with holiday records and a ‘Christmas comeback special’ Blue Christmas. Next year Memphis, a major U.S. destination, hopes to take away its own unique program, revitalizing COVID-19-lost tourism, convention and entertainment sectors.

Tourism, for both leisure and business travelers / assembly, “is one of the largest employers in the city – over 50,000 pre-COVIDs. Tourism costs us $ 4 billion with hundreds of millions in tax dollars, ”said Kevin Kane President / Head of Tourism Memphis. Kane says business travel (in the city’s five Fortune 500 companies, including FedEx) accounted for 41% of hotel ownership. International travel, generated by one million tourists each year, has been slow due to quarantines. “In 2019 we had over 13 million visitors; we lost 60%, ”says Kane. “This year we will have 4 or 5 million. It has been sad. ”

Can destinations like Memphis recover from the still-terrible coronavirus pandemic? Memphis is famous for live music, crowded bars, and a universal dinner – all activity limited by the pandemic. But despite the recession, Memphis, a place notorious for celebratory celebrations, is expressing cautious optimism about the future.

In the short term, the city is targeting the driveway market and benefiting from the cultural and culinary heritage. Restaurants are open, but currently at 25% capacity. They must close before 10PM. “Live music is a big part of our production here,” says Kane. “On a typical Monday night, you might go to 40 venues that have live music. Now maybe three; it’s very sad, cut down. ”The situation irks Kane. “Why are restaurants considered super-spreaders? You go to the plant section at Loew hardware and people are fighting over plants. ”

However, tourists come to the “Home of the Blues. As local COVID-19 regulations change, Graceland, Elvis Presley’s longtime home, is open, with Elvis ’birthday celebrations to come. Sun Studio, the ‘birthplace of rock n’ roll ’, is also open under COVID-19 protocols, as Beale Street is known worldwide.

Even at the time of the pandemic, the main U.S. location in Memphis was a ‘drive-in’ tourist attraction. Kane says, “We donated two million dollars of CARES money and digitally promoted Memphis as a weekend family opportunity. We have a lot of museums and facilities, outdoor recreation, we got a lot of musicians. Hotel ownership fell to 26% in April, now at 52%. ”

However, 2019 hotel ownership was at 67%. Downtown Memphis is the hardest hit; Kane said, “The demand generators for restaurants and hotels are gone; downtown has only 30% of hotels. ”

Downtown is the center of a major initiative for Memphis, a transformation of the aging conference center, which was first built in 1974. The building also includes a 2100 theater a chair that hosted a recent holiday show, although it was at 15% capacity due to COVID-19 concerns.

The $ 200 million update is 99% complete, according to Dean Dennis, Chief VP and General Manager of the Renasant Convention Center. The venue has previously created around 100K to 125K room nights per year, and organizers are sure to go over the new facility when meetings begin to come back.

Dennis says that the new venue is “very flexible – you can hold lots of different types of meetings at the same time, or a bigger one, like the Cattle Society, with lots of gathering sessions. ”

While the renewal period may have looked unfortunate, officials say it could have been worse. “If you have a pandemic, get it at the time of your renewal!” Dennis says. However, “Much of our business for 2021 has shifted to 2022, 2023, even 2024.”

Malvin Gipson, Vice President of Memphis Tourism Sales, Sports and Convention Services, said, “we typically sell 16 to 18 months out” but “the first and second quarters of 2021 washing ”as many organizations and companies are still not traveling due to the pandemic.

Meeting with designers who are not yet traveling, he said, “We worked with 3D Concepts to create a meaningful tour around the conference center and Memphis. We use that package to sell it almost. ”Gipson flew 1200 miles to a traveling show to represent Memphis, but his first‘ meeting ’was opening a laptop at his table and employing a meeting designer at home. By Q3, he believes, designers will start touring and organizing events.

However, Gipson says his team is ahead of goal. “We currently have 27 meetings for 2021 to 2025, for approximately $ 34 million with 65,000 room nights. The numbers look better outside. ”

New tourism-friendly infrastructure will help. The new Loews hotel across the street from the Renasant Center is expected to open in early 2024. A 22-story, 350-room Grand Hyatt was recently announced, and a $ 245 million upgrade to the airport’s Concourse B , including new restaurants and shops, set for 2021.

The newly developed conference center, with its high decoration, light and airy feel and water views, is aimed at smaller physical, medical, pharmaceutical and transport presentations and meetings The SMERF non-profit market (organizations) Social, Military, Educational, Religious and Fraternal) has also been successful for Memphis. “What we find is the highest between 500 and 700 nights,” says Gipson.

Conference center events follow health protocols such as floor signs indicating 6 feet of social distance, sanitary stations and always disinfecting elevator buttons and handrails. “We’re a business built to try to bring people together,” Dennis says. “COVID-19” does not mean we cannot have events; you can do them right away. ”

Will personal events be hurt by meaningful meetings? “No, but meaning will be part of every meeting,” Dennis says. “Right now, you miss the opportunity to come together and have a beer. Phone call or Zoom are not the same thing. “Gipson says when he communicates on Zoom with his sales team,“ Half can’t hear you, half say their systems are freezing. ”

Gipson is excited about a $ 200 million development of Liberty Park, home of the 58,000-seat Liberty Bowl. Arriving 2022 is the 2500-seat Sports and Events Center for college, youth and amateur events, such as state Olympic exams. Events like this draw thousands of participants, parents, judges, and spectators to fill Memphis hotel rooms.

“We’re busy for the market,” Gipson says. “We know we are in a difficult place, but the vaccines will help it to grow again.”

“We spent a billion and a half dollars. We are promoting our airport; we are making our destination for the future. We’ll have a better Memphis, ”said Tourism CEO Kane. “As soon as we put COVID in our rearview mirror, when people don’t have to wear a mask, or social distance, travel is going to be a storm faster than people think. ”