A stone obelisk marks the exact geographic center of the state of Tennessee. It’s in Murfreesboro, the home of Grammy-nominated RCA Records Nashville singer-songwriter Chris Young; the state’s largest undergraduate university, 26,000-student Middle Tennessee State; and as the Rutherford County seat, an antebellum courthouse to remind of the town’s stint as state capital from 1819 to 1826.
Proximity to Nashville is but one of the numerous lures for groups to convene in Rutherford County’s 108,000 total square feet of meeting space.
“When a planner brings a conference to town and they visit our attractions, off-site venues and 350-plus restaurants, they want to get a feel for the area and its culture,” said Barbara Wolke, vice president of the Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau (RCCVB). “Our county is steeped in Civil War history, with a national battlefield and antebellum mansions. Our goal is to deliver a true Tennessee experience.”
For the past three years, Murfreesboro has received ConventionSouth Readers’ Choice Award for Best Meeting Sites in the South. And with a population of nearly 123,000, the Volunteer State’s fastest-growing major city is one of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Top 12 American Boomtowns. Meetings business is hopping throughout Rutherford County.
A new 113-room Courtyard by Marriott in Murfreesboro adds 2,000-plus square feet of meeting space, and a Home2Suites/Tru by Hilton opens in 2017. Nearby Smyrna has a new 89-room TownePlace Suites by Marriott. An UpTown Suites by InTown opens in spring 2017.
Late this year, the Fountains at Gateway, a 70,000-square-foot upscale dining, shopping and office development, is scheduled to open its first phase, which includes a sizable plaza event space. Eventually, the 31-acre complex will also feature a hotel, fountains, parks and rentable bikes, with connectivity to the city’s 12-mile Greenway trail system.
Working with planners, the RCCVB creates customized itineraries that can include a group visit to Nashville, only a half-hour away.
“A bonus is free step-on guide service from the moment attendees arrive until they leave,” Wolke said. “And we have countywide free parking. It’s a Southern-hospitality thing.”
Conference Center
Embassy Suites by Hilton Nashville SE Murfreesboro is home to Rutherford County’s 80,000-square-foot conference center. Located next to The Avenue, the largest open-air retail and dining venue in Tennessee, the 283-suite property is the area’s largest and offers 43,000 square feet of meeting space, with 1,000 free parking spaces and a 28,800-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate 2,000 attendees for a reception.
“We’re better on your budget than rooms in Nashville, where high demand allows higher room rates,” said Denise Coop Tinney, director of sales and marketing. “And we’re only 23 miles from the state capital.”
Hotel Meeting Spaces
With 5,500 total square feet of meeting space, the 168-room DoubleTree by Hilton Murfreesboro has a 3,100-square-foot ballroom for up to 300 seated and 450 standing.
According to Melissa Cassidy, director of sales, the property’s size is perfect. “We’re large enough to host associations, but they don’t have to share their meeting space with another group.”
Across a parking lot, a new live-music venue, 7,200-square-foot JazzMatazz, serves Cajun food by day and live New Orleans jazz at night.
The Holiday Inn Murfreesboro adds 110 rooms and 5,300 square feet of meeting space, and the 100-room Hilton Garden Inn Murfreesboro adds another 4,200.
