Operation FINALLY HOME home dedication in Clarksville, TN

C&W Industrial Conference Nashville: Part Three

Remember that time I told you about how we surprised a deserving veteran and his family with a NEW, MORTGAGE-FREE HOME on stage at day two of the C&W Industrial Conference in Nashville? I know it’s hard to believe, but the third and final day of this conference only got better. In 2014, we added a volunteer event to this conference as an opportunity for attendees to network with one another in a no-pressure environment. It proved popular enough that in 2015 there were so many volunteers we had to split the group in two! Half of the group had a wonderful time at the Second Harvest Food Bank where they packed a staggering 11,000 pounds of food for the area’s children, families, and seniors affected by hunger. And given C&W’s commitment to veterans, we thought it only fitting that the other half of the volunteers spent the morning putting together 100 care packages for deployed military members through Operation Troop Aid. Following the volunteer event, everyone was invited out to see the home dedication. It was a truly incredible way to end a great conference and send everyone home feeling proud to have been a part of it.

JR Martinez delivers keynote at Nashville Conference

C&W Industrial Conference Nashville: Part Two

Perhaps you’ve already read about the first day of this spring conference held at the Renaissance Nashville. Well, on day two and three we really amped things up for this fun-loving crowd. Day two kicked off with a keynote presentation by the incredible J.R. Martinez – veteran, actor, best-selling author, and Season 13 winner of Dancing with the Stars. He invigorated the audience with his powerful message of perseverance and optimism, but only a handful of us were prepared for what came next. J.R. has been working with Operation FINALLY HOME for sometime. We brought Operation FINALLY HOME and C&W together in 2014 for their annual charity golf outing. The funds raised from that outing helped make a home happen for an incredibly deserving veteran and his family. AND WE GOT TO SEE THE SURPRISE HAPPEN ON STAGE AFTER JR’s PRESENTATION! I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. It certainly got the day started on a positive note. After a long day of meetings, attendees were encouraged to spend the late afternoon at one of two networking excursions – skeet shooting at a private gun club or a one-of-a-kind experience at the Johnny Cash Museum ending with a

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NashBash: A Corporate Cocktail Party in Nashville

We feel incredibly fortunate that our clients trust us 99% of the time. It helps that we work with such amazing people! But I must admit, I was a little nervous when I presented a group of industrial real estate executives with the idea of hosting a “Nashvegas” style event in conjunction with their Nashville conference. A mechanical bull, professional line dancers, custom bag sets, rockin’ live music, and a specialty bourbon tasting all done in an upscale, classy way? Gotta love that their response was only, “Where’s it all gonna go?” And we were at the ready – “We’re going to close down the street outside the venue and take the party outside, of course!” This was one for the record books. I’ve never seen a bunch of professionals at a networking event enjoy themselves so much. And I’m sure a number of important deals were done between bull rides. 🙂 Special thanks to the team at aVenue for helping us pull this event off and capturing such wonderful pictures!

Nashville Event Welcome Bag

How Nashville Says Welcome (Bag)

I love truly unique welcome bags, goodie bags, swag bags, favors, and all other forms of attendee gifts. Of course, we all know how easy it is for these types of items to end up in the trash or left behind. I believe it takes real skill and determination to come up with something that your guests are going to truly appreciate. Which is why I’m so excited to share this little idea with you. During the recent Cushman & Wakefield Industrial Conference, attendees were welcomed to Nashville with this awesome welcome bag put together by Cushman & Wakefield’s local office. The “Nashville Lunch” bags included Jack Daniels, Whisper Creek (Tennessee’s version of Bailey’s), a small map with recommendations for local dining and entertainment (not pictured), and a box of “industrially strong” peppermints reminding these business men and women to “never make a pitch without a mint.” It was all tucked inside a traditional brown bag lunch sack and handed out as attendees arrived (at noon). Of course, they also made a few bags for any non-drinkers that included Nashville’s famous Moon Pies and GooGoo clusters in place of the alcohol. I can tell you that not a one of these was left

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C&W Industrial Conference Nashville: Part One

We just got back from an amazing week in Nashville with the great folks of Cushman & Wakefield Industrial. I love working on this annual conference – there is nothing better than being surrounded by a group of hardworking professionals who love what they do. The Renaissance Nashville took great care of us from the moment we arrived. And with nearly 500 attendees in tow, this was no small feat. Nashville was the perfect scene for this fun-loving crowd. (See the great welcome bags they made to fully understand what I mean.) Nashville was small enough to offer great networking, but large enough to offer plenty to do between meetings. A welcome reception helped kick things off at the end of the first day. The event was held in the hotel’s Bridge Bar and Restaurant, which is entirely enclosed in glass. At night, it offers a fabulous ambiance for networking over cocktails. We put together special centerpieces placed throughout the event to highlight Nashville’s music scene (yes, that’s actual country sheet music!) and thank event sponsors. We also had custom cowboy boot drink koozies made because, well Nashville. 🙂 Day two and three of the conference featured even more fun and surprises. Stay

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