The top floor of the Woollen Mills on Ormond Quay was transformed into a tiny slice of Tennessee heaven last night at an event hosted by the Tennessee Office of Tourist Development, celebrating the return of travel and reconnection with Ireland. ITTN’s Emer Roche was delighted to attend as her first event on behalf of the company.
String lights adorned the room and guests were offered a whiskey cocktail on arrival. All this serving to create an atmosphere as warm as the Tennessee Tourism Crew were in person.
Joining Margaret Fuqua and Jill Kilgore (Tennessee Tourism) were Laurel Bennett (Nashville CVC), Lisa Catron (Memphis Travel) and several more partners all working together to display their love and passion for Tennessee.
Emer sat with the lovely travel blogger, Tara Povey and Eugene Naughton, President of the Dollywood Parks and Resorts in Tennesse. He held both women spellbound as he described working with the great Dolly Parton, the amount of altruistic work she does and the seasonal beauty of Dollywood, which is situated among the Great Smoky Mountains.
Musician Damien Horne, from Nashville, played to the intimate group with a mind-blowing set of covers by Memphis artists from Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Otis Redding to Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars. It reminded everyone why Nashville is famous for its incredible musical talent.
Each partner spoke vividly and with great passion about their own corner of Tennessee. Laurel Bennet of Nashville CVC likened the spirit of Dublin with Tennessee. Noting the shared culture, love of music and enjoyment of fun and company.
Lisa Catron of Memphis Travel received a hearty cheer when she summed up her love of Memphis and Tennessee in general with this : ”It is not just the soil beneath your feet but the soul within the city, and that is Memphis and all of Tennessee’’.
