Tom Morales of TomKats Hospitality says he hopes to see more locals soaking up the excitement.
-- Photographs ProvidedOut-of-state basketball fans – and the millions of tourism dollars they bring with them – are the lifeblood of the March 8-12 SEC Tournament frenzy in and around Bridgestone Arena. But longtime Nashville restaurateur Tom Morales is courting the local fans.
The tournament annually fills Music City hotel rooms, restaurants, downtown bars and entertainment venues to the tune of some $20 million in direct spending annually, says Butch Spyridon, the soon-to-be-retired CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.
Morales knows how important basketball tourists are to the Nashville economy but wants local fans to join the party, as well.
“Nashville’s really an SEC town. It brings in not only tourists, but it brings the locals back downtown,” says Morales, the founder of TomKats Hospitality, owners of Acme Feed & Seed, The Southern Steak & Oyster and Southernaire Market.
“I’m more excited about the local people coming downtown to Nashville than the out-of-town tourists,” he adds. “I mean, they’re both very valuable to us, but I think from my perspective, being a local, any excuse that the locals can have to come downtown is a positive for us because we value that type of local tourist.
“It’s kind of funny because (Nashville-based fans are) tourists in their own town. Not many people are venturing downtown as much unless it’s an event that draws them. So that part of it, we’re more excited about that,” adds Auburn grad Morales, who will be hosting an alumni pregame gathering on the second floor of Acme Feed & Seed. “There’s a lot of competition for the hotel tourist dollar and our core customer is local.”
Spyridon says the direct economic impact numbers fluctuate annually, depending on which teams are playing well and reach next Sunday’s championship game.
“It’s definitely better some years than others. It depends on which teams are playing really well and how well their fan bases travel. Kentucky is a no-brainer. When they’re hot, we know it’s going to be a really good week,” Spyridon says, pointing out that it’s the out-of-state fans who fill hotel rooms, not Vandy or Tennessee fans.
“Vanderbilt is playing really well, (but) that’s not going to generate as much money,” he notes. “It’s going to certainly be good for Vanderbilt. But not the same level (of spending revenue) as Kentucky or Arkansas or some of the other teams.”
Rob Mortensen, director of the newly organized Broadway Entertainment Association, a collective of downtown business owners and leaders, says the SEC is an ambassador for Nashville.
“Revenue is important, but showcasing our city is what the SEC brings to Nashville,” Mortensen says. “It’s a great tournament. Obviously, it brings business to Tennessee.
“But the other important thing that folks don’t think about a whole lot is that it’s really good PR. Because it’s televised across the world, we get to showcase our city and show what we’re all about in live music. And Broadway kind of brings that to the forefront.”
Chairing the BEA is Brad Sanderson, co-owner of The Stage on Broadway, Legends Corner and Second Fiddle with his parents and downtown fixtures, Ruble and Brenda Sanderson.
Other key BEA members include Joey DeGraw of Nashville Underground and Barret Hobbs of Cumberland Hospitality Group.
Brad Sanderson describes his parents as “die-hard Kentucky fans” but says he grew up rooting for Tennessee.
“I’m a Tennessee fan with Kentucky fan parents,” he says with a laugh, adding that he sees a lot of camaraderie among SEC fans attending the tournament.
“I would definitely say we are at the center of the tourist area, for sure. Most people that visit Nashville don’t miss Broadway,” Sanderson says. “We have a lot of people that just want to hang out in downtown Nashville along with all the other fans, but that don’t have tickets to the game.
Acme Feed & Seed, one of three downtown TomKats properties, figures to be packed the week of the tournament when it hosts Auburn and other fans. Morales, its owner, is an Auburn graduate.
“We see a ton of Kentucky fans do that. They’re just the younger Kentucky fans just like being around all their fellow fans. It’s just that even if you’re not going to the game, it’s still a fun weekend to just be around the event itself.”
Like the Auburn group that Morales is hosting, alumni of various schools will gather across the city.
Yee Haw Brewing Company & Ole Smokey Distillery is the “official Tennessee headquarters” for Vols fans each day of the tournament, while Kentucky fans will be at Ole Red for their pregame party and pep rally. Vanderbilt fans can be found at the Commodore Grille and other bars near campus, while Alabama fans will gather at New Heights Brewing Company.
“We’re just looking for friendly gathering places to watch the party. As with anything with Alabama sports, when Alabama does well, tickets are in high demand,” says Dylan Reeves, president of UA Nashville, the local chapter of the Alabama Alumni Association. “Ever since COVID-19 it’s been hard to get tickets to the tournament. You need the packages and they’re just high demand this year because all the SEC teams are doing well.”
A large Alabama contingent will be sweet music to Spyridon’s ears.
“We’re hoping that Alabama will travel. Tennessee certainly sells lots of tickets (but) it doesn’t necessarily hit the hotel cash register as much. So it’s that balance,” he says. “But taking care of the SEC themselves and making sure they feel the love and support is critical because as everybody has seen, they are the power conference in college athletics right now.”
Morales remembers when COVID abruptly ended the 2020 tournament.
“We were right in the middle of one of our best weeks ever at Acme and Southern, and so we thought ‘well, this will last a week, two weeks, maybe.’ And then it was basically three years,” he says.
While Nashville has a long history of hosting SEC men’s tournaments, this year marks only the second one here since 2019, when Auburn topped Tennessee for the title.
The 2020 tournament was canceled by COVID after the first-round games, then Alabama topped LSU here in 2021. Last year, Nashville hosted the SEC women’s tournament as Kentucky edged South Carolina 64-62. The men played in Tampa, where Tennessee crushed Texas A&M 65-50.
“The hotel industry has rebounded in a big way since the pandemic. At Grand Hyatt Nashville, we are seeing a record number of bookings for individual room stays, conferences and meetings,” says Marc Sternagel, general manager of Grand Hyatt Nashville and a board member of the Nashville Convention & Visitor Corp. “Nashville is a perfect location for events such as the SEC Tournament, and we are thrilled to welcome basketball fans back to Music City.”
In 2019, the SEC extended its agreement to bring the tourney to Nashville through 2030 with an option through 2035. Spyridon says those past SEC Tournament successes helped Nashville secure the right to host the 2023 SEC Football Media Days, set for July 20-23 at the Grand Hyatt.
“We take nothing for granted. We’re grateful for every opportunity that comes along,” Spyridon says. “We always see the individual opportunities as not just a benefit right then, but how does it help us accomplish the next goal? “A good example would be the relationship with the SEC in basketball has not hurt us with regard to Football Media Days. And Football Media Days will open up something else, hopefully.”
Spyridon calls having the SEC Tournament in town for the next dozen years “a huge feather in our sports hat,” an assessment that rings true for Sanderson and Morales. They’ve made sure to order plenty of food and adult beverages well in advance for the tournament.
“Most people don’t realize how big of a deal it is. It comes down to which team’s fan bases make it through to the final day but it can be as big as any weekend of the year. We’ve had tournaments in the past that have been even bigger than the CMA Fest,” Sanderson says.
“If Kentucky makes it to the final day, that’s good for business on Broadway. Tennessee fans travel pretty well if they make it to the latter part of the weekend and I have high expectations of Alabama’s fan base traveling this year,” he continues. “The basketball tournament can be as big as any other weekend of the year. It’s right up there with our top few weekends.”
Morales says he prefers downtown sports and events that don’t include a stage being erected in front of the river, constricting the flow of fans. And he’s excited at the prospect of local fans returning to the downtown district for the tourney.
“Anything that brings people to downtown Nashville without erecting a stage is a positive,” Morales says. “And, absolutely, it’s a feather in our hat in terms of sporting events … just general events … that happen naturally.”