Today is a special day for Music City, +Google is gracing our fair city with their presence today as part of a partnership with +FLO {thinkery}. Google is hosting their first Google for Entrepreneurs event called +G4eNashville. A lot of the who’s who in Google will be there today talking to entrepreneurs about leveraging Google’s products such as AdWords, Places and +Google+ for their business.
Nashville is obviously the city that music calls home and that could mean a lot for new technology firms as technology continues to influence music. Obviously Nashville is a booming town for country musicians, but there is a wide variety of music that is produced recorded and played live here encompassing dozens of genres.
As brands struggle to become more “genuine” and are learning to be more in touch with their customers, Nashville is a great roll model for doing just that. From the moment you step off an airplane, you’re greeted by the voice of country music stars on BNA’s public address system, as you wander towards the baggage claim, you can usually find a live performer on stage and dozens of people listening to live music in Tootsie’s while waiting for their flight.
It’s not just about the music though, it’s about hospitality. There is something to be said about “southern hospitality” and the way that the industry and our community embrace people that come here. Everyone wants to know you story, what brought you here, what you plan to do while you’re here and what you want to see before you leave. People genuinely want to make sure you have a good time while you’re in Nashville.
The same thing goes for creatives and entrepreneurs. There has never been a community that I have seen with such a strong power and willingness to support each others ideas and share as the one I have found in Nashville. From +PodCamp Nashville to +BarCamp Nashville , to the Social Media Club of Nashville, there are dozens of organizations that help tech entrepreneurs network, exchange ideas and build a customer base.
With hundreds of original local restaurants, coffee shops and bars, I would venture to guess that most of the tech and creative business deals in Nashville don’t get accomplished in the office, but over a Cuban Coffee at+CREMA or a +Yazoo Brewing Co Dos Perros at +MAFIAoZA’S 12South.
Recently, based on its logistics analysis, U-Haul rated Nashville as the number one city of growth for 2012 (http://goo.gl/vYQpp). It’s not surprising though, Nashville has an extremely low cost of living (relatively) and no mass shortage of jobs, furthermore, the climate is not too cold and not too hot.
Between the hospitality, the low cost of living, the abundance of housing and jobs and the proximity to the entire Eastern seaboard (Nashville is within a day’s drive of a number of major cities in the east coast), there is a definite equation for growth.
Will the technology sector embrace Nashville? Well, if they think they like Austin, I can’t wait to see how they like it here. Given a little more time, Nashville is going to be the next city to go silicon…and no, I’m not talking about +Dolly Parton.
(Photo Credit: SeeMidTN.com ).