Kingsport BMA hears MeadowView Task Force findings, results

KINGSPORT — The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen heard a final report on information gathered by the MeadowView Task Force. Assistant City Manager Michael Borders presented the report during Monday's work session, which included a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) assessment of the facility, evaluation and identification of barriers to community access and local use, as well as a defined mission statement for the city's portion of MeadowView. An additional recommendation from the task force suggested a community member-led committee to serve as a resource about MeadowView in the future. All the points mentioned above were deliverables as requested by Mayor Paul Montgomery when the task force was established. The city owns the 81,000-square-foot convention center and the Cattails Golf Course, while Eastman owns the 300-room hotel and Meadows Restaurant. Under a 2012 Qualified Management Agreement, Marriott International manages the entire property. The agreement is set to expire in May 2027. Under the agreement, Marriott oversees day-to-day operations of the conference center, including staffing, marketing events, setting prices, maintaining the property and handling finances. The task force included Larry Estepp, Brett Sago, Julie Bennett, Jessica Poore, Lafe Cook, Ken Maness, CeeGee McCord, Jaime Joaquin, Linda Calvert, Calvin Clifton and Wes Combs. Also sitting in on the meetings were Borders, City Manager Chris McCartt, Deidre Lloyd of Eastman, Lara Potter and Frank Lett of Visit Kingsport, with Rick Toomey as the facilitator. As a group, the task force met between Jan. 22 and May 14. Meetings included a tour of the facility, presentations about MeadowView's current marketing and operational performance and external consultant preliminary updates. Analysis, other findings As presented in the report, the task force narrowed down the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of MeadowView into the following points for each category: Strengths: High-quality, flexible, all-inclusive facility; unique local and regional amenities in a compelling setting; Strong public and community support structure; strategic location and interstate accessibility. Weaknesses: Revenue mix: conference resort and convention center has limited demand from groups outside region; convention center's perception of high cost relative to service experience; Transportation and location constraints limit group potential; declining event trends and underutilizations of the executive conference center Opportunities: Rework the management and partnership agreements, including consideration of operational costs; increase sales and marketing focus for the conference and convention center; create integrated destination packaging; repurpose underutilized space into revenue generating assets Threats: Structural change in business environment and meeting travel demand; competitive pressure from regional venues; persistent increased operating losses without a long-term solution; future capital expenditures Barriers to community access and local use identified by the task force and listed in the report as: Cost and pricing structure can be perceived a prohibitive Local use considerations in facility scheduling Limited local engagement and awareness The newly created mission statement for the city's portion of MeadowView is defined as "a first-class gathering place that serves our community and region, builds our future, and creates lasting value." BMA commentary Montgomery asked if there was much or any discussion about what to do with the executive conference center, since the task force listed the space as underutilized. Borders said there were no specific recommendations made for that part of the facility, but many task force members realized along the process just how large the property is. Alderman James Phillips said he felt the ownership structure is still one of the biggest hurdles for MeadowView. "We have to make some hard decisions if our partner in this doesn't care if this place succeeds or fails," he said. "And that's a hard question that needs to be asked, but I would really like to know the answer — and that's not an answer that this task force can give us, but that's the answer that our partner needs to sit down and talk to us [about]." Alderman Betsy Cooper echoed some of the same sentiments referenced in the report, stating the community oftentimes is unaware of events or activities happening at MeadowView. "As a community member, we have no idea what's going on out there," she said. "Like someone put on Facebook that Easter brunch was so good … and that's what all the comments said, 'I didn't know they had brunch on Easter.'" For Alderman Colette George, she added that the perspective that the city can only make decisions on the part of MeadowView it owns — which is the convention center and golf course. She also mentioned the need for more marketing about upcoming events. "I don't know how you reach people to get them engaged in just the local stuff, and that is important to bring them there," she said. "It sounds like a lot is just missed opportunity." What's next? McCartt and other city staff are expected to evaluate and determine deliverables and the path forward for new agreements prior to the May 2027 deadline. He noted that representatives from Eastman and Visit Kingsport were a part of the task force, along with other group or organization leaders who frequently use MeadowView. "There comes a point in time where you have to step back and say, OK, what do we need to do differently to make it work going forward," he said. "And I think that was the sentiment around the table that those are the kinds of questions, those are the things that we need to be asking, because we do have a very unique asset for a city our size, and one that has yet to be replicated within the region." The city has brought on HVS Global Hospitality Services to assess operating agreements, estimate future demand and financial projections, as well as economic and fiscal impact. Borders said at the April 30 meeting that HVS Global Hospitality Services has worked with the Marriott brand on many occasions. Work by the external consultant related to MeadowView is expected to wrap in late June/early July as conversations with Eastman as a facility partner continue. "As we look to make the turn into the next fiscal year, no question, you're going to be hearing a lot more about this," McCartt said. "We'll be talking to you all about this, and we will be working through multiple things to understand where we need to be." A committee, smaller than the earlier iteration of the task force, will serve as a resource for city staff on matters related to the future of MeadowView. The property opened in November 1996 and is currently located at 1901 MeadowView Parkway in Kingsport. In 2009, the hotel saw a $15 million expansion. This was followed by another $15 million expansion including the executive conference center in January 2011. According to the final report, the city invested $3.5 million in interior renovations to the original conference center in 2016; Eastman invested $15 million in hotel room renovations in 2023.