NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Roughly 4,400 people have descended upon Nashville for a convention at the Music City Center that is expected to bring revenue to the city for decades to come.

“This is the whole reason why we’re in business right here,” to host major events says Charles Starks, President & CEO of the Music City Center as he looks down at the wall-to-wall activity as crews prep for what’s known in the industry as the “super bowl of conventions.”

The Center for Association Leadership’s annual meeting is the first in-person convention for the group since 2019.

“This is all the folks that book meetings around the world and they are here in Nashville,” Starks says.

It’s clear from the other cities advertising, Dallas, Chicago, Virginia Beach, even Puerto Rico, that landing this convention is a huge deal and creates an economic influx for years to come.

Starks explains, that when the event was here eight years ago it booked, “41 citywide conventions from when they were here in 2014. I mean, that’s just amazing.”

That convention brought in $250 million. Starks anticipates, that with the city’s growth since 2014, Nashville will see a greater return.

“We already have booking contracts out to 2033 now, and proposals to 43,” he said. “This is really what sets our future.”

A future for an industry hit hard during the pandemic.

“What that really does is set the table for all of us, you know, the 80,000 or so workers and hospitality community in Nashville, to really take care of their families and provide for their families,” Starks said.

So while the finishing touches and details for the big day are top of mind Starks reminds us, “This is a whole lot more than about the next four days.”

Events for the convention are scheduled all across town including a concert by Little Big Town at Ascend Amphitheatre.