Day 6: June 3, 2009

We kicked off the day at 7:00 AM with breakfast in the Owen lobby. This was followed by Day 2 of Froebonomics - Prof. Luke Froeb and his famous “Rational Actor” paradigm. Next, Prof Steve Hoeffler continued his work with our teams on marketing. Today he focused on branding and ads that work vs. those that do not – we saw several examples of the types of marketing that really connect with the audience.

Following these AM Studios, we took a short break and then returned to Averbuch Auditorium for a preview session to our real estate and space development project. Our guest was Mr. Thom Meek, a noted local architect (famous for his work on the Delta at Opryland, the Wildhorse Saloon, and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center). He lead our teams through a discussion of what to look for in the site plan and how to think about the planning and development of a specific site from an architect’s point of view.

Following a quick boxed lunch, we boarded the charter buses at 12:30 PM for the drive to Arrington Vineyards. Arrington is about a 40 minute drive, located off the 840 loop on the south side of Nashville. We arrived at Arrington Vineyards and was greeted by Kixx Brooks & John Russell (Owners), Christel Foley (Business Manager) and Ryan Cochran (General Manager).
We had a 2 hour briefing with the owners (Kixx Brooks of Brooks & Dunn led the discussion) – outlining their vision for the expansion of the Winery & Vineyard. Following the overview, the Accelerator teams had a tour of the wine production process led by the Ms. Christel Foley, Business Manager for the Winery. Mr. Brooks stayed around all afternoon to answer questions. We also had the opportunity to walk the property to gain a full perspective of the space.

At 4:30, we head back toward Owen for dinner and to complete break-out sessions to launch this project. After dinner, our teams spent the evening clarifying the data from the launch and gathering the additional research required for this great project.

We ended the work day at 10:00 PM – the energy in the building was just off the charts. Tomorrow will be another amazing day!

If you want to see our photo library, you may do so at http://picasaweb.google.com/VanderbiltAccelerator

Michael Burcham
Faculty Director, Accelerator 2009