Nashville, Tennessee (WTVF) — About 200,000 revelers are expected to flock to the Bicentennial Mall to ring in the New Year. Some come for the music, but the focus is when the clock strikes midnight. And to pull off the show, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation relies on local companies.
Deep inside a Nashville warehouse, signs of success can be seen all over the walls.
Made First Production Director Scott Volesky said:
Made First now has clients all over the country, but nothing would have happened if the company hadn’t started on a colorful note.
“When the city first came to us, it was a really big step for us,” he said.
Eleven years ago, Nashville CVC commissioned them to create the first note to drop at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
“There is a lot of tension and we hope to get to the bottom,” Bolesky said.
Companies and parties only grow with age.
“Having five hours of live television is incredible for the city,” said Deena Ivey, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation.
This is why, in the second year of the celebration, it aired in front of a national audience. The entire stockroom is filled with LED signs, ready to light up the night with a grand banquet.
“And we’re trying to add elements that make it more exciting, bigger and better,” Ivey said.
But at its heart is the iconic eighth note.
“Technology has gotten to the point where you can basically turn any shape into a video screen and run video content, especially with the new notes,” Volesky said. “You can have a glitter effect, or you can run a logo over it.”
Made First was admittedly nervous in its first year, but 11 years later, confidence is perhaps another sign of success.
“We’ve done it many times, and I’m sure it will work just fine,” he said.
If you want to celebrate the arrival of 2023, you don’t have to deal with all the crowds. You can watch Nashville’s big bash on NewsChannel 5.