What Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association does

Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association (TNHTA) is a membership-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1928 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The organization represents lodging, restaurant, tourism, allied/service, and non-profit businesses across Tennessee's hospitality and tourism industry, serving as the designated state-level industry association for advocacy, education, and networking. Its core offerings include five membership tiers, an annual Governor's Conference (currently scheduled for 2026 in Gatlinburg), the Stars of the Industry Purple Iris Awards, the Day on the Hill legislative advocacy event, the DistillED cocktail competition, and the TNHTA Political Action Committee for legislative influence.

TNHTA's underlying technology is built on Novi AMS, a third-party association management software platform that handles member management, event registration, billing, and the Member Compass member portal. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its value proposition is delivered through community ecosystem, advocacy, and workforce development programs including ServSafe food safety certification, Tennessee ProStart culinary education, and scholarships administered through the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Education Foundation.

The business model relies on annual membership dues (with the Allied/Service tier publicly priced at $500), event registration fees and sponsorships for conferences and awards programs, and revenue from the Strategic Partners savings program that connects members with vetted vendors offering exclusive discounts. Distribution is primarily direct via online membership registration and event-based recruitment, supplemented by affiliate relationships with national organizations (AHLA, AAHOA, National Restaurant Association) and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and operates with 1-10 employees.

Name

Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association

Legal name

Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association

Website

https://hospitalitytn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association (TNHTA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1928 that advocates for, educates, and connects Tennessee's hospitality and tourism industry through membership tiers, annual events, legislative advocacy, and workforce development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The organization generates revenue through annual membership dues from multiple categories including lodging, restaurant, tourism, allied/service, and non-profit members. Allied/Service Membership is priced at $500 annually.
2. Event Registration and Sponsorships: Revenue is generated from event registration fees for conferences (Governor's Conference, Stars of the Industry awards, DistillED cocktail competition, webinars) and sponsorship opportunities at these events.
3. Strategic Partner Program: TNHTA Savings Program connects members with strategic partners who offer exclusive discounts, generating value for both members and potentially providing referral or partnership revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association (TNHTA) is a nonprofit trade association that provides tiered membership services, industry advocacy, networking events, workforce development programs (ProStart, ServSafe), and member savings benefits to lodging, restaurant, tourism, allied/service, and non-profit businesses across Tennessee. The association operates on annual membership dues and event revenues to fund its unified voice for the state's hospitality and tourism sector.

Product overview

Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association is a membership-based industry association serving Tennessee's hospitality and tourism sector. The organization offers multiple membership tiers (Lodging, Restaurant, Tourism, Allied/Service, and Non-Profit) that provide access to networking, advocacy, education programs, and member discounts. Key programs include the annual Governor's Conference, Purple Iris Awards, Day on the Hill advocacy event, and Tennessee ProStart workforce development. The association operates a Political Action Committee for legislative advocacy and a Strategic Partners program for member savings. The organization is built on Novi AMS association management software platform for member services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lodging Membership
• Restaurant Membership
• Tourism Membership
• Allied/Service Membership
• Non-Profit Membership
• Governor's Conference 2026
• Stars of the Industry: Purple Iris Awards
• Day on the Hill
• DistillED: A Cocktail Competition Benefiting TN ProStart 2026
• Tennessee ProStart
• ServSafe Certification
• Strategic Partners Program (TNHTA Savings)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor providing music licensing services to hospitality members. Listed among sponsors on TNHTA website.
• DIRECTVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor providing entertainment solutions to hospitality members. Listed among sponsors on TNHTA website.
• ServSafecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Food safety certification program partner. ServSafe training and certification is offered as an educational resource for restaurant and hospitality members through the partnership.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA)coreOthersNational affiliate partner providing resources, advocacy, and industry standards for hotel and lodging members. TNHTA displays AHLA branding as an affiliate partner on its website.
• AAHOA (American Hotel & Lodging Owners Association)coreOthersNational affiliate partner representing hotel owners and operators. Listed as an affiliate partner with logo displayed on TNHTA website.
• National Restaurant AssociationcoreOthersNational affiliate partner providing resources, educational programs, and industry advocacy for restaurant members. Co-branded ProStart and ServSafe programs are offered through this partnership.
• Tennessee Department of Tourist DevelopmentcoreOthersState government tourism agency partner providing marketing support, resources, and coordination for Tennessee tourism promotion.
• National Restaurant Association Educational FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational foundation partner offering workforce development programs including Military Programs, Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC), and ProStart culinary education.
• Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiversity and inclusion partner providing resources and programming for multicultural workforce development in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association): National trade association representing hotel owners and operators. TNHTA lists AAHOA as an affiliate partner; they share lodging-industry advocacy and member-service missions at different geographic scopes.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): National trade association representing the U.S. hotel and lodging industry. AHLA is a direct affiliate partner of TNHTA and operates at a broader scale on overlapping advocacy, education, and member service functions.
• National Restaurant Association: National trade association for the restaurant industry and a TNHTA affiliate partner. Provides ServSafe and ProStart frameworks that TNHTA delivers at the state level, making it a structural upstream peer.

Direct peers

• Texas Hotel & Lodging Association: State-level hospitality trade association for Texas operating a directly comparable membership, advocacy, and workforce development model to TNHTA, scaled to a different (larger) state geography.
• U.S. Travel Association: National nonprofit that advocates for increased travel to and within the United States. Operates a similar trade-association model to TNHTA but at the federal level, covering overlapping tourism policy and promotion mandates.
• California Hotel & Lodging Association: California's state lodging trade association with a similar advocacy and education mandate to TNHTA. Provides a peer benchmark for legislative engagement and member service models in a different state.
• Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association: State-level hospitality and tourism trade association for Florida with a similar multi-vertical membership structure, advocacy focus, and education programming. The most directly comparable state-association peer to TNHTA.
• North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association: State-level hospitality and tourism trade association combining restaurant and lodging verticals under one umbrella, mirroring TNHTA's multi-vertical structure with similar advocacy and education programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_tnhta
• Facebookfacebook.com/HospitalityTN

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association