London, United Kingdom (29 May 2018) – The beckon call of live music, complimentary Jack Daniel's whiskey and cider and an immersive multisensory experience will entice Waterloo Station travellers to delay their evening commutes and take a brief holiday in Tennessee at a special exhibit entitled “The Sights & Sounds of Tennessee” from 4-17 June.

The exhibit is part of a month-long campaign featuring the Tennessee destinations of Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville that follows British Airways' introduction of its five-days-per-week nonstop service from London Heathrow to Nashville, the capital city and centre to the state. The Sounds of Tennessee exhibit at Waterloo and digital boards throughout London are to feature custom Spotify playlists that will serve as a formal invitation to British holidaymakers to visit Tennessee, one of the world's top travel destinations for music lovers.

A special kick-off event, featuring Nashville recording artist Gill Landry, formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show will take place at the exhibit on Monday, 4 June from 2 p.m. and include remarks by a Tennessee Department of Tourist Development representative.

Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States, is the birthplace of seven different forms of popular music—blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly, and rock 'n' roll—and has more musicians per capita than any other place in the world. Tennessee is also home to world-renowned music attractions including Beale Street, Bijou Theatre, Bluebird Cafe, Blues Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Graceland, Grand Ole Opry, Sun Studio, Ryman Auditorium and Tennessee Theatre.

'Sights & Sounds of Tennessee' visitors will stand atop a map of Tennessee and use headphones to listen to music recordings and other sounds one can only experience in Tennessee. Corresponding websites, accessible via mobile devices, enable visitors to virtually transport themselves to Tennessee destinations with 360-degree videos including a scenic vista overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains or one of the many blues clubs lining Memphis' famous Beale Street.

Live music concerts will be held at the exhibit weekdays from 2 to 4 p.m., featuring music curated by the UK Americana Music Association performed by some of the genre's top artists, followed by a Jack Daniel's Happy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Scheduled artists include:

• Kashena Sampson, 5 June
• Robert Vincent, 6 June
• Danni Nicholls, 7 June
• The Luck, 8 June
• Bennett Wilson Poole, 11 June
• Jake Morrell, 12 June
• Worry Dolls, 13 June
• Rob Heron, 14 June
• Martin Harley, 15 June

“The UK is home to the world's greatest travellers, many of whom have been coming to Tennessee for years to experience The Soundtrack of America and enjoy our southern hospitality, great cities, rich history and beautiful outdoors,” said Kevin Triplett, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “The new nonstop service aboard British Airways makes reaching Tennessee easier than ever, and we look forward to welcoming even more of our friends from across the Atlantic in the years to come.”

On 4 May, British Airways Flight 223—a Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner carrying 200 passengers—left London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 1545 local time and touched down at Nashville International Airport (BNA) eight-and-a-half hours later, initiating a five-days-a-week nonstop service from the United Kingdom to Tennessee's capital city.

'The Sights & Sounds of Tennessee' exhibit is a joint effort led by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, working in partnership with BrandUSA, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau and Knoxville Convention & Visitors Bureau, to formerly introduce Tennessee to Londoners through an interactive sight and sound experience in London's Waterloo Station.

For more information please visit: www.tnvacation.com.

To view/download the full media kit, please visit: https://bit.ly/2xdKvhQ

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About the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development:

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development is to motivate travel to and within Tennessee by inspiring enjoyment, creating memories, producing a desire to return, and establishing key long-term relationships that result in visitors becoming residents. Tennessee's tourism industry generates $19.3 billion annually in economic impact, more than $1.7 billion in state and local sales tax revenue and more than 176,500 tourism-related jobs. The promise of Tennessee—the birthplace of the blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly, and rock 'n' roll—is to be the global music destination of choice. To deliver an unparalleled experience of beauty, history, and family adventure, infused with music that creates a holiday that is the 'The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee.'

For more information, please contact:

Beth Higham

PR Senior Account Manager

Direct: +44 (0) 20 7593 1770 / Mobile: +44 (0) 7341 774 858 / Email: BethH@hillsbalfour.com 

Kate O'Brien

PR Account Director

Direct: +44 (0) 20 7593 1755 / Mobile: +44 (0) 7733 258 577 / Email: KateO@hillsbalfour.com