Me ka nānā ʻana o ka lāhui i ka leka uila i hoʻouna ʻia e kahi luna hoʻokipa hoʻokipa ʻo Nashville e hoʻohālikelike ana i ka wahine mua ʻo Michelle Obama i kahi chimpanzee, ua hoʻomaka ka ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi o Tennessee e ʻike i ka hāʻule.
Ua lohe ka Tennessee Department of Tourist Development mai kekahi poʻe i ka Pōʻakahi e ʻōlelo ana ua hoʻopau ka leka uila a Walt Baker iā lākou, e uku ana i ka Volunteer State i kekahi mau malihini kipa.
"ʻAʻole kēia ka mea a lākou i manaʻo ai mai Tennessee," wahi a Susan Whitaker, ke komisina o ka ʻoihana. "A ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu ke ʻōlelo e hoʻopiʻi wau i kekahi o lākou. Manaʻo mākou he mea hiki ʻole ke ʻae ʻia a ʻae ʻia. "
ʻO Baker, ʻo ia ka Luna Nui o ka Tennessee Hospitality Association a hiki i ka Pōʻakahi, ua hoʻouna ʻo ia i ka leka uila i ka pō Pōʻalima i nā hoaaloha he ʻumi, me nā lobbyists, he mea kōkua iā Mayor Karl Dean a me ka pelekikena o ka Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia ka moʻolelo i ka hopena pule a hiki i ka Pōʻakahi, e hoʻomāʻewaʻewa ana i kahi alakaʻi hoʻokipa e hana hoʻokipa ʻole i ka wahine a ka pelekikena ma ka ʻakaʻaka ʻana i kahi stereotype lāhui.
Ua hōʻike pū lākou ʻaʻole kēia ka manawa mua i loaʻa ai ʻo Tennessee i ka makaʻāinana no ka leka uila pili ʻole e pili ana i kekahi o nā Obamas. I ke kauwela i hala aku nei, ua hoʻouna ʻo Sherri Goforth i kahi leka uila e hōʻike ana iā Pelekikena Obama he "spook" me nā maka keʻokeʻo ma kahi ʻeleʻele ʻeleʻele i hoʻāla i ka nalu o ka backlash ma ka ʻāina.
Ua hoʻomau ka hopena no Baker a me kāna ʻoihana kūʻai aku, ʻo Mercatus Communications, i ka Pōʻakahi i ka hoʻopau ʻana o ka hui hoʻokipa i kāna ʻaelike me Mercatus a hoʻokuʻu iā Baker ma ke ʻano he Luna Nui.
"Ua ʻike mākou he mea ʻino ia," wahi a Pete Weien, he lālā o ka hui hoʻokipa a me ka luna nui o Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. "ʻAʻole ia ma kekahi ʻano, ke ʻano a i ʻole ke ʻano he ʻelele o kā mākou hui."
ʻO kekahi lālā o ka papa hui, ʻo Tom Negri, i ʻōlelo ʻia he "mea hoʻowahāwahā ʻia ka leka uila."
"ʻAʻole kūpono ia, ʻaʻole oʻu manaʻo i ka mea e heluhelu ana," wahi a Negri, ka luna hoʻomalu o Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. "Makemake au e noho ma kahi ʻaʻole pono mākou e nānā i nā leka uila e like me ia."
Ua hōʻole ʻo Weien e haʻi i ka mea a ka hui i uku ai iā Baker lāua ʻo Mercatus ma lalo o kahi ʻaelike i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ma 2005. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia ʻaʻole e hoʻopilikia ʻia nā limahana ʻehā ʻē aʻe o ka hui, a e hoʻomaka ka hui e ʻimi i kahi CEO hou koke.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Baker, ka mea i kala mai i ka Pōʻaono, ma mua o ka hui ʻana o ka hui ua haʻalele ʻo ia i nā mea i hana ʻia.
"Apono loa au i ka olelo hooholo a ka papa," wahi ana.
ʻOki ʻole nā hui waiwai ʻole iā Mercatus
Ua hoʻopau pū ka Metro Arts Commission a me ka United Way of Metropolitan Nashville i kā lākou mau ʻaelike me Mercatus i ka Pōʻakahi. He $45,000 ko ka ʻaelike komisina noʻeau.
Ua hoʻohana ʻo United Way i ka co-founder ʻo Mercatus ʻo Phil Martin no 20 mau makahiki. Ua ʻōlelo ka luna o United Way ʻo Gerard Geraghty, ua hoʻolālā ka nonprofit e hoʻomau i ka hana pū me Martin ma kahi kaʻawale mai Mercatus.
Ua hoʻokuʻu ka Convention & Visitors Bureau iā Mercatus a me Baker i ka Pōʻaono. Ua uku ka CVB i ka paʻa ma kahi o $11,800 i hoʻokahi mahina mai Iune 2008 no ke kūʻai aku a me ka hoʻolālā media, kūkākūkā a me nā lawelawe hoʻonohonoho, wahi a ka waha ʻōlelo ʻo Molly Sudderth.
Ua loaʻa i nā luna mākaʻikaʻi mokuʻāina nā kelepona a me nā leka uila mai kekahi mau poʻe "e ʻōlelo ana ua manaʻo lākou e hele mai i ʻaneʻi a ʻaʻole inā ʻo ia ke kūlana e hiki mai ai lākou," wahi a Phyllis Qualls-Brooks, ka waha ʻōlelo no ke Keʻena ʻOihana. Hoʻomohala mākaʻikaʻi.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Qualls-Brooks ʻaʻole hiki iā ia ke hāʻawi i ka helu piha o kēlā mau pilina.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Whitaker ʻaʻole ʻo ia e hoʻolālā nei i kahi hoʻolālā media aupuni e kūʻē i ka paʻi ʻino i loaʻa mai ka leka uila a Baker. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia ʻo ka hapa nui o nā ʻoihana mākaʻikaʻi $14.4 biliona o Tennessee e hele mai ana mai ka poʻe i hele ma mua a i lohe paha i nā mea hoihoi o ka mokuʻāina ma o ka waha o ka waha.
"Ke manaʻo nei au, ʻo ia ka pale maikaʻi loa e kūʻē i kēia," wahi a Whitaker. "Akā ʻaʻole wau e hoʻohaʻahaʻa. I kēlā me kēia manawa e like me kēia, ʻaʻole maikaʻi ia. "
