Music City Awaits our Triumphant Return in ‘22

We have Great News to share with you.  From February 21-27, 2022, we will see a resurgence of our Watermelon Family as we reunite for the National Watermelon Association Convention & Annual meeting, hosted at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. While our event in 2021 was cancelled due to COVID-19, we are excited that the convention will return to Music City as our hosts, and the beautiful Sheraton Grand as our home away from home.  Due to vaccine mandates and other COVID-related concerns, a city and venue change was necessary, and Nashville will welcome us with arms wide open.

Four years ago, the Sheraton Grand completed a $35 million renovation of the 28-floor hotel, and placing it in the most elite classification as one of only five Sheraton Grands in the U.S.  We will be the only group meeting in-house, and it is a wonderful venue for us to experience the national convention as you have come to expect.  Take a look:  https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/bnand-sheraton-grand-nashville-downtown/.   
  


To put the topping on the cake, two of Nashville’s most successful country music bands will headline key events.  First, John Rich (Big & Rich) & his band will headline our first-ever Political Action Committee Dinner & Fundraiser on Wednesday evening.  Headlining the opening night dinner events on Thursday will be Eddie Montgomery & the Montgomery Gentry band.  Nashville will turn out to welcome us back to Music City like never before.     

Today, we share with you the convention agenda, registration forms, hotel reservations, sponsorship opportunities, load donor & contributor ideas, exhibit reservations, advertising offers, national queen competition, a NEW farmer recognition program, breaking news about the blockbuster headliners that will entertain you at nationals, and last but certainly not least – our membership program for your friends and colleagues in the industry.  All of this information is posted on the Convention Page of our website, www.watermelon.ag. Take a look, and keep visiting for updates. 
Next month you will learn about our speaker lineup, exhibitors and more as we work to finalize many of the details, so stay tuned to The Weekly Rind and our website (www.watermelon.ag for more details as they break.   
 
NWA members will receive a significant discount off the convention registration fees, and the event also provides non-members with a unique “look under the hood” of the battles NWA wages in Congress and with federal agencies.  This is a must-attend event for everyone in the Watermelon Industry! The NWA’s mission is to ‘Shape the Watermelon Industry for Future Generations’.  Join us in Nashville and see for yourself how we do that.  We’d love to have you join us.