Turn Tourists into Repeat Visitors | Knoxville

If Knoxville only had football, they'd have 7 weekends of revenue per year. Instead, Visit Knoxville generated $2 billion in economic impact by building the infrastructure, bringing in events like the Bassmaster Classic and concerts at Neyland Stadium, and promoting the city's restaurants, arts scene, and outdoor spaces. In this episode, Kim Bumpas (President of Visit Knoxville) shares: Why being a standalone organization is key to staying nimble The infrastructure investments that turned Knoxville into a year-round destination What keeps tourists (and customers) coming back after their first visit Your main attraction might get people in the door, but what you build around it can keep them coming back. Have a Tennessee story worth mapping out? Reach out at archabouttn.com 00:00 - Why we're headed to Knoxville 02:33 - How Knoxville transformed from "college town" to premier destination 04:48 - The Sunsphere takeover: turning a 40-year-old icon into a revenue driver 06:43 - Creating the Visit Knoxville Film Office (and why focused ownership matters) 10:48 - Why being a standalone organization keeps you nimble 13:55 - The Bassmaster Classic: $35M in economic impact over 4 days 17:30 - How tourism creates infrastructure that serves locals year-round 22:41 - When Visit Knoxville and UT are partners 27:11 - Building community buy-in for events that cause inconvenience 29:36 - What's next: future plans and events coming to Knoxville 39:57 - Studio debrief