SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY:

Once you arrive in Nashville, our debaters, faculty, students, and parents will be privileged to serve as your hosts while attending the Southern Bell Forum Extemp Round Robin. 

• Saturday Morning: Students will have Continental Breakfast in the lobby of Wallace Hall. Coaches and judges will have Continental Breakfast in the coaches’ lounge. Light hors d’oeuvres and punch will be served.  

• Saturday Lunch: A southern treat will be served.

• Saturday Afternoon: Gourmet snacks will be furnished in the coaches' lounge throughout the afternoon.

• Sunday Morning: Breakfast will be served to coaches, judges and competitors.

• Sunday Lunch: Lunch will be served following Round VII.

HEADMASTER’S DINNER & AWARDS: 

MBA’s Headmaster cordially invites the round robin participants, coaches, and judges to attend dinner Sunday night—at the conclusion of the tournament. This dinner is scheduled in The Wallace Building’s Zimmerman Room. All participants will receive handsome mementos for the occasion. These will be custom-made awards designed for the Round Robin.   

MEALS: NO FOOD WILL BE SOLD AT THIS TOURNAMENT!!! 

As honored guests, meals will be provided on a complimentary basis for all participants, coaches, and guest judges. Light, medium, and heavy “snacks” will be available on a continuous basis in our well-stocked coaches’ lounge. (This will be the ideal time to break New Year’s resolutions!) If your schedule and appetite permit, we will furnish a list of restaurants in Nashville ranging from the most elegant to the fast food chains. Please ask us for suggestions and we will be glad to give you our reaction to variety of options. 

NASHVILLE AREA ENTERTAINMENT:  

If you plan to arrive early on Thursday/Friday or stay until Monday/Tuesday, I encourage you to visit The Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson. The replica of the Parthenon near campus is also quite interesting. Other attractions include The Country Music Hall of Fame and Wild Horse Saloon located downtown. No trip to Nashville could ever be complete without a trip to visit Vanderbilt University’s beautiful campus on West End Avenue, which is about 2 miles from MBA’s campus.

COMMERCIAL LODGING: 

Two years ago, we transitioned to using the Residence Inn by Marriott Nashville Green Hills as the tournament hotel and are exploring it again right now. After many years of using hotels along West End Ave, and a few years using the hotel near the airport, we have finally found a nice balance between proximity to campus and nice comfort / amenities. Adequate rooms to accommodate the entire tournament will be available. The 2025 rate was about $150.00 (1-4 people per room). As soon as contracting is complete, we will provide the 2026 rate (which we expect to be materially similar) and a booking link. Ample parking is located in the garage attached to the hotel. Across the board, you will find this to be a more convenient facility than some of the options we have used in the past. 

For arrival on Friday and departure on Monday, the hotel is about a 20-minute drive or Uber ride from the Airport. 

Under no circumstances should you or your students attempt to make private arrangements with members of the MBA debate team. We are unable to house students because of the heavy demands that the tournament places on both debaters and their parents. 

TRANSPORTATION:  

MBA will not be operating a shuttle service to and from the airport/hotel. Recommendation: use a rental car for your convenience since January rates are usually rather cheap. 

PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL NOTE:

1. Due to the Awards Assembly’s conclusion at near 9 PM on Sunday, please do not attempt to make plane reservations for Sunday night.  

2. Email Adam Johnson at adamajohnson@aol.com as soon as you receive the invitation to confirm your receipt of the invitation. Then within 48 hours, please email Adam again with your decision to enter or withdraw from the tournament.  

3. We will send confirmation letters as soon as all competitors are confirmed. This packet will be sent via email and will include a list of the entire round robin field. Typically, this email gets sent around 2 to 3 weeks before the tournament. 

4. As in our tradition, students are welcome to use their laptops to browse ANYTHING during prep. The only restrictions are that pre-prepared speeches may not be consulted and messaging by any means during prep is prohibited.