Nash Yarn Fest | Nashville, TN
Overview
MDNT returned as the officially contracted logistics andoperations partner for Nash Yarn Fest 2026, expanding its scope from theinaugural 2025 engagement. Over a three-day execution window at the NashvilleFairgrounds, MDNT managed end-to-end vendor operations for a 95+ vendor indoortrade show and consumer festival, including pre-event project management,vendor drayage services, on-site load-in and load-out coordination, and showday door operations. The engagement spanned eight weeks of pre-production planningand culminated in a multi-day on-site execution supporting vendors from 30states, Canada, and the UK.
The Challenge
- Coordinating load-inlogistics for 95+ vendors across four distinct entry pathways within asingle-day window.
- Solving a known load-outbottleneck from 2025, where unmanaged vendor exit created congestion and delaysthat impacted the vendor experience.
- Managing drayagelogistics for out-of-town vendors who needed inventory shipped, stored,delivered to-booth, and returned post-event without being on-site for everystep.
The Approach
- Built a structured vendor load-in system forgarage door access to eliminate congestion and maintain a controlled flow of95+ vendors through a single venue.
- Operated a full-cycle drayage service, receivingvendor inventory over a 10-day pre-event window, storing and organizingshipments, delivering directly to booth positions on load-in day, andcoordinating labeled return shipments at event close.
- Deployed an on-site operations team across allthree event days, staffing door positions, managing ticketing support, andexecuting a controlled load-out.
The Outcome
- Built a structured vendor load-in system forgarage door access to eliminate congestion and maintain a controlled flow of95+ vendors through a single venue.
- Operated a full-cycle drayage service, receivingvendor inventory over a 10-day pre-event window, storing and organizingshipments, delivering directly to booth positions on load-in day, andcoordinating labeled return shipments at event close.
- Deployed an on-site operations team across allthree event days, staffing door positions, managing ticketing support, andexecuting a controlled load-out.
The work
See how it came together from concept to completion.
“The planningleading up to the event was great. You all delivered on the things youpromised, especially the load-out/ load-in plan. We got so many complimentsfrom vendors about how organized this year was. The on-site presence of theteam was also exceptional. Jack and Dylan were amazing helping hands andallowed me (Ashley) to free my mind and manage the overall event rather thanthe finer details of operations. The ticket line was a huge success as well.Amazing work!
MDNT hasworked with us on our annual yarn festival for two years in a row and has madethe process absolutely seamless. Not only are they experts in organization andclear communication, they have amazing attitudes and treat everyone withrespect and kindness. We look forward to our continued partnership for manyyears to come!”
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