Sharon Brawner is the Senior Vice President of the Sales & Marketing at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, where she has day-to-day oversight of the museum’s traditional revenue-producing areas including admission ticket sales, special event sales, restaurant and catering sales, product licensing, corporate sponsorships, and the Museum’s retail store sales. Also operated by the museum, Brawner oversees management of Historic RCA Studio B, the home of 1,000 hits, and Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest working letterpress shops in America.
Additionally, Brawner leads the Museum’s traditional advertising, promotions and other marketing communications including the museum’s website, social media outreach, and publicity efforts.
As a marketing professional with more than 26 years of tourism/hospitality industry sales and marketing experience, Brawner initially joined the museum staff in 2001 as director of new business development. Over the course of 13+ years at the museum, she has made a significant impact on many fronts. Under her direction, ticket sales revenues have increased over 111% since 2003. From 2003 to 2014, revenue for special events have increased from over $677,400 to upwards of $11.7 million. From 2006 to 2014, Brawner has overseen a 102% increase in retail sales and has grown their retail presence in the museum from one store to three, in addition to an art gallery.
Brawner spearheaded the re-opening of Historic RCA Studio B, the once recording home of popular music icons from Elvis Presley to the Everly Brothers. In 2002, after the Mike Curb Family Foundation’s philanthropic purchase of the studio, Brawner implemented the operation of group and public tours of the studio, which has since brought in upwards of $6.3 million in revenue to the museum.
During her time at the museum, Brawner was also instrumental in the 2013 relocation of the legendary Hatch Show Print, which now resides at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Founded in 1879, Hatch is one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America and has moved seven times in its 133 years. For over 20 years, the museum labored to safeguard Hatch and ensured that its legacy would be preserved. Brawner oversaw the start of public tours of the print shop in May 2014, bringing in $77,000 in revenue within the first eight months of business.
Prior to joining the museum staff, Brawner was vice president of sales, marketing and communications for the Nashville Sounds AAA Baseball team and before that served as the vice president of administration for the Nashville Kats Arena Football team. Years prior she served as a sponsorship marketing manager at the Gaylord Entertainment Company, after her time as a national sales manager for the Opryland Hotel.
Brawner attended Western Kentucky University, where she majored in public relations with minors in business and speech. She and her husband Eddie live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have four children Sarah (21), Daniel (18), Shelby (17), and Addison (13).
Tennessee Tourism Committee 