Nashville Medical Trade Center Location Announced

2 million square foot international marketplace to be on current convention center site

DALLAS – November 30, 2009 – Market Center Management Company (MCMC), the management company of leading international trade centers and trade events around the world, today announced the location for its $250 million Nashville Medical Trade Center project: the site of the current Nashville Convention Center at 601 Commerce Street in downtown Nashville.

The Nashville Medical Trade Center, the world’s first global healthcare marketplace, will meet the changing needs of the international medical community by featuring permanent manufacturer showrooms, temporary exhibition space, and conference facilities within a 2 million square foot complex.

“Nashville is the perfect home for this dynamic marketplace,” said Bill Winsor, president and CEO, MCMC. “Its pro-business environment, a convenient location, and leadership in healthcare are unmatched. Healthcare suppliers and providers from around the world will travel to Nashville to access the latest medical technology and services.”

Market Center Management Company will begin construction as early as mid-2010 on a new 12-story tower on top of the existing convention center site, as well as develop a new plaza across the street from the historic Ryman Auditorium. In addition, the Broadway-facing side of the property will undergo a redesign.

“This announcement means Tennessee will be home to an important new concept in the marketing and procurement of medical equipment, technology and services,” said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. “The healthcare industry is a significant economic engine for our state and this project expands that footprint, representing a major investment in our state’s healthcare economy.”

“This project will create a large number of new jobs in our city right when we need them most,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. “In addition to building on Nashville’s preeminence in the healthcare industry, the reuse of the Convention Center and the proposed improvements to the center’s physical structure will be a significant contribution to our vital and robust downtown.”

Custom space for more than 600 medical companies will be available at the Nashville Medical Trade Center, creating an efficient, transparent marketplace for healthcare providers and attracting more than 150,000 estimated annual visitors to Nashville.

“The trade center represents a transformative change and an opportunity for progressive healthcare innovation,” said Jeffrey Balser, M.D., PhD, vice chancellor of health affairs, Vanderbilt University. “A single location showcasing best practices in products, services, research, training, and education is a uniquely creative approach to bridge industry and institutions.”

The estimated cost of the project is in the neighborhood of $250 million dollars and an estimated 2,700 new jobs will be created.

The project is being designed by Nashville-based Gresham, Smith and Partners, a leading multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm. Construction will be managed by the Nashville office of Turner.

Joint ownership will be held by Dallas-based Crow Holdings, the ownership entity for Market Center Management Company, and CNL Lifestyle Properties, a real estate investment trust advised by CNL Financial Group. Both are committed to making a cash investment and securing the financing for the remainder of the costs. In addition, the venture is subject to certain pre-leasing levels.

Training and education is at the heart of the trade center’s mission and a key design component. State of the art facilities will include custom designed elements to meet the needs of the heath care community including: large auditoriums for international or regional events, idea labs featuring the latest developments in heath care, interactive classrooms with digital support, video and data conferencing capabilities, and much more.

“The world has been waiting on a facility of this magnitude,” said David Osborn, PhD, senior advisor, MCMC. “Nashville Medical Trade Center will take unnecessary costs, complexity, and time out of the procurement process for healthcare providers.”

For the latest information please visit nmtc.com.

About Nashville Medical Trade Center

Nashville Medical Trade Center is the world’s first permanent global marketplace for healthcare products and services. The 2 million square foot complex, located in downtown Nashville, is scheduled to begin construction in mid-2010 and will include permanent manufacturer showrooms, temporary exhibition space, and state-of-the-art conference facilities. For more information visit nmtc.com.

About MCMC

Market Center Management Company (MCMC) is an international wholesale trade center and tradeshow management company based in Dallas, Texas. MCMC and its owner, Crow Holdings, own or manage trade centers and tradeshows on three continents – Asia (ShanghaiMart), Europe (Brussels International Trade Mart), and North America (Dallas Market Center, GlobalTex: LA International Textile & Sourcing Fair), totaling 12 million square feet, more than any other single international company. Within the MCMC trade centers and tradeshows, customers from around the globe source products directly from manufacturers including home furnishings, gifts, decorative accessories and lighting to textiles, fashion accessories and apparel. The dozens of trade events each year hosted by MCMC are attended by hundreds of thousands of customers from all 50 states and more than 84 countries. MCMC’s Web site is available at marketcentermanagement.com.

###