Blackberry Farm Engages Bandit Lites as Event Producer

	Luke Bryan performs at Blackberry Farm

The world's number one private resort, Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, engaged Bandit Lites to serve as event producer for all of their events each year. Blackberry is a world class 4,200 acre resort tucked away in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. The elegance, class, and attention to detail at Blackberry are second to none. It is a must visit destination for food and wine enthusiasts. The rich and famous travel from all over the globe to enjoy the delicacies of Blackberry.

Midyear in 2014, the company says Blackberry reached out and requested that lighting firm Bandit Lites handle all of their production needs to assure the highest quality shows possible. Bandit was honored to take on the mantle and has produced every show since then. Each show is in a very small, intimate setting as compared to the type of shows the artists normally play. But make no mistake; these small shows are with the biggest of artists. The entertainers are drawn to play Blackberry because it is, well, Blackberry. There is simply no other place on earth like it. The peace, tranquility, and relaxation one experiences at Blackberry must be experienced to understand.

Joan Baez, Patti Griffin, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Keb Mo, Jennifer Nettles, NEEDTOBREATHE, Kim Karnes, and Jeff Hannah are but a few of the artists to have experienced Blackberry. Fresh from selling out stadiums, country superstar Luke Bryan has twice delighted small groups at Blackberry. You cannot actually call them crowds, as the gatherings are simply too small and intimate. "Performing at Blackberry Farm is one of the highlights of my year," says Bryan. "It's a time when I can pull out a guitar and do songs I may not always get to do on tour." A partnership with the also world famous Bluebird Café in Nashville assures a constant flow of the highest caliber entertainment. Sports Illustrated shot their 2015 Swimsuit Issue cover at Blackberry, and Bandit lit the reveal of the edition in Nashville.

The Bandit team is run expertly by Blackberry liaison Allison Burchett, who also serves as director of philanthropy at Bandit. This is a natural tie for Burchette, as Blackberry gives generously to charity year around, and actually hosts several events solely to benefit charities.

Proprietor Sam Beall, whose family purchased the property in 1976, says "We're not in the music business. We're in the hospitality business. We're honored and humbled we've been able to welcome and share this property. The artists who've played here have been willing to give back to our guests a very intimate and unique experience."

The future has just begun at Blackberry as a rustic event center is now underway on the property, and, like everything else on property, the new center fits in with the landscape, the natural elements, the land, and the mission. Bandit is part of the design team to assure the property meets the needs of the artists, the clients, and the farm. The event center is not really an event center as we would normally think of it, but more an extension of all the other structures it joins.

Booking of all the shows is handled by Sarah Elder Chabot. The event center, says Chabot, will be "a pretty magical place to play a show, and to witness one." Burchett and her team from Bandit are on site to assure every technical aspect of each show is perfect. Assisting Burchett is production manger Giff Swart, a longtime member of the Bandit team.

Burchett shares her enthusiasm about working with Blackberry, "Sam Beall, Sarah Chabot, Sarah Rau, and the team at Blackberry are a complete joy to work with. They have concise, dynamic visions and convey them to us in a clear, articulate manner. The synergy between Bandit and Blackberry is magic and the result is world class presentations done the Blackberry way. Everyone leaves wowed!"