Gospel Music Convention Leaving Louisville

After two decades in Louisville, the National Quartet Convention will move south in two years.

What’s billed as the world’s largest gathering of Southern gospel musicians and fans will relocate to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 2014.

The convention’s executive director says in a release that economic realities are forcing the event to seek a smaller venue and a different setting to adjust to a shift in demographics.

The 2012 National Quartet Convention is underway at the Kentucky Expo Center and is expected to draw about 40,000 people to Louisville, with an economic impact of nearly $8 million.