Nashville’s sprawling downtown Music City Center will no longer bar employees from showing off small tattoos and will halt pre-employment marijuana testing. 

Convention center officials voted to change the long-standing policies on Wednesday afternoon. The shifts align with what most downtown hotels have already begun doing. 

“I think it’s really a change of the times,” said Music City Center CEO Charles Starks. “Most people would literally look at it as: ‘Y’all weren’t doing that already? Really?’” 

Now employees can show their tattoos — within limits — members of the marketing and operations committee for the Convention Center Authority of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County agreed. 

Body art on the face and head remain banned, but tattoos smaller than a quarter can be seen on the neck and throat. 

Also, the art can’t “depict obscene or graphic acts, display nudity, profane language, discrimination or intolerance against any race, religion, political affiliation, gender, national origin, legally protected classes, or infer affiliation with group(s) advocating such beliefs.”

‘All about recruiting and retaining talent’

The committee made the changes after noting that…