Alabama is a great place to go for a stroll. Whether it’s taking to the streets of Montgomery and Birmingham to explore Civil War and Civil Rights history, hitting the links of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail (RTJGT) or kicking around university campuses in Auburn and Tuscaloosa, delegates should be reminded to pack appropriate footwear for an agenda in the Heart of Dixie. Of course, if the meeting’s along the Gulf Coast, a pair of flip-flops will do until they can get their toes in the sugary sand.
Alabama’s walkable standbys are punctuated by a thriving meetings infrastructure, attractions galore and affordability, so planners tasked with booking an event in the Southeast might like to take a closer look.
Mountains Region
The elements play a role during meetings in Alabama’s mountains region, with NASA research being done in Huntsville and the Tennessee River providing scenic views and excursions in Florence.
“People don’t realize that NASA research goes on at Red Stone Arsenal, a U.S. Army base located adjacent to Huntsville,” says Charles Winters, spokesperson for the Huntsville/Madison County CVB.
At Huntsville’s new Davidson Center for Space Exploration, the new “front door” for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC), which showcases NASA contributions to space exploration, attendees will enjoy an off-site dinner or reception under one of three Saturn V rockets in existence, Winters says.
Among Huntsville’s top attractions, including the USSRC, that double as off-site event venues, are Hampton Cove, an RTJGT member with three courses and a clubhouse; the Huntsville Botanical Garden; and the Huntsville Museum of Art.
Joining the Huntsville Marriott, situated on the grounds of the USSRC, the Holiday Inn Research Park Huntsville Hotel, located at Madison Square Mall and adjacent to Cummings Research Park, and the Embassy Suites Huntsville, connected via skywalk to the Von Braun Center, is the new Westin Huntsville, a major player in the Bridge Street Town Centre shopping, dining and entertainment area.
According to Winters, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott property is on track to open by early 2010 adjacent to the Von Braun Center.
The Tennessee River plays a major role in Florence-based meetings. For starters, the new Pickwick Belle paddle wheel riverboat is available for group meal functions and social outings, according to Debbie Wilson, executive director of Florence/Lauderdale Tourism.
“We have a lot of rooms on the river, as well as meeting space,” she says. “People love being near the water.”
The Marriott Shoals Hotel, Spa & Conference Center, with guest rooms overlooking the river, is situated adjacent to the new River Heritage Park and nearby two RTJGT courses.
“The golf courses have beautiful clubhouses that are great for group functions,” Wilson says.
Another meeting site in Florence is the Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge, a rustic retreat on the water that’s especially suitable for smaller groups, Wilson adds.
The design of Florence’s new Residence Inn by Marriott, on track to open in 2009, is inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.
“We also have an actual Frank Lloyd Wright home [the Rosenbaum House] that has an outside terrace for events and indoor space for cocktail receptions,” Wilson says.
Metro Region
Alabama’s metro region is home to Birmingham, which is big on meetings amenities and history, showcased at the Civil Rights Institute, and Tuscaloosa, a college town blessed by the presence of the University of Alabama.
In addition to its Civil Rights history, which “really captures what Birmingham is about,” according to Mike Gunn, CMP, vice president of convention sales at the Greater Birmingham CVB, several other factors attract planners to the city, including the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, which makes the area easily accessible, as well as a picturesque setting.
“We’re at the foothills of the Appalachians, so our topography is pretty and a little different than the rest of the state,” he says. “The Birmingham skyline is great; a person who hasn’t seen it will be amazed.”
The area’s skyline currently includes the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) and the Sheraton Birmingham. On track to open in 2010 is The Forge, a dining and entertainment district adjacent to the BJCC. New Renaissance, aloft and Hyatt Place properties are on track to open in the area by early 2010.
Meanwhile, Birmingham’s Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is scheduled for a major expansion and a 160,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shop just debuted in nearby Leeds.
In nearby Hoover, the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa features an RTJGT course.
“The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail started in Birmingham,” Gunn says. “In addition to the trail course we have great public courses that are reasonably priced.”
The home of Crimson Tide football, Tuscaloosa is 60 miles from Birmingham and not as fast-paced as its major metropolitan neighbor, according to Beakie Powell, director of meetings and conventions at the Tuscaloosa CVB.
“We especially target the small meetings market of under 500 people,” she says, adding that many groups are associated with the University of Alabama, where the Bryant Conference Center, recently renovated Hotel Capstone and the Ferguson Center reside. “We’re a small Southern college town with a lot of cultural activities.”
Two noteworthy options for off-site group functions, according to Powell, are the Bama Belle riverboat and the historic Bama Theatre.
River Heritage Region
Auburn and Opelika, adjacent towns that are home to Auburn University and world-class golf, and Montgomery, where a major riverfront development complete with entertainment options meets Civil Rights history, make up Alabama’s river heritage region.
“Our whole meetings package is right downtown about a block from the Alabama River,” says Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the Montgomery Area COC/CVB, citing an ongoing riverfront development complete with an amphitheater, a baseball field for the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate Montgomery Biscuits and the new Harriott II riverboat.
The capital city’s downtown area, featuring the new Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, Embassy Suites and Hampton Inn and Suites, will be joined by the Alleyway entertainment district, including eateries and boutique shops, by the beginning of 2009.
“Our downtown attractions are all within walking distance for attendees,” Hathcock says, citing the nearby state capitol building and Blount Cultural Park, featuring the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
“Visitors are very interested in our Civil War and Civil Rights history,” Hathcock adds, “as well as Capitol Hill Golf Course [an RTJGT course overlooked by the Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel & Conference Center at Capitol Hill] across the river in Prattville.”
The sister cities of Opelika and Auburn, a “really cool college town,” says Robyn L. Bridges, spokesperson for the Auburn and Opelika Tourism Bureau, comprise a major golf hub, according to Golf Digest, which recently named it No. 1 among destinations to hit the links.
“The [RTJGT] Grand National Golf Course attracts people from all over the world,” Bridges says, citing it and Auburn University as the area’s main attractions.
Bridges touts the quality of the area’s facilities, including restaurants, shops, the Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel & Conference Center at Grand National and the Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center, equal to the amenities of a bigger city at a less-expensive rate.”
Land is currently being cleared for a convention center in Opelika, scheduled to open in 2010 as the first phase of the Celebrate Alabama entertainment site.
Situated between Auburn and Montgomery is the Tuskegee University Kellogg Conference Center.
Gulf Coast Region
Planners looking to book a waterfront meeting should explore Alabama’s Gulf Coast region, where Mobile, the original home of Mardi Gras, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach collectively offer miles of white-sand beaches for fun in the sun.
According to David Randel, vice president of sales at the Mobile Bay CVB, the bureau launched a “Go Coastal” campaign in 2008 to take care of the area’s “image issues.”
“People used to say, ‘I don’t even know where Mobile is,’ so now they’ll know we’re on the coast,” he says, citing all that makes a coastal meeting so successful, from waterborne activities to waterfront facilities, namely the recently renovated Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
“Once a meeting is booked, attendees get more excited to be near the water and not in the middle of the state,” Randel says. “Planners can count on great attendance.”
Randel adds that everything is within walking distance of the convention center, namely restaurants, attractions and hotels, including two Renaissance properties across the street from the convention center, the Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel and the Holiday Inn Downtown Mobile.
Thirty minutes away in Theodore, Bellingrath Gardens is a popular off-session attraction, and the USS Alabama battleship often hosts on-deck events.
The cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores consist of 32 miles of white-sand beaches, according to Beth Gendler, director of sales at the Alabama Gulf Coast CVB.
“The appeal of our area is that there’s a lot to do or nothing to do, and planners should schedule time for both,” she says, citing golfing, shopping, dolphin cruises and simply kicking back on the beach.
“We are targeting more meetings and planning upcoming FAM trips to show planners they have another option when they’re thinking beach resorts,” Gendler says.
Among the meetings-ready facilities planners will be introduced to are Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, “with two huge decks on the beach where they’ll do crab or shrimp boils,” Gendler says, and the Beach Club in Gulf Shores, “an upscale condo resort with a spa, health club, gourmet restaurant and golf nearby.”
Gulf State Park, Gendler adds, has a huge, brand-new pavilion that seats up to 400 people.
Two noteworthy projects to be unveiled in 2009 are a new conference center at the Wharf Orange Beach and the Phoenix West Resort, also in Orange Beach.
For More Info
Alabama Gulf Coast CVB 251.974.1510 www.gulfshores.com
Auburn and Opelika Tourism Bureau 334.887.8747 www.aotourism.com
Florence/Lauderdale Tourism 256.740.4141 www.visitflorenceal.com
Greater Birmingham CVB 205.458.8000 www.birminghamal.org
Greater Tuscaloosa CVB 205.391.9200 www.tcvb.org
Huntsville/Madison County CVB 256.551.2230 www.huntsville.org
Mobile Bay CVB 251.208.2000 www.mobile.org
Montgomery Area COC/CVB 334.261.1100 www.visitingmontgomery.com
