The "Magic City," as Birmingham is adoringly known, at once displays the charm of a small town and the sophistication of an international community, according to Michael Gunn, vice president of convention sales at the Greater Birmingham CVB.
"Birmingham benefits from many backgrounds," he says, citing a rich history of Italian, Lebanese, Greek, Asian and Eastern European immigrants. "The influences are all around us and are settled well into the diversity of our Southern culture."
The city's influences reach beyond its melting pot status when considering business—banking, healthcare and automotive industries reside here—and business meetings.
A fine choice for planners working with groups in the South, the Greater Birmingham area is conveniently located within a day's drive of Atlanta, New Orleans and Tallahassee, Fla., and from farther reaches via the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
And perhaps more importantly, once the group has arrived there are plenty of meetings-friendly facilities (15,000 guest rooms grace the greater Birmingham area), attractions and fine-dining opportunities, among other must-haves inherent in a standby meetings destination.
"As soon as delegates arrive in Birmingham, they'll understand the meaning of our famed Southern hospitality," Gunn says, adding that planners will be thrilled with the city's entertainment options, affordability and assistance. "Our servicing department gets top awards for their work on a regular basis. Planners are always bowled over by the service they receive."
Not even tornadoes and stormy weather can derail the city's warm embrace.
"As is customary in our part of the country, the area's hospitality industry is pulling together to assist storm victims with everything from housing to free cab rides," Gunn says, explaining that while recent destruction didn't affect Birmingham proper, several of the city's outlying communities suffered major damage during the tornadoes. "Unless you travel into those areas, you have no evidence of any kind of storms. Here, conventions, meetings and trade shows are running as scheduled."
Meetings Basics
Spring and fall, according to Gunn, are the busiest months for meetings in Birmingham, but with affordable rates year-round, any time is a good time to convene here.
"The city has hosted everything from the National Baptist Convention of about 15,000 delegates to many much smaller meetings that return on a regular basis," he says. "It has been to our benefit and the benefit of meeting delegates that planners, now more than ever, are looking at cities that are smaller, cities that can offer lower rates with comparable amenities."
That includes amenities like the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), which is situated at the north end of the city with 100,000 square feet of function space in 74 meeting rooms, a 19,000-seat arena, a 3,000-seat concert hall and a theater with 1,000 seats.
"Smaller shows generally use the North Exhibit Hall, which has movable walls for more flexibility," Gunn says.
Another highlight of the BJCC, and perhaps the reason it continues to lure health industry meetings to Birmingham, is the Medical Forum. It features satellite teleconferencing and conference rooms to accommodate up to 400 people, as well as a wet lab for surgical demonstrations.
The BJCC adjoins the 770-room Sheraton Birmingham, a full-service convention hotel with a 25,000-square-foot ballroom. And groundbreaking took place in January for a $70 million entertainment district, including construction of a 300-room Westin hotel to be built adjacent to the Sheraton Birmingham and BJCC. The entertainment district will also house shops, nightclubs and restaurants. The whole project, according to the Greater Birmingham CVB, is scheduled for completion sometime around the beginning of 2013.
In the meantime, the area has ample meetings-friendly hotels to choose from, including the Doubletree Hotel Birmingham, with more than 15,000 square feet of meeting space; the Wynfrey Hotel, which has 32,000 square feet of meeting space and is connected to the Riverchase Galleria mall; the Hyatt Place Birmingham Downtown, with 1,600 square feet of meeting space; and the Holiday Inn Birmingham-Airport, which has five meeting rooms.
The city's longest-standing meetings players are its historic hotels, which have fabulous built-in decor and ambience for group events. The Tutwiler, a National Historic Landmark built in 1914, offers six meeting rooms totaling 3,800 square feet of function space, and the circa-1925 Redmont Hotel features a boardroom, several meeting rooms and a rooftop bar cleverly named Above, which is available for group gatherings.
The area's standby resort hotel, located in the nearby suburb of Hoover, Ala., is the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa. Features of the resort include a championship golf course, 21,000 square feet of meeting space and a 12,000-square-foot spa.
Other meetings hotels situated outside yet nearby downtown Birmingham include the Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park, with 10,000 square feet of meeting space; the Birmingham Marriott, with 13,000 square feet of meeting space; and the Aloft Birmingham Soho Square with 650 square feet of meeting space.
Off-Site Offerings
According to Gunn, there's a continuing trend to meet and socialize in unusual settings, which Birmingham has in spades.
"The buzz these days is all about WorkPlay, an entertainment complex on the city's Southside," he says, explaining WorkPlay combines space for film and recording work with entertainment areas. "Convention guests, of course, go there to play. The WorkPlay theater is a cabaret-style setup, and the adjoining lounge area has catering accommodations."
Larger groups like the unusual social setting of Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, which preserves Birmingham's industrial heritage and has been converted for hosting social functions.
"The cast shed is a natural amphitheater and is often used for dinners and theme parties such as 'Hot Barbequed Gospel,'" Gunn says, adding that McWane Science Center is regularly booked for larger social events as well, during which convention groups eat, drink and tour the venue.
Popular for its collections of Asian and contemporary art, the Birmingham Museum of Art is one of the finest art museums in the Southeast and also available for group events, as is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
"Of course the city's role in America's Civil Rights Movement is very well-known, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is the place to begin your touring," Gunn says, explaining that a gathering here could springboard into a memorable historic tour. "Then you can follow the path of the movement along the Birmingham Civil Rights Trail through Kelly Ingram Park, the historic 16th Street Baptist Church and other Civil Rights sites."
Smaller off-site venues are popular, too, including Harambe, which is decorated throughout with original African art, and the hip new B&A Warehouse.
Grub Hub
A love of good food is so apparent in Birmingham that dining has increasingly become one of the city's entertainment highlights, according to Gunn.
"Folks can have fried chicken and field peas at a steam table midday and look forward to dining with a James Beard Foundation winner that night," he says. "They can eat some of the world's best barbecue at noon and order dinner with a bottle of wine worth flying in for."
Indeed, an impressive and eclectic array of eateries resides in Birmingham within an easy drive of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Among the popular dining rooms nearby for visiting convention delegates are Highlands Bar & Grill, Hot & Hot Fish Club, John's City Diner, Cafe de Paris, Ocean and Pete's Famous Hot Dogs.
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus South.
