Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/101952
ICI •Pg_43-58__BMT_pg86-162 12/21/12 1:45 AM Page 57 BIRMINGHAM AREA GUIDES STAY-A-DAY: SEE OUR USA BY SOLOMON J. HERBERT II With world-class attractions, lodging and dining fueling its reputation and 15,000 guest rooms in the greater Birmingham area, the city is a popular, affordable meeting host. Meeting planners enjoy the impressive inventory of convention services offered and have come to expect exceptional service from the CVB Services Staff. Located just 10 minutes from the Birmingham International Airport, The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is one of the most versatile, userfriendly and technologically advanced convention facilities in the Southeast. The venue is equipped with a versatile Exhibition Hall providing over 220,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. BJCC also boasts a 3,000-seat Concert Hall, 1,000-seat Theater, and The Medical Forum, offering 364,000 sq. ft. of classrooms, meeting space, conference areas and commercial office suites. Ten-stories high, 18,000 seats big with a tendency to sell out, BirminghamJefferson Convention Complex's Arena is home to a wide range of colossal stars such as Elton John, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice and many more. The BJCC Arena seats 17,000 for major sporting events and super-sized general sessions, or up to 19,000 for in-the-round performances. One of the most convenient and unique features of the BirminghamJefferson Convention Complex is that it adjoins the 757-room Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. The hotel can accommodate groups from 10 to 1,000 and offers a fully equipped business center, 20-hour room service, concierge service, private health club, indoor pool and video checkout. Another option for planners to consider for housing conference attendees is the Birmingham Marriott, which is located southeast of the city, offering an upscale design in a premier location. The 295room property awaits you with a combi- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Exhibit nation of luxurious accommodations, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, and an array of area activities. For those looking to take their event to a more natural, scenic environment, Birmingham's got just the thing for you. Surrounded by a nature preserve and overlooking the Cahaba River is one of Birmingham's finest event facilities – The Carraway-Davie House and Conference Center. Well equipped with 24,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, this venue is a relaxed and gracious setting for meetings, conferences, seminars, weddings, parties and receptions. While taking care of business in Birmingham, conference attendees are encouraged to experience some of the exciting activities in the city. From tours to museums to historical landmarks Birmingham is filled with plenty of educational and recreational outlets. Birmingham is a wonderful place to plan a tour. Birmingham offers tours highlighting everything from the city's historical preservation to her legendary civil rights history. Custom designed tours and other services are also available. For motor coach tours traveling through the South, Birmingham is the place where value meets entertainment! Richly detailed exhibits in the Civil Rights Institute reveal slices of Black and White life in Alabama from the late 1800s to the present. A series of galleries tells the stories of daily life for AfricanAmericans in the state and the nation and how dramatically different it was from the lives White people of that era took for granted. The powerful Movement Gallery presents the Civil Rights Movement for BM&T ••• Photo Credit: Greater Birmingham CVB 1955 to 1963. Here a picture emerges of the bad old days of "Bombingham," a reference to the relentless violence that rocked the city in the late 1950s and early '60s. In the final exhibits, the Processional Gallery uses life-size figures representing all ages and races to portray the "walk to freedom". Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is Alabama's largest airport serving the Greater Birmingham area and surrounding Southeastern cities, offering 126 daily flights to 50 airports in 47 cities throughout the United • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Sheraton Birmingham Hotel 757 Birmingham Marriott 295 DoubleTree by Hilton Birmingham 298 Embassy Suites Birmingham 242 EXHIBITION FACILITIES B irmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Total Exhibit Space Meeting Rooms 220,000 sq. ft. 74 WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Greater Birmingham CVB 800) 458-8085 www.birminghamal.org Greater Birmingham Black Chamber of Commerce www.gbbcc.info September/October 2012••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 57