Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1039775
BRING YOUR MEETING TO THE HEART OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, INCORPORATE BUSINESS WITH AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE ATTENDEES WILL REMEMBER FOREVER BY REGGIE MURPHY To be in Birmingham is to be in the arms of the South. Where the energy is palpable and a spirited nature is tempered by cosmopolitan charm. It's to be in a place that's as modern and contemporary as it is classically southern. And to experience something you won't soon forget. Birmingham is a popular convention city in the Southeast. With world-class attractions, lodging and dining fueling its reputation, Birmingham is an attractive, affordable meet- ing host. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) is Alabama's largest con- vention address, with meeting facilities all on one campus. The BJCC complex campus has 350,000 sq. ft. of convention and exhibi- tion space. The complex includes an 18,000-seat arena, two theaters that seat up to 4,000 and a 2,900-sq. ft. Sheraton Ballroom. Two hotels, The Sheraton Birmingham Hotel and Westin Birmingham, are also part of the complex. The complex also includes Uptown entertainment district and Topgolf. As most people of a certain age remem- ber, an American revolution took place in the streets of Birmingham. It was the battlefield of America's Civil Rights Movement, a strug- gle for simple decency and common sense. While in Birmingham, conference atten- dees are encouraged to explore the rich her- itage spread throughout the city in the form of museums, heritage tours, historical sites and popular eateries. Begin your tour at the focal point of Birmingham's Civil Rights District, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Richly detailed exhibits in the institute reveal slices of Black and White life from the late 1800s to the present. A series of galleries tells the stories of daily life for African-Americans in Alabama and the nation, and how it differed dramatically from the lives White people of that era took for granted. Just across the street is Birmingham's most famous civil rights landmark, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Recently designated a National Historic Landmark, the church was the site of a dynamite bombing in 1963 that killed four young African-American girls: Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Addie Mae Collins. The church is generally open for tours by appointment. A life-size sculpture in adjacent Kelly Ingram Park faces the church and captures the spirited nature of the young girls killed in the bombing. This historic park served as a congregating area for demonstrations in the early 1960s, including the ones in which police dogs and fire hoses were turned on marchers by Birmingham police. The park has a free cell phone tour that guides visitors through the tumultuous events of 1963. Michael D. Gunn, CMP, has been named senior vice president at the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visit-ors Bureau. He was promoted from vice president of convention sales, a position he held for 10 years. CVB board chairman Bill Murray made the a n n o u n c e m e n t , saying, "We are for- tunate to have Mike's years of industry experience on the staff of this organ- ization. He is well-respected in the national community of the hospitality industry and brings talent and prestige to his new position within the CVB." Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is Alabama's largest airport serving the Greater Birmingham area and surround- ing cities. B M & T ••• September/October 2018 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 44 AREA GUIDES B I R M I N G H A M • • • STATS • • • HOTEL ROOMS Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport 220 DoubleTree Hotel Birmingham 298 Sheraton Birmingham Hotel 757 Westin Birmingham 294 Birmingham Marriott 295 Hyatt Regency Birmingham, The Winfrey Hotel 329 EXHIBITION FACILITIES The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Total Exhibit Space 220,000 sq. ft. Meeting Rooms 51 Largest Ballroom 2,900 sq. ft. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? Greater Birmingham CVB (800) 458-8085 www.birminghamal.org Birmingham Metro Black Chamber of Commerce www.birminghammetrobcc.com Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Dome Photo Credit: snehit