Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1498279
B M & T ••• May/June 2023 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 20 • • • ALABAMA • • • Travel professionals and leisure travelers will find plenty of opportunities to stage world-class events throughout the state of Alabama. A combination of cultural heritage blended with top level meeting venues and services makes the destinations in Alabama a number one choice for Meeting Planners. From small to large gatherings the cities each have their own unique flavor providing the best possible experience for your group. Huntsville, located in the northern region of state is home to The Von Braun Center featuring more than 170,000 square feet of flexible meeting and exhibit space. The adjacent Embassy Suites Hotel has 295 guest rooms and suites. Further south in Montgomery, Alabama's capitol, conference dele- gates can explore Martin Luther King, Jr.'s church and The Rosa Parks Museum, dedicated to the activists, all while con- ducting business at Alabama's brand new Montgomery Renaissance Hotel & Spa which is equipped with 75,520 square feet of exhibit space. Tuskegee also provides travelers with its own set of qualities suited for events like family reunions, company retreats and weddings. Birmingham Birmingham is a top southern destination where Meeting Planners will find some of the finest meeting venues and spaces the country has to offer. Two major interstates and the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport located 10 minutes from the city center make it easy to get here. Neighborhoods with retail space, hotels and entertainment options conve- niently clustered around the heart of downtown make it easy to coordinate your event. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) is Alabama's largest convention address, with meeting facilities all on one campus. The BJCC cam- pus has 350,000 square feet of convention and exhibi- tion space. The venue includes an 18,000-seat arena and 4,000 seats in two theaters. Two hotels, The Sheraton Birmingham Hotel and Westin Birmingham, are also part of the complex. The complex also includes Uptown entertainment district and Topgolf. The new 45,000-capacity seat Protective Stadium was completed in 2021. It has been proven that events rate even higher when attendees enjoy their free time. Between Birmingham's world-class restaurants and amazing nightlife your group will have no problem breaking away from a long day of meetings to explore "The Magic City." History tours. Food tours. Religious tours. Sports tours. In a city so rich with history and experiencing an ongoing cultural renaissance, it should come as no surprise the number of options from which your group can choose. Though the events of the 1960s steal the spotlight, the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham and Alabama evolved from a complex history of race relations in the American South. Richly detailed exhibits at the Birmingham, Civil Rights 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. Conference attendees and leisure travelers are encouraged to explore the numerous historical sites while visiting Birmingham. Mobile Once called the Paris of the South, Mobile has long been the cultural center of the Gulf Coast and you'll find an authentic experience found nowhere else in the southern United States. The Mobile downtown skyline Sixteenth St. Baptist, Greenberg