Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/875351
F ORT LAUDERDALE, FL Celebrate the spirit of diversity in a friendly beach resort setting. Experience the flavors of Greater Fort Lauderdale. The African American Research Library and Cultural Center and Old Dillard Museum are magnificent tributes to the history and contributions of African-Americans and add another dimension to your visit. Discover the spirit and history of the Seminole Tribe's culture at the Ah-Tah-Thi- Ki Museum. Learn about the Seminole's way of life in the late 1800s, and wander nature trails through a recreated Seminole village. At the African American Research Library and Cultural Center you'll find a main library and a unique children's library with more Black history books and books written by Blacks than any other facility in the country. The auditori- um and exhibit areas provide opportunities to exchange ideas and cultural values as well as promote an understand- ing and appreciation of the contributions of persons of African descent. The facility features two meeting spaces, able to accommodate up to 300 theater-style and 350 for receptions. Efforts are well under way to add a major cultural and sports complex to the Fort Lauderdale inventory of attrac- tions. This includes the development of a permanent Home & Tennis Training Facility, a Black Tennis Hall of Fame, a Black-owned hotel and a location to house the offices of the American Tennis Association and the American Tennis & Education Foundation (ATEF). According to Albert Tucker, vice president, Multicultural Business Development for the Great Fort Lauderdale con- vention & Visitors Bureau, the primary purpose of the facil- ity will be a year round training center for young players of color from the US and the Caribbean. Additionally it will serve a cultural hub where coaches from across the country can come and feel at home. The facility will also be an attraction where individuals can come to South Florida and take a well-planned tennis vacation. The city of Fort Lauderdale knows how to make a meet- ing planner shine. With the 600,000 sq. ft. Gold LEED Certified Broward County Convention Center, you'll enjoy high-tech meeting and exhibit space as well as five-star food service, an Internet café and elegant banquet rooms. Organizations of all sizes come to Florida each year to hold their meetings/conferences. Six hotels in the Lauderdale Convention Collection offer clustered booking advantages, beach or Intracoastal views, discounts, amenities and are close to the Convention Center, where you'll enjoy complimentary space and wel- come reception. The Collection is comprised of Embassy Suites, Fort Lauderdale 17th Street, Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Hotel, and the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport offers nonstop flights to over 100 U.S. and international cities, inter- national service to Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, Central America, and South America, and for cruise passengers, a short two mile ride to Port Everglades. Even the Port of Miami is less than an hour away. For more information contact the Great Fort Lauderdale CVB at (800) 22-SUNNY or http://www.- broward.org. ity. Among the themed tours are trips to sample the city's locally-produced snacks, real Southern dining and the influence of immigrants on the city's cuisine. Other tours explore the diversity of Birmingham's ethnic communi- ties, reflected in the architecture and cultural events throughout the city. Plan a tour to visit the Eternal Word Television Network, founded by Mother Mary Angelica. Take in the historic sites from Birmingham's tumultuous role in America's Civil Rights Movement. Hear interest- ing tales from the city's rowdy pioneer days. Visit the fac- tory where the popular M-Class Mercedes-Benz is manu- factured. The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is Alabama's foremost convention, meeting and entertain- ment center. The venue is fully equipped with 220,000 plus sq. ft. of exhibition space, 74 meeting rooms totaling 100,000 plus sq. ft., a 1,000-seat theatre and two elegant ballrooms seating up to 2,000 guests. One of the most con- venient and unique features of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is that it adjoins the 757-room Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. The hotel can accommodate groups from 10 to 1,000. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is Alabama's largest airport serving the Greater Birmingham area and surrounding Southeastern cities as well as offering 126 daily flights to 50 airports in 47 cities throughout the United States. For more information contact the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 458-8085 or www.birminghamal.org, 29 B M & T ••• January/February 2017 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center