IN BIRMINGHAM:
Beauty, Class, Wine, James Beard and the BJCC

Something we hear time and again from first time visitors to Birmingham is that they never realized the beauty of the area. With the foothills of the Appalachians as a backdrop, the city is laid out on lush rolling hills.

Alabama’s largest meeting facility, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC), is a pleasant surprise for first-time delegates in the city; meeting facilities are all in one complex.  The BJCC Exhibition Hall’s main floor covers 220,000 square feet.  The facility has 100,000 square feet in 74 meeting rooms, and includes a 19,000-seat Arena, a 3,000-seat Concert Hall and a 1,000-seat Theater.

The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport handles more than100 flights daily and is a short seven-minute drive from downtown.  With more than 15,000 guest rooms in the area, planners can choose from a variety of affordable lodging.
That this Southern city has its own cosmopolitan personality is another eye-opener to visitors. Should you have us pigeonholed as serving only barbeque and fried pies, just remember that Birmingham is home to “the Oscars of dining” with James Beard Foundation winners and nominees.

The city has become something of a colony with recent openings of new art galleries of every sort.  Galleries near the downtown area give art collectors wide options on paintings, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, fine art and funk art.

Wine enthusiasts will want to take home souvenirs from the Alabama Wine Trail, especially delicate peach wines.
Vulcan Park and Museum has the world’s largest cast iron statue and a spectacular view of the city.  The Birmingham Museum of Art has one of the finest collections in the Southeast.

Barber Motorsports Park has been hailed around the world as one of the best race courses in existence.  The adjacent Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum houses the country’s largest collection of vintage motorcycles.

The story of Birmingham’s role in the long march to civil rights is told at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the focal point of the city’s Civil Rights District. 
Fans of all sports enjoy the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum.  And speaking of sports, some of the best golf on earth can be found at Birmingham’s two challenging courses along the state’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

With the state’s largest meeting facility, ample lodging choices and entertainment for all to enjoy, Birmingham continues to grow in popularity as a convention host.  The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau offers a complete selection of convention services---from registration assistance to guest activities---to ease the responsibilities of meeting planning.  And many of the services are free.

So it is diversity that is this city’s greatest strength and strongest appeal. And it is this city’s charm and amenities that bring delegates back time and again to meet in Birmingham.

Source:
Michael Gunn, CMP
Vice President of Convention Sales