Convention Services
Birmingham is one of the most celebrated convention cities in the Southeast. 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 Services Staff.
Here's how we can help you with your planning responsibilities:
Pre-Convention Planning
The services staff is dedicated to making sure every detail of your meeting is a success. Much of the success depends on the early groundwork. Our professional personnel have years of experience in determining the needs of meetings of every type and size. From attendance builders to volunteer committees, your planning preparations need a thorough thinking-through. The Servicing Department also offers the latest in housing technology.
Registration/Information Personnel
Having experienced, knowledgeable people to assist with registration and information is a great way to kick-off your convention. Perks are nice too. So for every 100 room nights your group uses, the CVB will provide, at no charge, one registration/ information person on-site for four consecutive hours (based on availability). Additional registration/information assistance can be arranged at reasonable rates. Requests for assistance should be made, at least, one month prior to your opening dates. CVB personnel are happy to prepare delegate badges on-site if that is your preference. Registration/Information personnel are not bonded.
Brochures, Bags and Badges
With so much to see and do in Birmingham, it's essential that your delegates have guides to the city. The CVB produces comprehensive Tourist Guides that describe attractions, dining, shopping and entertainment in the area. These guides are made available to your delegates at registration to further introduce them to their host city. Bags imprinted with the Birmingham logo are popular items for packaging pre-registration materials and convention schedules. Name badge inserts with 3"x4" plastic pin-back holders also are available in quantity at a nominal cost.
Publicity
We are pleased to work with you in getting coverage for your convention. Sample news releases are available for patterning your own release or you may choose to complete the News Release Worksheet and we will be glad to have it written for you. We can also provide a comprehensive list of media outlets in the area to receive your news release. For attendance-building materials, photographs of the Birmingham area are available for download from our Web Site or through the Marketing & Communications Department.
Guest Activities and Tours
Year-round entertainment in Birmingham includes recreational, historical and cultural attractions and events. Convention Services personnel are experts on ideas for social gatherings during your convention, as well as for family entertainment while you're in meetings. The department is also well connected with local tour operators and other servicing providers to help you plan a wide range of activities during your visit to Birmingham.
The Dart
The Dart (Downtown Area Runabout Transit) is the perfect solution for getting around Birmingham's business and entertainment district. The cost is just .25 cents per ride. The Dart consists of two routes in the central business center and one in the UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Lakeview District Areas.
Suggested Activities
Whether you're here for two days or ten, there's no chance you'll run out of fun things to do. In fact, it may be harder to narrow your choices. This guide will help you get started. Have a great time!
Educational and Historical
The story of Birmingham's role in the long march to civil rights has been told and retold around the world. With the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the city has found a place to tell its own story. It is a place of remembrance, revolution and reconciliation. Located directly across from the Institute are historic Kelly Ingram Park and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
For The Family
Children and adults alike will enjoy the fun and educational attractions that Birmingham has to offer. Step back in time at American Village, where visitors are led by costumed, historical interpreters to see what life was like during the settling of America. American Village is an easy drive south to Montevallo, AL. The McWane Center, located in downtown Birmingham, is a place where people of all ages are amazed at the Laws of Sciences displayed in fun, interactive exhibits. While at McWane, a "must do" is a show in the IMAX dome theater and, if the season is right, visit the state's largest theme park: Alabama Adventure Water & Theme Park.
Shop ‘Til You Drop
Put on comfortable shoes and get ready for the shopping experience of a lifetime at one of the largest indoor shopping malls in the South, The Riverchase Galleria. Or...enjoy a beautiful day at the Summit – an exceptional outdoor retail development featuring some of the country's most popular stores, movie theaters and excellent dining. Shoppers will also enjoy the variety of stores in quaint Brookwood Village Mall, the villages of Mountain Brook, Downtown Homewood or experience distinctive outlet shopping at The Shops of Grand River.
Tee Off
Golfers will be blissfully happy with the many courses the Birmingham area has to offer. The world-renowned Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley is known far and wide for its first-class course. Bent Brook, Ballantrae, Highland Park, Limestone Springs, Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and Timberline all offer the best of the best in golf. For an exceptional golfing experience FarmLinks Golf Club is a definite "must do."
Relax and Unwind
Birmingham offers first-class spa treatment salons at a variety of locations. Spend a day at Richard Joseph Salon and Spa in Mountain Brook's English Village, or visit Spa Japonika, located inside the Riverchase Galleria. Spa Moksha, Halcyon Spa and Renaissance Ross Bridge Spa are additional locations for pampering and relaxation.
More "Don't Miss" Attractions:
- Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
- Vulcan Park
- Birmingham Museum of Art
- Sloss Furnaces
- Alabama Theatre
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens
- Birmingham Zoo
Listings are by no means inclusive but submitted to whet the appetite for a great Birmingham adventure.