Successful Meetings - July 2009 - (Page 86)

ALABAMA > THE HEART OF DIXIE THE HEART OF DIXIE CHARMING AND CULTURALLY VIBRANT, ALABAMA HAS NEW OPTIONS TO DELIGHT AND EDUCATE VISITORS By Kinley Levack ESSENTIAL Tool Box CONVENTION CENTERS & FACILITIES Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (220,000 sf of exhibit space, 74 meeting rooms, 19,000-seat arena, 3,000-seat concert hall, and 1,000-seat theater); Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center (317,000 sf); Montgomery Convention Center (103,000 sf, including adjacent Renaissance Montgomery Hotel) A labama tourism leaders have something to smile about. In 2008, the state hosted more than 22 million visitors, up 3 percent over the previous year. Visitors spent $9.6 billion statewide and more than $1.5 billion in Birmingham alone. To add to its appeal for the meetings market, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) is sprucing up with the installation of acoustic panels and fiberglass acoustical sheets in the arena. An expansion of the BJCC is also in the works, which is expected to include a 57,500-seat multi-purpose facility, expandable to 65,000 seats, with 160,000 sf of exhibit space. Birmingham leaders have also announced plans to establish a Civil Rights Trail, featuring “lesser known but equally important places that were part of the movement,” according to the city’s CVB. DAILY BUSINESS COSTS* Birmingham: Hotel $144.27, F&B $87.08, Car $73.18 FOR MORE INFORMATION www.inbirmingham.org www.mobile.org www.visitingmontgomery.com *Business Travel News 2009 Corporate Travel Index MORE Trail of Temptations Famed golf-course architect Robert Trent Jones was unlikely to be found ONLINE For complete listings, visit Facility Quick Search at SuccessfulMeetings.com 86 I SM I July 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com A view of Dauphin Street in the heart of Mobile’s historic district http://www.inbirmingham.org http://www.mobile.org http://www.visitingmontgomery.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - July 2009

Successful Meetings - July 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
Education
Mouth for Sale
Incentive Insights
Meetings Law
Management Matters
Gurus
Path to Success
Cover Story: ROI Guide
Medical & Pharmaceutical Meetings
Safety & Security
Industry Roundtable
Places + Spaces
Alabama
Georgia & the Carolinas
Hong Kong
Melbourne
Golf Meetings
Planning a golf meeting, 101
Formats, games, prizes, and the awards ceremony
The how, what, why, and win of hole-in-one insurance
How the PGA professional can help your meeting plans
A woman’s view of golf
Opinion: The (new) perception of golf resorts
In closing: Boondoggle is not part of the golf vocabulary
Hawaii
Business Unusual
Q&A with Michael Murray
The Latest and Greatest

Successful Meetings - July 2009