Plan Your Meetings

Watch for:

• The 120-room SpringHill Suites by Marriott opened near downtown Birmingham. Amenities include complimentary hot breakfasts and WiFi Internet, an on-site fitness center, and meeting space for groups of 50 or less.
• Continental Airlines added two daily, nonstop flights between Birmingham and Cleveland.
• The Highland Conference Center opened next to the Hotel Highland at Five Points South with three event rooms ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 square feet.
• Travel & Leisure named the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa one of the “500 Best Hotels in the World.”
• The Hill Arts Center, next to the Alabama Theatre. Amenities include a catering kitchen and a 3,000 square foot ballroom that seats as many as 350 people.
• Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, the largest collection of antique motorcycles and cars of its kind in the nation, will undergo a $70 million expansion by 2009.
• The Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park is undergoing a $6.5 million renovation scheduled for completion by October 2008. Renovations include upgrades to guestrooms as well as the 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
• An exhibition of rare Leonardo da Vinci drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy, will be on display at the Birmingham Museum of Art from Sept. 28 to Nov. 9.

Want group dining?

The New York Times credits Chef Frank Stitt (Highlands Bar & Grill, Chez Fonfon, Bottega Restaurant & Café) with transforming Birmingham into a culinary destination. Small groups of 50-75 people are best accommodated in Birmingham’s independently owned restaurants; large groups will be most comfortable in chain restaurants like Fleming’s Streak House & Wine Bar, which can create custom menus and wine dinners. Seafood restaurant Ocean has two private rooms and a patio; its sister restaurant, 26, specializes in serving bistro food, late night nibbles and specialty martinis in a clubby atmosphere. The Hot & Hot Fish Club serves organic ingredients prepared in an open kitchen and has a catering department. Café Dupont’s second floor is a party loft for private events.

Want creative meal functions?

The Birmingham Zoo can lead attendees on candlelight tours ending with a safari-themed banquet. The Irondale Café is the original Whistlestop Café, serving fried green tomatoes since 1928; a screening room (to watch Fried Green Tomatoes, of course) and off-site catering are available. Want to pamper attendees? The Wynfrey Hotel is a Four-Diamond property with a fleet of luxury vehicles for guest transportation and complimentary airport shuttles. Connected to the Riverchase Galleria — Alabama’s largest enclosed mall — the hotel also has a full-service Aveda spa, a private concierge-level club room, and 32,000 square feet of meeting and event space. On-site dining is available at Shula’s American Steak House (ranked one of the top steakhouses in America), piano bar Ivory’s and the casual Chicory Grille.

Want a stunning location?

The Aldridge Botanical Gardens has two special event venues, the lakeside Aldridge House, and a 2,400-sq. ft. outdoor pavilion. The Birmingham Museum of Art’s galleries, sculpture garden, meeting rooms and auditorium are available for day and evening events. Vulcan Park’s outdoor event space has the best view of Birmingham’s skyline. Sloss Furnaces, the city’s old ironwork factory, has outdoor event space.

Want to meet in a place with history?

Birmingham is rich with Civil Rights historic sites and attractions such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The Carver Theatre for the Performing Arts was built in 1935 and now is part of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Rucker Place is a historic home on the National Register of Historic Places, which has meeting rooms, an event lawn and a picturesque, two-story wraparound porch. The meeting room at the Southern Museum of Flight overlooks its aircraft exhibit halls.

Want to rev things up?

Barber Vintage Motorsports Park not only has a racetrack, a theater, and museum galleries filled with vintage motorcycles and automobiles, it also has meeting rooms and patios — all available for elegant catered receptions and banquets. Other amenities include team-building racing programs and a Porsche driving school.

Want a fun environment?

Alliance Game Rentals can create a casino environment or bring in interactive games to liven up venues. The Stardom Comedy Club has mystery dinner shows, nationally known comedians and space for banquets and meetings.

Want high-tech settings?

The McWane Science Center has its own special event center with multi-media presentation capabilities and an in-house planning department; groups can team-build on a “space mission.” WorkPlay is a multi-use venue with meeting space, a theater, a soundstage, a screening room, in-house film and music production companies, and a popular local bar.

Want to cater an off-site function?

Special facilities with dedicated catering service include the B&A Warehouse and the Alys Stephens Center. Dreamland BBQ creates meals that are finger-lickin’ good. Chef Clayton Sherrod prepares Southern-inspired menus for groups of up to 700 people. Creative Catering by Ambrosia Michael Glenn Catering has menus for upscale and casual functions.

Want gift basket items?

If you’re looking for Birmingham-specific goods and food, visit Tormé Foods, the Peanut Depot or Smith’s Variety Shop. Other city-centric memorabilia is available from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Gift Shop and the Birmingham Shop. Foodies will enjoy receiving a copy of Chef Frank Stitt’s Southern Table: Recipes from Highlands Bar and Grill. The Classic Basket puts together corporate baskets with locally made food and branded items. Locally made items include Golden Flake snacks, Southern Living magazine, Royal Cup Coffee, Bud’s Best Cookies and Buffalo Rock beverages.