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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Friendly and Affordable Southern Destinations

Planning and executing successful meetings requires talent and skill — and that’s especially true when working with a tight budget. Fortunately, many Southern destinations offer affordable meeting venues, services and lodging, and working within a budget need not limit your ability to create events that are both appealing and memorable.

Here are five locations that offer extraordinary value for your meeting budget.

Huntsville, Alabama

For an out-of-this-world meeting destination, consider Huntsville. Located in northern Alabama (just two hours from Nashville, less than four hours from Atlanta, and served from 14 destinations by USA Today’s Best Small Airport), “Rocket City” is a great space for groups of all sizes.

“Huntsville really is the perfect place for planners on a budget,” said Jamie Koshofer, vice president of conventions at the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “For starters, our convention space, the Von Braun Center, offers incentives such as no sales tax and discounted service charges. They also allow you to bring in your own audio/visual company at no additional charge, but they also have a very budget-friendly A/V team in-house as well as food and beverage. It’s very one-stop-shop service at the convention center, and it’s right downtown.”

The convention center has over 170,000 square feet of multi-purpose meeting space, including a 9,000-person arena, a 2,000-person performing arts space and a 1,350-person concert hall.

Groups can hold receptions for up to 1,000 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, where guests can gather under an authentic Saturn V Apollo moon rocket and experience space simulators that take them on a ride to Mars.

“We have a collection of hotels downtown that can meet various price points for attendees,” said Koshofer. “There’s an Embassy Suites attached to the convention center. Then within walking distance, we have a Hampton Inn, an AC hotel by Marriott, 106 Jefferson, which is a Curio property, and an Autograph by Marriott that will be open soon.”

huntsville.org

Monroe-West Monroe, Louisiana

The twin cities of Monroe and West Monroe in northern Louisiana are located just off Interstate 20, making a convenient destination that’s also loaded with Southern charm.

“We keep things very cost-friendly, and we’re very flexible,” said Claire Stapp, sales and event developer at Discover Monroe-West Monroe. “Our hotels and attractions — many of which are free or low-cost — are very flexible. Some are usually closed on Sundays and Mondays but will make arrangements to open for people. And there are discounted group rates so attendees can enjoy being here without having to compromise.”

Spanning 31 acres, the Monroe Civic Center Complex has 22,000 square feet and a variety of layouts along with A/V and a full-service kitchen for outside catering. The West Monroe Convention Center can accommodate groups of up to 1,000 with three conference halls and two elegant dining rooms. Along Bayou DeSiard, the main ballroom of the Bayou Pointe Event Center has maximum capacities of 450 people for banquets, 700 for theater seating, 750 for receptions, additional breakout rooms and an 80-seat theater. More than 2,000 hotel rooms in the twin cities welcome guests at all price points.

Smaller functions can be held in Antique Alley, where a 1929 movie theatre at 111 Cotton can accommodate groups of up to 200 and is surrounded by a lively and historic entertainment district filled with shopping, bars and restaurants.

“We like to let people check out everything on their own so they don’t have to stay on a strict schedule and they can go to whatever,” said Stapp. “They always, always come back and say how kind and nice the people are at each store, no matter who’s coming in there. We really focus on that friendliness.”

monroe-westmonroe.org

Charlottesville, Virginia

Just hours away from the major metropolitan areas of the Eastern Seaboard, Charlottesville, Virginia, offers a unique combination of natural beauty and sophisticated lodging and meeting options, along with golf, wineries and historic landmarks — as well as great bargains in the off-seasons of winter and summer.

“We’re only a couple of hours from the beaches, and we’re nestled right against the mountains,” said Brantley Ussery, director of marketing and public relations for the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Geographically, we’re in an area that’s just centrally located to a lot of big population centers. And for that reason, I think a lot of people in the big cities love coming out into something that feels a little bit more rural, a beautiful landscape with the mountains and everything.”

Venue spaces abound. The University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena accommodates large trade shows along with seated receptions for up to 600, and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello has conference spaces for up to 300, along with outdoor events on the gracious grounds.

The region is well-known for wine, and several area vineyards offer unique venues for groups of all sizes.

visitcharlottesville.org

Knoxville, Tennessee

Just west of the Great Smoky Mountains, Knoxville, Tennessee, was home to the 1982 World’s Fair, and that heritage is still proudly on display adjacent to Knoxville’s Convention Center.

“The World’s Fair is a very big part of our history, and we still do a lot to celebrate it,” said Chad Culver, senior director of sports commission and convention sales for Visit Knoxville. “There are only three structures in the world that were built for World’s Fairs that are still standing — the Seattle Space Needle, the Eiffel Tower and our Knoxville Sunsphere.”

The sixth and eighth floors of the iconic tower are available for private events and can accommodate 350 and 150 guests, respectively.

The convention center features east Tennessee’s largest ballroom (27,000 square feet), along with 250,000 square feet of flexible space, a 461-seat lecture hall, 120,000 square feet of exhibit space and 14 breakout rooms. More than 1,800 hotel rooms are available within the square mile surrounding the convention center. It’s also just minutes from Market Square, the heart of the city’s vibrant and walkable downtown.

Nature lovers will appreciate the urban wilderness, with miles of trails just across the river, while sports lovers will want to visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the only museum of its kind devoted exclusively to women’s basketball.

Culver wants planners to see for themselves.

“Getting people to town and seeing what we’re all about sells itself,” he said. “It’s a very, very cool city with the convention center and the downtown hotels. There aren’t many site visits where we don’t get the meeting. Our city and our people do the job better than we can.”

visitknoxville.com

Columbia, Missouri

Location, location, location: Many places claim to be “in the middle of everything,” but Columbia, a mid-Missouri college town, delivers.

“Columbia is not only in the center of Missouri, but we’re in the center of the United States,” said Terra Nuzum, tourism sales specialist at Visit Columbia MO. “So we’re a great central location for everyone to meet in the middle. We pride ourselves on that and say that is one of the main benefits of bringing meetings to Columbia.”

Being the home of Missouri’s flagship university makes for a budget-sensitive approach to meetings and events.

“From an economical standpoint, we are very able to accommodate a wide variety of budgets,” Nuzum explains. “A lot of our planners are on a government per diem, and so they have to work with that. We tailor activities toward what planners are looking for, and a lot of those are also very budget-friendly.”

More than 3,500 hotel rooms and a variety of meeting spaces await groups. The Columbia Expo Center and Holiday Inn Executive Center has 19,000-plus square feet. Two flexible ballrooms, four meeting rooms and an executive boardroom can accommodate groups of up to 2,500 people. In the center of the charming and walkable downtown, the Grand Ballroom at the historic Tiger Hotel can seat 200 people, and the University of Missouri-Columbia offers a wealth of auditoriums and breakout rooms for groups of all sizes.

A scenic trail system winds from the city to the banks of the Missouri River and is a favorite for cycling and walking. High on the river bluff in historic Rocheport, Les Bourgeois Vineyards offers stunning views and elegant events for smaller gatherings.

visitcolumbiamo.com