ConventionSouth Magazine, November 2024 issue | Alabama Event Planners' Guide
Downtown Mobile offers a wide range of hotels, attractions, and entertainment options within walking distance of Mobile Convention Center.
At nearly 325 years old, Mobile has long been the cultural center of the Gulf Coast, says Ashley Rains, public relations and communications manager for Visit Mobile. “Mobile offers an authentic experience rarely found anywhere in the southern United States. Located on the Port of Mobile, the city is the Gulf Coast’s social, economic, and creative hub. We provide a fusion of economic development, innovation, and old-world charm.”
Big news is the pending opening of the new downtown airport. “Mobile International Airport (BFM) will open in 2025 as the Gulf Coast’s newest airport terminal, less than 10 minutes from downtown and conveniently located off I-10,” Rains says. “The airport is a great gateway to the global market and the thriving economy across the entire region. Whether you are flying in for business or pleasure, Mobile International Airport will offer the facilities and services to meet your needs.” The city also is looking forward to the spring 2025 return of twice-daily Amtrak service between Mobile and New Orleans, according to Visit Mobile.
Mobile International Airport (BFM) is scheduled to open in 2025. Visit BuildBFM.com for updates.
Located in the heart of Mobile’s downtown entertainment district, Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center takes full advantage of its riverfront setting. It has two 50,000-square-foot exhibit halls, 16 meeting rooms, two ballrooms, additional pre-function space, and 25,000 square feet of outdoor terraces and riverwalks. The convention center is a short walking distance to multiple hotels, locally owned restaurants, nightlife, and museums.
Mobile has more than 6,000 guest rooms, with more than 1,400 in downtown, including The Admiral, a newly reimagined and reopened luxury boutique hotel paying homage to Mobile’s French-Colonial roots and featuring 6,000 square feet of event space. Also recently renovated, the 373-room Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel connects to Mobile Convention Center and offers 39,438 square feet of event space, with a maximum event capacity of 1,320 people. The historic 238-room Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa has 28,539 total square feet of function space, with 16 event rooms and a ballroom with a capacity to host 1,000 guests for receptions.
The newly renovated Admiral Hotel features Le Moyne's Chophouse,
The Living Room lounge, Le Cafe coffee shop and more.
Other hotels within a few blocks of the convention center include Holiday Inn Downtown Historic District, with 206 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of event space; Hampton Inn and Suites Mobile-Downtown Historic District, with 149 guest rooms and 1,542 square feet of meeting space; and Hilton Garden Inn Mobile Downtown, with 93 guest rooms and two meeting rooms in 1,224 total square feet of function space.
Unique destinations for teambuilding, excursions, or offsite events include The National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, a 90,000-square-foot museum featuring interactive exhibits, maritime displays, simulators, and a theater with a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces for 250 guests; Alabama Aquarium at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, which offers group trips and activities, including research vessel excursions; USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park; and Bellingrath Gardens and Home, with indoor event space for 80 and additional garden spots.
Mobile is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the United States, a floating holiday celebrated between late January and early March. Visitors can enjoy festivities year-round at Mobile Carnival Museum. Planners are advised the city can be very busy during the actual Mardi Gras season.
Mobile is the birthplace of the Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S.
This article appears in ConventionSouth Magazine's November issue, 2024 Event Planners Guide to Alabama article. You can view it here.