The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is still 8 months away, but online hotel registration will open on Friday, October 12 at 9am EST. Normally reservations open on October 1, but this year there have been some complications with renovations at the convention center. This led to the date for reservations being pushed back.
Here’s the info from the annual meeting website:
Due to the recently announced renovation of an entire wing at one of our Co-Convention hotels in Birmingham, we have postponed until October 12 the opening of online hotel reservations for the 2019 SBC annual meeting. This change will allow our team, working in concert with the visitor’s bureau, to finalize agreements with other hotels in Birmingham to set aside enough rooms to meet the needs of our attendees.
The Houston convention in 2013 was the last time we had shuttle buses, but the shuttle buses may be returning this year out of necessity.
SBC Executive Committee vice president for convention finance, Bill Townes, told Baptist Press:
While each host city offers unique opportunities and challenges, we recognize that recently announced ongoing infrastructure upgrades in the city of Birmingham will enhance the need to diligently examine additional parking and transportation options for attendees, including the use of shuttle buses. We will be working with our local arrangements committee in Birmingham, representing Alabama Baptist church, association and state board of mission leaders to continue to address these issues and come up with creative solutions to assist our attendees.
It may seem early to begin making plans for SBC 2019, but now is the best time to do so. There is no charge to reserve your room. If your plans change and you are unable to attend, you can simply cancel your reservation prior to the published deadline. But if you wait until you are sure you can attend before you make your reservation, you may be stuck in a room 10 miles from the convention center.
Make plans to join us in Birmingham, and go ahead and reserve your room on Friday.
