There are still problems, of course. And there is a stigma that may take years — decades — to erase. But every day, New Orleans and the other Mid-South communities damaged by Hurricane Katrina are growing stronger.

Events big and small are starting to return. New Orleans' annual Mardi Gras is back on track, attracting a crowd of 750,000. The city hosted the 2008 NBA All-Star Game — and 50,000 attendees — as well as the Allstate BCS National Championship and the Allstate Sugar Bowl, both at the Superdome. Of even higher interest to meeting planners, a 20,000-plus person citywide convention was successfully executed.

More than two dozen meetings of more than 3,000 attendees are scheduled for New Orleans in 2008. Corporations, such as Whirlpool, have been drawn by the wealth of “voluntourism” opportunities.

In the past two years, more than $400 million has been spent on hotel renovations in the metro New Orleans area.

In Alabama, $194 million in hotel building projects have been completed or announced for Birmingham in 2008. When all projects reach completion, more than 1,300 guest rooms will be added to the downtown inventory.

Birmingham is not alone in its infrastructure improvements. In Montgomery, public and private investors have contributed $1.1 billion toward the city's “Riverfront Renaissance” project.

Facilities Update

Alabama

• Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation including new interior and exterior paint and new carpet throughout the building.

• A 155-room Hampton Inn is being built in downtown Mobile, with completion set for late fall.

• In Mobile, a new Hilton Garden Inn with 101 rooms and a 1,204-square-foot meeting room opened in May.

• Battle House Hotel reopened in May 2007 after a $200 million restoration. It has 238 guest rooms and 28,000 square feet of flexible event space. Its new spa is scheduled to open in this fall.

• Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel in downtown Mobile Bay completed a $54 million renovation. It is connected to the convention center via skywalk and features 374 rooms and 46,000 square feet of flexible event space.

• Holiday Inn Historic Downtown Mobile completed a multimillion-dollar renovation. It has 203 guest rooms with panoramic views of downtown Mobile and Mobile Bay and features 11,000 square feet of meeting space.

• In Birmingham, the Tutwiler Hotel, Hotel Highland, Doubletree Hotel, and Sheraton Birmingham are undergoing renovations.

• The new Highland Conference Center in Birmingham is next to the new Hotel Highland, a boutique hotel in historic Five Points South. The center offers the 4,000-square-foot Bistro Room; the 3,915-square-foot Vulcan Room; and the 1,000-square-foot Magic City Room.

• The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and adjacent Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, Alabama's largest convention and meetings facility, is nearing completion of $39 million in renovations.

• At Sheraton Birmingham, across from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, more than half of the 757 rooms have been remodeled.

• The Montgomery Renaissance Hotel & Spa at the Montgomery Convention Center opened in February. The 347-room, four-star hotel cost $180 million and features 112,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 14,000-square-foot ballroom and the 73,000-square-foot Montgomery Convention Center. It also features an 8,000-square-foot spa with a fitness center, pool, and salon. The adjacent Montgomery Performing Arts Centre features 1,800 seats.

• Within walking distance of the Montgomery Convention Center, the reflagged Best Western (formerly The Madison Hotel) completed a multimillion-dollar renovation, including all 170 guest rooms and meeting rooms. The property offers more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The Dothan Convention Center opened in January with seating for more than 2,500 people. It features an auditorium with a stage, balcony, and retractable bleachers; four breakout rooms; an outdoor patio; and a full catering kitchen.

• Westin opened its first hotel in Alabama in Huntsville in April. The 210-room Westin Huntsville is part of Bridge Street Town Centre, a mixed-use development. The Westin has a 7,972-square-foot ballroom and a 792-square-foot boardroom.