By Dan Williams

I’ve spent almost 30 years selling cities for a living. I’ve sat across the table from mayors, business executives and nonprofit leaders in communities across the country.

So when I arrived in Birmingham a bit over a year ago as the new President & CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, I thought I had a pretty good sense of what to expect.

I knew about the city’s history. I knew about the nationally recognized food scene. I knew there was growing momentum around economic development, entrepreneurship and tourism.

What I didn’t expect was how often I would hear the same message from completely different people.

The Same Message, Everywhere

Entrepreneurs said it. Business executives said it. Community advocates said it.

Different people. Different rooms. Same message: people here show up for each other.

That may sound simple, but after a year of listening, learning and building relationships across the region, I’ve come to believe it is one of our region’s greatest strengths.

I first noticed it in our culinary community.

Birmingham’s food scene has earned its national reputation, and deservedly so. But what stood out to me wasn’t just the quality of the food. It was the philosophy behind it.

For example, Kristen Hall of La Fête told me that for her, hospitality isn’t simply about serving a meal. It’s about creating connection, building community and helping people feel like they belong.

The more people I met, the more I realized that philosophy extends well beyond our restaurants.

I saw it in entrepreneurs who described Birmingham as a place where people are willing to make introductions, open doors and help others navigate the community. More than once, I heard visitors describe the experience as feeling like a red carpet had been rolled out for them. Not in a flashy way, but in a genuine one.

I saw it through nonprofit organizations, civic leaders and economic development partners working together to strengthen the region. I saw it in conversations around workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurship. And I saw it in the willingness of people from different sectors to focus on shared goals rather than individual credit.

Radical Collaboration

That mindset has shaped how we think about our role at the GBCVB.

We believe Birmingham’s next chapter will be written through radical collaboration, intentionally bringing people together, creating new partnerships and telling a more connected story about our region.

That spirit of connection is especially meaningful when viewed through the lens of Birmingham’s history.

Some of the most impactful conversations I’ve had over the past year have been with leaders from Birmingham’s Civil and Human Rights community. Those conversations reinforced something that has become increasingly clear to me: Birmingham’s story is ultimately a story of courage.

It is a story of people who faced extraordinary challenges and chose to move forward anyway. People who believed in something better and were willing to work for it.

That spirit didn’t disappear. In many ways, it continues to define Birmingham today.

I see it in entrepreneurs building companies, educators investing in the next generation, neighborhood leaders creating opportunities and organizations working together to tackle difficult challenges.

I also see it in projects like  KultureCity’s National Accessibility Park and the new Education and Visitors Center at 16th Street Baptist Church. They reflect what becomes possible when organizations embrace collaboration to create experiences that are more welcoming, more inclusive and more connected.

The Birmingham Story

And yet, one thing still surprises me: Birmingham doesn’t always recognize just how compelling its story has become.

At the GBCVB, we spend a great deal of time telling Birmingham’s story to visitors, meeting planners, sports event organizers, travel writers and tour operators around the world.

The story isn’t really about attractions, restaurants or events, although we’re fortunate to have many of those.

It’s about people.

It’s about a community that welcomes newcomers, supports entrepreneurs, celebrates creativity, honors its history and continues finding new ways to make more people feel like they belong.

And yet, we often assume people already know.

We’re quick to celebrate other cities and sometimes reluctant to talk about ourselves. We assume people know what’s happening here when, in many cases, they don’t.

The truth is that Birmingham is no longer a city defined solely by its history, nor is it a city waiting for its future.

It is a city actively creating that future every day through the work of its people.

A Story Worth Telling

Our organization has the privilege and responsibility of sharing that story with the outside world. But telling Birmingham’s story isn’t the responsibility of any one organization alone.

The most powerful advocates for this community are the people who live here, work here, build businesses here, raise families here and invest in its future every day.

After one year in Birmingham, I know that we have a story worth telling.

Not because it’s perfect. Not because we have everything figured out.

Because it’s authentic.

It’s a story of resilience, innovation, hospitality and possibility. And it’s a story that deserves to be told more boldly, by more voices, in more rooms.

Because Birmingham shouldn’t be America’s best-kept secret.

It should be one of America’s best-known success stories.

Dan Williams was named President & CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau in 2025 after serving as Chief Sales Officer at Experience Columbus. Drawing on nearly 30 years of leadership in tourism and destination marketing, he leads the GBCVB’s efforts to promote Greater Birmingham as a premier destination and advance tourism as a driver of economic growth and community impact.