Emerald Coast Convention Center Unveils New Outdoor Venue
June 19, 2014
Florida’s Emerald Coast county and tourism industry officials in June unveiled the new Bayview Plaza with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. The spacious outdoor venue addition adds 30,000 sf of unique exhibition and event rental space to the Emerald Coast Convention Center.
Equipped with electricity and water, the large concrete pad is will provide additional space for events such as cheerleading and volleyball competitions, trade shows and exhibits, and flexible event space for boat, automotive and RV shows. Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Ed Schroeder said, “With this addition, we have a variety of events and trade shows and other vendors that can come in here for space they can’t find anywhere else in Northwest Florida.”
The area also can be tented when it rains. “It can accommodate most anything,” Emerald Coast Convention Center General Manager Bill Leaman said. “We have a boat show and an RV show scheduled for it already.”
The Emerald Coast Tourist Development Department (TDD) promotes the destination through marketing and advertising of the beaches of Destin, Ft. Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island. The TDD oversees the operation of the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Emerald Coast Convention Center, the Emerald Coast Film Commission, the Visitors Welcome Center and conservation efforts aimed at improving and protecting the natural environment of Okaloosa County.