The Miami Beach Convention Center recently underwent a $640 million renovation and expansion. Courtesy Photo

Florida is hot and the temperatures are rising. But, let’s face it, we’re not talking about the weather. The forecast calls for an abundance of sunshine for Florida’s meetings and conventions industry following another year of positive growth in the Sunshine State.

With beautiful beaches, 200+ days of sun, delicious seafood and multicultural scenes, Florida is a popular destination that draws groups in droves.

According to Dana Young, VISIT FLORIDA president and CEO, as of last fall, 20 new hotels opened, representing 2,584 rooms and 58,448 sf of meeting space. Added to that, in Q3 of 2023, VISIT FLORIDA set a new visitation record with an estimated total of 35.1 million visitors between July and September.

“During this time period, although we saw group room revenue at Florida hotels decline compared to Q3 2022, numbers remained substantially above where they had been pre-pandemic,” Young said. “Additionally, group room revenue performance during Q3 of this year exceeded transient room revenue performance compared to Q3 2022.”

With more than 400,000 sf of meeting space at 25 hotels in the pipeline statewide as of last month, according to CoStar, a leading global provider of commercial and residential real estate information, Florida is primed for even more growth.

Florida’s vast array of accommodations and meeting venues is just one benefit for planners. There are also countless leisure activities that make the Sunshine State an ideal destination to host trade shows, conventions, and other business meetings.

“We are excited to see the new business opportunities our constantly growing hotel offerings and meetings and convention spaces will provide,” Young said. “As always, we encourage groups to take advantage of their time in Florida and experience our diverse culinary offerings, pristine beaches, stunning parks and trails and so much more.”

Orlando

Last year, Orlando was named the top meetings destination by Cvent for the eighth year in a row. Through October 2023, citywide attendance had exceeded the prior year by 18% with 110 events and surpassed pre-pandemic (2019) performance by 18% as well. Advance hotel bookings for the group segment in Q1 of 2024 paced 9% ahead of the prior year. For the 2022-23 fiscal year, the association business comprised the largest market mix at 31% of hosted events at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC).

“I know that 2024 and beyond remains bright for meetings in Orlando as our destination understands that it’s vital that we continuously expand and evolve to offer new options for planners to create memorable and productive meetings,” said Visit Orlando president & CEO Casandra Matej. “We look forward to the 2024 debuts of new and renovated luxury resorts.  Conrad Orlando and Evermore Orlando Resort are now open and there are more on the way in the near future from Fairmont, Nobu, W Hotels and the Tao Group.”

The Evermore Orlando Resort is a 1,100-acre property with the Conrad Orlando, as its anchor property. It offers 40,000 sf of indoor meeting space.

A major project that will affect the meetings market is the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Phase 5A project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an enclosed connection between the North and South concourses that includes 60,000 sf of meeting space, an 80,000-sf ballroom and a grand entrance to the North-South Building along Convention Way. The convention center
construction is still in the preliminary phases but is expected to span three years.

Florida’s Brightline high-speed train began servicing Orlando last September, which has helped boost group travel to Orlando from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other points south. “We’re so excited to now have Brightline service connecting Orlando with South Florida where planners can turn the journey into the event,” Matej said.

According to Matej, planners can curate meetings and events by hosting in-station board meetings in one of Brightline’s event spaces or add onboard entertainment on their group’s trip to or from Orlando.

The city is also flush with properties, including the Orlando World Center Marriott, the world’s largest Marriott hotel, which offers more than 500,000 sf of conference and event space, including the Magnolia meetings rooms, which opened in 2022. The Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Palace is another staple, with space for up to 2,000 attendees and 70 meeting rooms.

One of the properties set to expand early this year is Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. This two-story addition of over 90,000 sf of meeting space will overlook the Bonnet Creek waterways.

The Caribe Royale Orlando spans over 240,000 sf of hotel meeting room space and recently debuted The Grove, an event lawn able to accommodate 1,500 for receptions. The property recently completed a nearly $130 million renovation of its 1,337 suites, added a new 50,000-sf ballroom, refreshed the lobby and reimagined all public areas.

Though the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek near Walt Disney World Resort was sold in 2022 to New York real estate firm Tishman Hotel Corporation, the 400-room property still carries the Wyndham name and offers more than 50,000 sf of event space. Tishman also purchased the Grand Orlando Resort at Celebration, which is now a Delta Hotels by Marriott and underwent a $35 million renovation.

An hour north of Orlando, the World Equestrian Center in Ocala is home to two exposition centers totaling over 250,000 sf of flexible indoor space to accommodate sporting events, conventions and trade shows. The complex offers the 248-room Equestrian Hotel; and slated for a spring opening, The Riding Academy Hotel will debut with 390 rooms.

Miami

Another top destination for association planners is Greater Miami and Miami Beach, home to 480 hotels and more than 64,000 rooms. Carol Motley, SVP of Meetings and Conventions Services of the Greater Miami CVB, also noted the cultural allure of Miami for groups.

“Associations that come want to have fun outings, and we have so many neighborhoods to pull from. We have the beach — everyone knows that. But we’re also able to talk about the Arts District of Wynwood, our the Miami Design District. We’re able to help them take part in Little Haiti, Little Havana, the Everglades,” Motley said. “This is important. People want experiences beyond just coming to the meeting. This sometimes is how they piggyback on vacations with their family.”

The destination is also booming with new offerings. The Miami Beach Convention Center recently underwent a $640 million renovation and expansion, including more than 12 acres of new greenspaces. An 800-room Grand Hyatt-branded luxury hotel will serve as the anchor property of the Miami Beach Convention Center District. The Grand Hyatt Miami Beach will feature two floors of meeting spaces and ballrooms.

“The demand is just crazy right now for Miami and for the convention center specifically,” said Motley. “Having that headquarter hotel where they can put a large majority of their block is going to be a game changer for us. And we’ll also be able to book a lot further out into the future.”

The anchor hotel will be in addition to nearby properties such as the Hilton Miami Downtown, which features 45,094 sf of meeting and event space. Nearby, Okan Tower, a new mixed-use megaplex is in the works, which will be home to the Hilton Miami Bayfront Hotel situated on the 13th – 30th floors of the 70-story tower. Features will include a spa and versatile meeting rooms with expansive ballroom space. Project completion is currently slated for 2027.

Many of Miami’s luxury properties are also welcoming groups, including the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa, featuring its new 16-story Orchid Tower. The tower, which was the focus of a more than $250 million renovation, added 325 rooms, boosting the overall room/suite total to 685 across its four towers.

Tampa

Named as one of Time Magazine’s 2023 World’s Greatest Places, Tampa is in expansion mode with a variety of new projects and renovations, including the Tampa Convention Center, which recently completed $38 million expansion, adding two stories to the existing building and 18 new waterfront rooms. Totaling 18,000 sf, the new space also includes an event-ready outdoor terrace with waterfront views. The expansion and other developments are driving attendance for meetings. “Attendance is off the charts,” said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “We’re seeing more and more demand for more rooms in the block from event planners or the associations themselves.”

At the heart of those efforts is its Water Street Tampa neighborhood, which is being developed on over 56 acres of contiguous waterfront land in downtown Tampa. The development project, which wrapped Phase 1 in late 2022, includes entertainment, retail, restaurants as well as the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street with more than 100,000 sf of meeting space, Tampa Marriott Water Street and the new Tampa EDITION. The Tampa EDITION also adds to the destination’s culinary cache with its restaurant Lilac — one of three restaurants in the city to earn a Michelin Star.

Tampa Marriott Water Street is part of the Tampa Riverwalk, which connects to museums and other attractions as well as the convention center. The Hotel Tampa Riverwalk is now part of the Hilton Curio Collection. Also on the Tampa Riverwalk, Pendry Tampa is under construction. The 37-story tower of 220 hotel rooms and 207 residences, is expected to be completed in 2025.

Another recent Tampa hotel expansion debuted at The Epicurean, a draw for foodies with its culinary and wine experiences. The $21 million expansion added 51 guest rooms across the street from the main hotel as well as meeting space and a rooftop terrace.

Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay has also expanded its outdoor event venue offerings. Skylark, overlooking the mangroves of Old Tampa Bay, offers 3,400 sf of indoor space and a 1,400-sf outdoor rooftop terrace. Meanwhile, The Floridan Palace Hotel is now Hotel Flor Tampa, Tapestry Collection by Hilton following a $30 million renovation.

Planners can also take advantage of the region’s waterside properties, including the new JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa, a short walk from Clearwater Beach, where the resort features more than 20,000 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville is home to 1,100 miles of coastline​, more than 160 daily flights, as well as the recently renovated Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. “They were mostly soft renovations, but they put a lot of investment in it,” said Jeanne Goldschmidt, director of convention sales for Visit Jacksonville. “It’s in a historic train station so it was ready to be updated and modernized. We’re excited about that opportunity.”

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars purchased the downtown fairgrounds property near its EverBank Stadium and will initially convert the site to surface parking to support games and other events at the Sports Complex, with a long-term vision of renovating the stadium.​ The fairgrounds will relocate to West Jacksonville near the Equestrian Center, and will allow for a 40,000-60,000-sf event and expo center, multipurpose barn and an event stage with anticipated completion by this spring.​

Located adjacent to the Sports Complex on the banks of the St. Johns River, a Four Seasons  Hotel and Private Residences Jacksonville is slated to open in 2026 and play an integral role in the development of the Jacksonville Shipyards.

“We’re going to be able to access the river a little bit more from downtown, which I think is just a tremendous asset for Jacksonville,” Goldschmidt said. “What’s exciting is that the development around the stadium has increased including the Jaguars training facility which recently opened next to the current stadium. That’s allowed for some really unique meeting space opportunities.”

The south bank of the St. John’s River is in transformation with the 34-acre RiversEdge project including its Central Park area along the riverfront. The development, set for a spring completion date, calls for 147 hotel rooms and a public marina.

The riverfront is also home to Hyatt Regency Jacksonville with 950 rooms and one of the largest ballrooms between Atlanta and Orlando. The Hyatt offers outdoor terraces that overlook the St. Johns River for events.

A new Hilton property at the Mayo Clinic is also slated for a 2025 opening.

South of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., is appealing to groups not only for the historical attractions, but also for its Ponte Vedra Beach. HelmsBriscoe managing director Cheryl Schreiner, MBA, CMP, CMM, HMCC, uses the nearby World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort for some association groups for its location and setup.

“They’re like a diamond in the rough, because a lot of people don’t know that they’re there,” Schreiner said. She noted the seamless connection between the Renaissance hotel rooms and the St. Johns Convention Center attached to the hotel. “The footprint of that hotel is small and very easy to maneuver,” she said. “They also have a great price point for groups.”

The World Golf Hall of Fame used to be located at World Golf Village but closed this year and instead a Buc-ee’s with 55,000 sf of convenience store shopping opened, which Schreiner said will be a boom for the region and for groups with families.

Schreiner’s groups take advantage of the St. Augustine location often organizing dine-arounds, and while on property, groups can arrange golf lessons, putting contests and other golf outings.

Fort Lauderdale

South Florida is getting a boost with the expansion of its Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. When completed, the expanded Convention Center will span more than 1.2 million sf, including a 350,000-sf contiguous exhibition hall, a new 65,000- sf waterfront ballroom – the largest ballroom in the southeast — new dining concepts, enhanced water taxi access and a waterfront plaza with public access. The project, which is slated for completion in 2025, will add more than 525,000 sf of meeting space and an 801-room Omni Fort Lauderdale headquarters hotel.

“We will be able to go after some of the larger conferences that we would not have been able to before,” said Stacy Ritter, CEO of Visit Lauderdale. “For example, we bid on the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW for 2026 and we were awarded that, so for the first time ever, this destination is hosting IPW. We would not have been able to do that without the expanded center.”

Other new projects include the debut of Disney Cruise Line’s cruise terminal at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, where Disney Dream and Disney Magic will set sail.

Nearby, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood in December added new games to its repertoire including sports betting, craps and roulette. The music themed venue offers 120,000 sf of meeting space as well as three properties – The Hard Rock Hotel, Oasis Tower and The Guitar Hotel. The Dolce by Wyndham Hollywood opened last year as the first kosher hotel in Broward County.

Southwest Florida

In Southwest Florida, the Naples Grande Beach Resort is an idyllic setting for associations. The Florida Fire Chief’s Association held its 2022 Executive Development Conference at the property.

“Our attendees tend to like something that’s on the water,” said Ngoc Huynh, executive director/CEO of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association. “It is something that people feel they can bring their families to and relax. We don’t expect attendees to come to the class dressed in business attire, they can wear resort casual and just have a good time.”

According to Huynh, the firefighters enjoyed the attentive service at the Naples Grande. “Also, the meeting space flowed very well,” she said. “It was all close together and easy to find. And it has all the amenities like the pool they like, because they get to bring their families.”

Huynh said, “Naples Grande made the event far easier for us. Our organization was challenged this last year with staffing so they actually were able to supplement that and help us. We were far better off having them as a partner than if we had gone to a different location.”

South of Naples, in Florida’s Paradise Coast, JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort tempts planners with its beachfront location and 100,000 sf of event space. The 810-room property features unique venue options including its beachfront property and on-property bowling alley.

When you have “Paradise” in their name, planners can rest assured the word applies to both attendees and planners. That’s why a meeting in Naples, Marco island and the everglades is an obvious choice for planners looking to “wow” their attendees.

For attendees, Paradise is all about the beautiful natural surroundings and near-perfect weather they’ll experience year-round, luxurious and walkable downtown areas, award-winning dining, indulgent spas, world-class arts and culture, and — let’s not forget — 30 miles of soft, white sand beaches that offer everything attendees need to rest and recharge after a productive day of meeting sessions.

Planners looking for other beachfront locations can also head to the Florida panhandle where venues such as the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa are also upping their game. The property recently undertook a $35 million refresh set to conclude prior to spring break 2024, including a reworking of the six on-site dining outlets, three swimming pools, beachfront deck space, spa, main public spaces, and more. It will also include 40,000 sf of indoor meeting space, ballroom foyers and smaller breakout rooms.

Always hot, in more ways than one, there are many reasons to meet in Florida. This is one destination that should always be included in everyone’s RFP process. It offers diverse accommodations that cover every planner’s meeting needs, as well as the ease and flexibility to venture offsite to area dining and unique venues for their attendees.  | AC&F |