As the land of sunshine and beaches, Florida is uniquely positioned to host meetings and incentives. Once the booths and power points have been packed away, meeting attendees are just like any visitors to the Sunshine State—eager to hit the golf course or the beach, paddle a pristine waterway, indulge themselves at a sumptuous spa or lace into comfortable shoes for some power shopping. All this and more can be followed by group dining adventures featuring a culinary variety reflecting nearly every taste on the planet.
But carefree doesn’t mean work-free, and among the palm trees, Florida is filled with state-of-the-art facilities suited to virtually any group size and budget, from the country’s third largest convention center to conference space at beachfront resorts and offsite venues that push the boundaries of creativity and imagination.
“There’s no better time than now to plan and attend trade shows, conventions and meetings in Florida,” says Dana Young, president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. “As of November 2023, Florida has celebrated the opening of 20 new hotels, representing 2,584 rooms and 58,448 sf of meeting space. In addition, Florida offers a variety of exhilarating experiences like swimming with manatees, having lunch with an astronaut and airboating through the Everglades. The Sunshine State is ready to welcome you to enjoy these new and veteran properties and activities, along with our idyllic weather and dynamic culinary scene, for the perfect blend of business and leisure.”
Getting to and around Florida has never been easier. To start with, Florida has more international and domestic airports offering commercial service than any state in the U.S., making long-haul ground transportation unnecessary. Some areas, like South Florida, have multiple international airports within a few miles of each other—Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport are good examples.
But now there’s a bright spot on the transportation scene—Brightline high-speed rail has added to the convenience of getting around Florida, with stations in Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Orlando (Tampa is next). It’s a game-changer. If you’re meeting in Orlando, for example, a breakout meeting, spouse program or even lunch is less than two hours away in Palm Beach. With no traffic or stoppage of any kind. You just sit back, relax and go. Fast.
Once the darling of the Gilded Age, Palm Beach County has come of age as a meetings destination. In a region which, at 2,000 sq miles, is bigger than the state of Rhode Island there are 38 distinct cities and towns, including West Palm Beach, whose convention and entertainment district includes the 350,000-sf Palm Beach County Convention Center and directly across the street, both the Kravis Center—home to a 10,500-sf banquet center—and The Square, a shopping dining and entertainment that makes a great spot for apres-meeting relaxation.
Discover the Palm Beaches, the county’s official DMO, recently unveiled a 2024 tourism plan during a special State of the Tourism Industry event, during which DTPB president & CEO Milton Segarra outlined the organization’s commitment to making tourism a shared community value and economic driver, forecasting 9.5 million visitors and $7B in spending for 2023.
Connected to the convention center via covered walkway, the Hilton West Palm Beach is emerging from a $25M renovation including 400 refreshed guest rooms and suites, four enhanced dining destinations, a reimagined pool deck, six newly constructed cabanas, and the addition of a lobby bar and a variety of wellness activities, with curated programming ranging from fitness and wellness to arts and culture.
Several prominent hotels in the county are undergoing substantial transformations, including the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa with 175 newly renovated guest rooms and suites and upgrades to the resort’s banquet and ballroom spaces. The resort also has introduced the new Latitudes restaurant, offering fresh-caught seafood in a sophisticated coastal setting.
Hilton Singer Island is in the process of a full renovation of its 223 guest rooms, pool, F&B concepts, meeting and event spaces and public areas. The resort will re-open as The Singer Oceanfront Resort in 2024, featuring a signature restaurant with new American coastal cuisine, a coffee and grab-and-go concept, a pool and a beachfront bar.
To the west in Palm Beach Gardens, PGA National Resort recently completed a $100M revitalization touching every area of the resort, including the 99 holes of golf on property. Among the many additions are new pickleball courts, a new charter boat, a new interactive beekeeping experience and new spa treatments.
On the other, southern end of the county, the Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa in Delray Beach is fresh off a top-to-bottom renovation, boasting a brilliant façade, arrival and lobby experience, pool and reimagined waterfront dining.See the March/April issue of Prevue for an on location review of The Palm Beaches.
Greater Miami’s international flair defines every aspect of this global center, from dining and the arts to shopping and entertainment. And we’re not talking one concentrated downtown area; it’s all over, from South Beach to South Miami, Everglades-bound or Miami City Ballet-bound. Artistic discoveries, cultural encounters and extraordinary dining are on the way to wherever your group is going.
“The vibrant culture and business innovation in Miami and Miami Beach makes us the perfect backdrop and an unparalleled destination for meetings and conventions,” says Carol Motley, SVP of convention sales and services for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Our convention facilities and hotels alongside our diverse culinary scene, and dynamic atmosphere, creates an inspiring backdrop that fosters creativity and collaboration. The city’s unique blend of glamour and professionalism transforms every event into an unforgettable experience”.
Groups can dive right in with fork and knife at places like Joia Beach Restaurant and Beach Lounge on Watson Island, where freshly sourced seasonal ingredients and just-caught seafood come with one of the best Miami city skyline views anywhere. In Coral Gables, the cuisine at Mamey Restaurant is inspired by chef Niven Patel’s travels throughout Asia, Polynesia and the Caribbean.
The variety is dizzying and delicious, so planners will have to do their homework—with the help of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau—to find the options to best suit their groups. Or you can sample a lot all at once on a tour with Miami Culinary Food Tours, offering food rambles through Little Havana, South Beach and Wynwood.
When business must intrude on your group’s dine-arama, the gathering spaces in Greater Miami are as endless as the eateries. The city’s largest venue—the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC)—emerged from a Silver LEED-certified $640 million renovation in 2020 and now offers a new 60,000-sf Grand Ballroom, four junior ballrooms, almost 500,000 sf of exhibition space, an expanded grand lobby, up to 84 breakout rooms, $10.2M worth of curated art and public green spaces that can serve as incremental event space.
The MBCC Campus also includes two new event spaces: Venu, a space for elegant private events and upscale meetings; and Rum Room, a 1920s restaurant with a tapas-style menu and local South Florida rums. A new connected headquarter hotel, a Grand Hyatt, is under development and slated to open in spring 2026.
Speaking of hotel development, Greater Miami continues its hospitality ascent with newbuilds and upgrades for meetings galore. The W South Beach—the brand’s most successful U.S. property—has become the first hotel in North America to implement 360-degree immersive mapping technology as part of its $6 million meeting space renovation. A new 4,300-sf ballroom uses an innovative, built-in projection system to transform itself into any setting—from an underwater oceanic moment to the backdrop of any city in the world.
“Imagine stepping into the ballroom and being instantly transported to the streets of London, the beaches in Rio or the enchanting gardens of Kyoto,” notes GM Rick Ueno.
With 107,000 sf of indoor meeting rooms and event venues making it a premier meeting property, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach has refreshed the look of its opulent Tresor Tower, adding new art and loads of high-end appliances as well as beautifully decadent bathrooms.
Miami’s mid-century heyday lives on at the legendary Raleigh Miami Beach, which has closed in anticipating of becoming the Rosewood the Raleigh in 2025, preserving its original design and incorporating its two historic neighbors, the Richmond and South Seas hotels, with each building’s Art Deco façade restored and integrated into the 60-room and suite property.
Miami’s hotel diversity can probably be summed up in two properties: The landmark Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables—historic and breathtakingly elegant—offering 75,000 sf of meeting space in the hotel itself and at the adjacent Conference Center of the Americas; and the newly opened Flamingo Lodge & Restaurant, the only hotel option within Everglades National Park, featuring Mission 66 architecture, energy-efficient features and a restaurant overlooking Florida Bay.
The Florida Keys leave the mainland at the southeast border of the Everglades and never look back, creating a panorama of sea and sky that’s as hospitable to birds and marine life as it is to visitors. And meetings.
Here, along this marine chain of islands ending in Key West, the sweet spot for groups is in the 15- to 100-person range, with a nautical playground of world-class diving, snorkeling, boating and fishing providing opportunities to extend mid-week business with pre- and post stays. But first: business.
“Resorts throughout the Keys, many providing relaxing and scenic waterfront views, have enhanced their offerings with villas and new facilities for groups,” says Jack Meier, group sales manager for the Keys’ Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
Islamorada’s 27-acre oceanfront Cheeca Lodge & Spa—with 243 rooms and suites, 11 stand-alone casitas and 70,000 sf of flexible event space—has added the new stand-alone 10,000-sf Islamorada Ballroom. Billed as the Keys’ largest, it accommodates up to 1,500 for receptions and 788 for banquet-style dinners.
The Islamorada Resort Collection will unveil a brand-new resort destination in summer 2024, totaling 376 island-inspired guest rooms, 12 dining options, a world-class fishing fleet and 80,000 sf of meeting space. The Collection includes two existing properties: the 110-room Amara Cay Resort and the 52-unit La Siesta Resort & Villas, with an all-new resort and marina due in 2024. The Collection’s iconic Tiki Bar also will undergo renovations.
And in Key West, the legendary Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton has unveiled extensive renovations including a new 5,000-sf oceanfront event lawn, adding to its existing 11,000 sf of indoor event space.
It’s called the “Venice of America” thanks to 300 miles of navigable waterways and 23 miles of coastal beaches. But Fort Lauderdale is on solid ground when it comes to hotel development and a strong infrastructure for meetings and conventions, with outstanding venues, group dining and off-hours entertainment and relaxation. Not to mention Fort Lauderdale’s easy-going nature, with Water Taxi transit along the Intracoastal Waterway and picturesque promenades leading to shopping, dining and historical attractions.
“Greater Fort Lauderdale offers the perfect blend of business and leisure, making it an ideal location for group meetings,” says Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale. “Our destination offers a unique synergy of professional excellence and tropical allure, creating an unparalleled experience for meetings that leaves a lasting impression.”
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) stays on the move with a host of new projects getting off the ground, including plans for a dedicated JetBlue terminal that will be responsible for 250 daily trips by 2027. The new terminal is a 230,000-sf project featuring five passenger gates, inbound and outbound baggage-processing facilities, a security checkpoint, retail and F&B concessions, and two elevated pedestrian bridges.
Just five minutes from the airport, the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center sits at the waterfront within walking distance of many local hotels, and less than a mile from Fort Lauderdale’s famed Blue Wave beaches.
Construction has started on major expansion that when completed will give the convention center more than 1.2M sf including a 350,000-sf contiguous exhibition hall, new dining concepts, a waterfront plaza and a new headquarter hotel—the 800-room Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel, which will be connected directly to the convention center while offering more than 120,000 sf of its own meeting and event space. The expansion and hotel project are expected to be completed in late 2025.
A South Florida legend, Pier Sixty-Six Resort is gearing up to re-open its doors in late 2024, offering visitors a luxe experience in a mid-century architectural style, with indoor/outdoor meeting and event space including waterfront lawns and ballrooms hosting hundreds of attendees.
From the beaches to the Everglades, Fort Lauderdale hotels and resorts fit the needs of both meeting and incentive groups. South of the airport area on Hollywood Beach, groups can join the party at the Margaritaville Beach Resort with its beachfront entertainment complex of near-constant live entertainment and vibrant restaurants and watering holes, including the famed 5’Oclock Somewhere bar.
West of the beaches—with its iconic and gigantic Guitar Hotel visible from both the highway and your descending plane—the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino hosts some of the biggest names in entertainment, thousands of hopeful gamers and countless meetings in 120,000 ft of event space.
With 80 percent of the land set aside for preserves and parks, including the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve just outside Everglades City, and of course, Everglades National Park itself, attendees are bound to encounter some swamp things as they escape civilization—at least for a while—in this naturally beautiful corner of the peninsula.
Yet picturesque town centers, shops and restaurants, championship golf courses and museums are minutes away from the gators and great white herons.
“Amazing beaches, boutiques, culinary, culture and more…for extraordinary meetings, attendees will be delighted with all that awaits in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades,” says Lisa B. Chamberlain, CMP, group sales manager for Naples, Marco Island Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Hotels making news include The Great Wolf Lodge, opening in Naples this October. The property will include a 100,000-sf indoor water park, a 60,000-sf Great Wolf Adventure Park and 500 rooms along with restaurants and retail outlets. Construction is under way on the property, which will be located on the eastern edge of Collier County next to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.
Offering 12,000 sf of indoor/outdoor meeting space, the luxury LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort has reopened with fully renovated rooms and suites, welcoming visitors and locals back to favorites like the award-winning Baleen restaurant and popular SpaTerre Naples.
North of Naples, the Southwest Florida city of Fort Myers is famous for its connection with two of history’s great innovators—Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, who both had summer homes here on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. Today those homes, filled with artifacts, operate as museums, though the lawns are available for private events.
“Hosting a meeting at Fort Myers’ islands, beaches and neighborhoods has a way of leaving a lasting impression. Whether planning an intimate gathering or a larger event, we can accommodate it thanks to over 222,000 total square feet of meeting space and over 10,000 hotel rooms in the greater Fort Myers area,” says Jill Vance, director of sales, Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau. “Venues include historical homes, open-air restaurants, and hotel ballrooms, creating a unique and welcoming backdrop that inspires creativity and innovation. What piques the interest of most planners is the beautiful weather, white-sand beaches and immersive nature and restorative experiences for attendees, including a boat tour to Cabbage Key or exploring wildlife in its natural habitat at J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge and Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.”
Fort Myers also is home to a major airport—Southwest Florida International Airport, served by most domestic carriers, including Delta, JetBlue and Southwest, as well as Air Canada.
Hit hard by Hurricane Ian in September 2022, Fort Myers and its islands of Sanibel and Captiva have been steadily recovering, with Fort Myers Beach coming back strong with new properties, including a Margaritaville Beach Resort, whose grand opening was this past December. The new resort offers more than 5,079 sf of indoor meeting space and up to 15,239 sf of outdoor space.
Set in the Downtown River District, the new Banyan Hotel Fort Myers, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, is within two blocks of the 40,000-sf Caloosa Sound Convention Center, managed by Luminary Hotel & Co., Autograph Collection. Luminary Hotel & Co. is next door to the convention center and offers an additional 10,000 sf of indoor and outdoor function space.
North of Fort Myers and set against shimmering Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda is like a slice of Old Florida and picturesque enough to keep its film permitting office very busy.
Anchored by the 44,000-sf Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center located on the waterfront in Punta Gorda’s downtown district, meetings here got a major boost with the Dec. 15 opening of the Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor, the first resort of its kind to open in the area in more than 13 years.
With 785 rooms and suites, 20 bar and restaurants, the Lorelei Spa, two pools and a private golf course, not to mention a prime location overlooking Charlotte Harbor, Sunseeker is surrounded by pristine waters and rivers and makes a beautiful incentive destination in addition to serving meetings with 60,000 sf of indoor/outdoor space accommodating up to 1,200.
The Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor is an invaluable asset to our county in both visitation and job creation,” says Sean Doherty, tourism director for the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau. “We predict the positive economic impact on our tourism industry will open the doors for a new set of visitors to the area and further establish Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach as a premier destination for sun seekers to Southwest Florida.”