[ON LOCATION] LAUREL HERMAN
Tampa Bay, a city blossoming with cultural diversity and creativity, is home to an array of hotel and venue options, providing meeting and incentive groups memorable and unique experiences.
This past July, Prevue attended Destinations International’s annual conference, with almost 2,000 attendees that convened in Tampa Bay’s downtown convention district enjoying an inspirational and educational conference at headquarter hotels JW Marriott Tampa Water Street and Tampa Marriott Water Street, connected by a sky bridge. Welcoming the delegates from 30 countries, President & CEO of Visit Tampa Santiago Corrada told attendees, “Tampa Bay is a vibrant community with a rich tapestry of diverse cultures, including indigenous heritage such as Seminole and Miccosukee and we are known for fostering a culture of inclusivity where every individual is valued, welcomed and respected.”
Attendees flowed between the two properties for all of the sessions. Adam DePiro, Chief Sales Officer for Visit Tampa Bay, tells Prevue, “The JW Marriott coming on to the scene in Tampa has been transformative, opening up our destination to attract all kinds of new events.” DePiro also explains that the pillars of selling Tampa are history, culture and diversity, and that their branding campaign “The Tampa Bay Effect” shows planners that the destination is both relaxing yet high-energy, therefore offers amazing opportunities for groups of all kinds. Adds DePiro, “When selecting Tampa for an event, there is so much destination appeal that it translates in a very positive way for event professionals to have successful results.”
Speaking to the variety, Tampa Bay’s 2.6-mile Riverwalk is home to a myriad of attractions and restaurants, including Sparkman Wharf, a popular outdoor food hall where the conference’s opening party took place; this is an excellent example of a creative and wow venue for planners to use. On the conference’s closing night, attendees were treated to the city’s Latin American and European influences (Cuba, Spain, Germany and Italy) in the Ybor City Historic Landmark District, the city’s entertainment district. At the heart of the district is the Columbia restaurant—opened in 1905 and taking up a whole block, it features Cuban cuisine and groups can book for up to 1,700. There’s also a flamenco show to add to the cultural experience. While in Ybor City, groups can visit the J.C. Newman Cigar Company factory. The only cigar factory in America that still makes handmade cigars, this is a stellar museum showing its 67-year history of cigar making in Tampa. Groups can book teambuilding cigar rolling classes here and take tours on cigar-making.
The newly renovated, 600,000-sf Tampa Convention Center features waterfront views, new meeting spaces that allow the natural light and former Michelin chefs that can create special menus for groups. The convention center has a 36,000-sf ballroom space on the first floor and another 24,000 sf on the second floor, which features The Landing, an outdoor space that overlooks the water and can host 400 people reception-style. On the third floor is where all the 200,000 sf of exhibit hall space sits. Lastly, on the third and fourth floors, you’ll find the new 18 waterfront meeting rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and airwalls to adjust size as needed, with the top floor offering outdoor balcony space as well.
The compact downtown convention area features a number of hotels including the aforementioned Marriotts, which together offer 1,250 rooms and almost 150,000 sf of meeting space. The JW Marriott property has 45 event rooms, the largest being a 30,000-sf ballroom. The sister property has almost 50,000 sf of meeting space with 19 event rooms.
On-property, we loved the Beacon rooftop bar at the JW Marriott where groups of up to 45 can enjoy creative cocktails and bites with views as well as a teambuilding cocktail class experience. The hotel also offers the SiX restaurant on the sixth floor with indoor/outdoor dining.
The downtown district also features The Westin Tampa Waterside with 299 keys. All of the aforementioned properties are a stone’s throw away on foot from the convention center.
Meetings are also popular near the airport area, along Tampa Bay. A boutique hotel consideration is the 178-room The CURRENT Hotel, An Autograph Collection with a spectacular rooftop restaurant Casa Cami serving scrumptious Mexican-inspired cuisine with indoor/outdoor seating. The property is right on wide-open Tampa Bay with 5,392 sf of indoor meeting space plus outside areas such as a pool area overlooking the bay.
For a larger hotel, planners will appreciate the 443-room Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, located minutes from the airport and surrounded by 30 acres of land that acts as a sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. The resort was renovated in 2023 and features 30,000 sf of indoor/outdoor meeting space plus a 10,000-sf tent.
Near the University of Tampa you’ll find the Oxford Exchange, which is ideal for groups up to 250 seeking a unique venue. This 1880s historic building has been thoughtfully modernized and renovated and now features a restaurant, a bookstore, a coffee bar and lots of spaces for groups to network and collaborate. Upstairs, there are private meeting rooms as well.
visittampabay.com/meeting-planners; marriott.com; columbiarestaurant.com; jcnewman.com; thetampacc.com; westintampabay.com; grandhyatttampabay.com; oxfordexchange.com