Regional Guide: Florida

By Georgia Schrubbe

The fourth most-populated state in the United States, Florida has a varied geography, from its miles of white-sand beaches to the balmy Everglades. Though it seems like the emphasis on Florida’s tropical climate is overdone, it’s one of the reasons Florida is a popular meetings destination—consistently warm temperatures allow planners to host outdoor events, even in the middle of winter. Home to some of the oldest structures in the country, many areas in Florida can give attendees a history lesson with an inspiring event or meeting.

Miami

Miami is often thought of as a playground for the rich and famous. With an abundance of luxury hotels, designer shopping and South Beach nightclubs where celebrity sightings are all but uncommon, Miami is a place where people want to go. “You can have a hotel anywhere,” says Ari Shapiro, president of Reliable Facility Placement, a site selection company. “The destination is so key. Miami has an appeal.”

Miami continues to appeal to meeting professionals thanks to its diverse assortment of event spaces. Shapiro says its central location and international airlift make it desirable to planners worldwide. The Miami Airport Convention Center has 172,000 square feet of meeting space and is adjacent to a newly renovated DoubleTree hotel. Downtown is the Miami Convention and Conference Center and its 444-seat auditorium, 117-seat lecture hall and 20 meeting rooms. The center is located on the third and fourth floors of the James L. Knight International Center/Hyatt Regency Miami complex, which also has meeting space. Getting around is easy with Metromover, a 4.4-mile tram that loops around downtown and interconnects with Metrorail and Metrobus; the service is free. Additionally, for large events, the Miami Beach Convention Center has more than 1 million square feet of flexible space and is within walking distance of 2,000 hotel rooms. For clients who want a high-end facility, Shapiro says finding a hotel with enough space can be difficult. He held two events at nearby Fontainebleau Miami Beach in 2012, a landmark hotel that underwent a $1 billion renovation in 2008. It has 1,504 guest rooms and 107,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes 58 meeting rooms. Shapiro’s group enjoyed the on-site venues, which include 12 restaurants, lounges and bars, as well as the proximity to hot spots such as Miami Beach Golf Club, South Beach’s shopping and dining, and the Art Deco District, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Naples

Bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the Everglades to the east, Naples is a prime destination for ecotourism, but its tourism niche lies in the luxury market. Two hours northwest of Miami via Interstate 75, high-end shopping, swanky hotels and expertly designed golf courses await visitors to the Paradise Coast. According to the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, the Southwest Florida International Airport—30 miles north of Naples—has serviced more than 5 million passengers each year since its expansion in 2005, making Naples easily accessible.

Mary Feng, senior director of operations for Consero Group LLC, says accessibility made the group’s 2011 General Counsel Forum a success. “The area had fantastic air transfer,” she says. “It was very easy for our clients to travel inbound from the United States and abroad.”

Feng’s event was held at the Waldorf Astoria Naples, a 23-acre resort with an abundance of amenities attendees found pleasing, she says. Two restaurants, a multi-pool complex, a spa and the Naples Grande Golf Club are just a few. The property also offers more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space. Less than a mile away are the Waterside Shops, a collection of designer retailers and restaurants situated amongst beautiful fountains. A short drive into the heart of Naples is Tin City, home to waterfront dining, specialty shops and old Florida charm. Downtown, attendees can explore the boutiques, restaurants and bars of Fifth Avenue South, then head to Third Street South for art galleries and antique shops among historic buildings and lush landscaping.

Take your event beachside at the 450-room Ritz-Carlton, Naples. Its 42,000 square feet of meeting space includes 20 conference rooms and two ballrooms at more than 10,000 square feet each. Guests also have access to seven dining options, a spa and 18 holes of golf at the nearby Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.

Orlando

Disney World may be the most magical place on earth, but its host city Orlando is the most-visited destination in the United States with more than 55 million visitors each year. Served by one major interstate, Interstate 4, several state roads and two international airports, Orlando is an accessible and popular location for meetings and events.

“Orlando is a world-class meeting destination with a variety of facilities to accommodate small groups as well as large, citywide conventions and trade shows,” says Tammi Runzler, senior vice president of convention sales and services at Visit Orlando. “From world-famous theme parks and world-class dining to distinctive shopping, unlimited nightlife and a lively arts scene, Orlando is considered a dynamic meetings destination.”

The downtown area is built around Lake Eola and features an active and growing cultural, arts and entertainment scene, with James Beard-nominated restaurants, art galleries and the developing Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Accessible from downtown Orlando by the LYNX public transportation system, taxi or car is the Orange County Convention Center, a 2.1 million-sq.-ft. facility with 74 meeting rooms, a 200-seat lecture hall and the multi-use Valencia Ballroom that holds 6,000 people. Comprised of two buildings connected by a pedestrian bridge, the center accommodates events of all sizes and provides on-site parking for attendees. Situated in the middle of the two convention center buildings, a short walk from its main entrance, is The Peabody Orlando, a Forbes Four Star, AAA Four-Diamond hotel with 300,000 square feet of meeting space. Planners can choose from the Peabody’s five ballrooms, three outdoor venues and 105 breakout rooms.

“Orlando’s accessibility, multitude of accommodation options—nearly 450 hotels—and variety of meeting and venue space allow any size group with any budget to plan an overall overwhelming experience that produces positive results,” says Runzler.

Palm Beach County

Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware, Palm Beach County stretches more than 2,000 square miles—the largest county in Florida. Within this 2,000 square miles known as “America’s First Resort Destination” are a variety of versatile meeting venues, Palm Beach International Airport, and 47 miles of beaches accessible from Interstate 95.

One mile from I-95 and less than a mile from downtown West Palm Beach is the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Built in 2004, the convention center’s main exhibit hall is 100,000 square feet, with a 22,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 19 meeting and breakout rooms totaling approximately 21,000 square feet. The convention center is half a mile from CityPlace, a 72-acre outdoor shopping and entertainment center that has 100 shops and restaurants for attendees to explore during down time. Higher-end shopping can be found on the waterfront Worth Avenue, a 100-year-old shopping venue with designer labels such as Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton. Hotels within walking distance of CityPlace include the Hyatt Place West Palm Beach and the West Palm Beach Marriott, which has 18,000 square feet of meeting space.

Located in the center of Palm Beach County are the South Florida Fairgrounds, suitable for large trade shows and expos with the 140,000-sq.-ft. Americraft Expo Center and 19,000-seat open-air Cruzan Amphitheatre. Smaller-scale expos can be held at the West Palm Beach Event Hall, west of I-95, or its 16,000-sq.-ft. neighbor, “The Box,” a raw space expo center. The Event Hall has three available spaces: the 3,237-sq.-ft. Bradley Suite, 2,540-sq.-ft. Flagler-Poinciana Suite and 1,050-sq.-ft. Worth Room. All halls can be combined to accommodate up to 950.

Pensacola

More than 450 years old and the first European settlement in the United States, Pensacola is best known as the home of the Blue Angels, a team of well-trained Navy pilots who perform synchronized air shows around the country. Pensacola is accessible from Interstate 110 and the Pensacola International Airport. The largest meeting space in the area is the Pensacola Civic Center, located off I-110 and less than two miles from the heart of historic downtown. The civic center has 22,000 square feet of total meeting space and can accommodate up to 10,000 people. The arena floor, ideal for large trade shows and exhibits, is 20,000 square feet, and there are 12 meeting rooms. The civic center has a catering staff that can create any type of menu, including one that offers the region’s fresh seafood.

The downtown area is undergoing continuing revitalization, with its Main Street recently reconstructed, the recently built Admiral Mason Park and new businesses opening almost monthly. Attendees in town can visit the National Naval Aviation Museum with more than 150 restored aircraft from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Planners can also choose from beachfront condominiums and hotels for smaller venues, or they can use the entire Pensacola Beach Conference Campus. Nine hotels, three condos and approximately 100 beach homes headquartered around the Pensacola Hilton comprise the campus, giving planners 38,000 square feet of meeting space and 25 meeting rooms. The campus is located within walking distance of the Portofino Boardwalk, which has dining, shopping and outdoor entertainment options. For attendees wanting to see it all, the 360 Pensacola Beach Observation Wheel brings you 200 feet up for a 10- to 12-minute ride. With 42 fully enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas that hold six and have UV-protective, non-reflective glass, the perfect view is yours.

St. Augustine

Though no longer occupied by its original Spanish founders, St. Augustine retains traces of its European history. The oldest continuously occupied settlement in America, the city is accessible from Interstate 95 and is served by the Jacksonville International Airport, an hour from St. Augustine. The historic downtown area, situated on Matanzas Bay, is experiencing a rehabilitation of a portion of the seawall that protects many of the historic structures from flooding, but that doesn’t stop visitors to the city from exploring its many attractions, shops and restaurants.

Located approximately 15 miles from downtown is the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center, a hotel and conference center combination that houses the 40,000-sq.-ft. St. John’s Convention Center. The resort and convention center have 101,000 square feet of total meeting space, including 15 breakout rooms and the new 15,000-sq.-ft. outdoor venue La Terrazza, which accommodates up to 2,000 guests. The resort provides a complimentary shuttle downtown for guests and complimentary transportation to and from the Jacksonville airport for groups with a minimum of 50 rooms booked for at least two nights and ordering two catered meals daily.

The St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach areas have other golf resorts and hotels available for meeting planners, including 56,000 square feet of space and 32 meeting rooms at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa. For planners looking for a venue within the historic downtown, the Casa Monica, St. Augustine’s only AAA Four-Diamond hotel, has 12,000 square feet of meeting space in two ballrooms and three meeting rooms. The building evokes a castle, and its largest space, the 3,560-sq.-ft. Casa Monica Ballroom, can hold up to 400. The mild climate gives planners opportunities to set up outdoor teambuilding activities, like a St. Augustine Eco Tour or offshore boat charter.