Destination: Florida

Visit Florida implemented a creative marketing campaign, “Share a Little Sunshine,” to boost in-state tourism in 2009 and destinations around the state joined in by adding special touches for meeting planners from custom Web sites for your attendees (Visit Jacksonville) to custom branding on artisan soaps (Naples Soap Company).
“Everything is about being visitor-focused and visitor-centric,” says Tracy Louthain, Beaches of South Walton director of PR and visitor services. “Folks are getting more creative; it is more about packaging. It isn’t just about coming and staying at a specific property, but what else comes along with that. Whether that is making sure you have a beach chair set up when you arrive or adding unique experiences … how is it being taken to that next level?”
Gulf Beaches to inland waters
Curiously, visitors will find that the farther north you travel in Florida, the more “Southern” Florida becomes. Drive into Northwest Florida from the south and you’ll find billboards for Walt Disney World and Ron Jon’s Surf Shop give way to rolling hills and moss-swept drives.
Panama City and its meeting facilities are abuzz about the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport arriving in May (see “New in Town,” page 56). The Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort opened the SeaWatch Conference and Entertainment Center on the water at the beginning of 2009, adding 4,000 square feet of meetings space to the resort’s existing 3,000 square feet. The Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort recently revamped with a new logo, Web site and renovation of its 32,000-sq.-ft. conference center. The Bay Point Marriott Golf Resort and Spa, with 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space that can accommodate meetings ranging from 10 to 700, has a Marriott’s Meetings Matter promotion through the end of the year.
North of Panama City Beach, the Beaches of South Walton (including picturesque Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach and Seaside) stretches west into the more developed
Emerald Coast towns of Destin and Fort Walton Beach. Known for its pastel-painted beach cottages and new urbanism developments (Seaside was the setting for “The Truman Show”), the area offers a postcard-ready backdrop for retreats and small to medium-sized groups that favor seclusion.
Go inland from Seaside, off U.S. 98, and you’ll find idyllic Eden Gardens State Park, a 163-acre park and historic site centered on the Wesley house, a two-story mansion
surrounded by white columns and verandas and filled with antiques. Living up to its name, the park is filled with ornamental gardens with heritage roses, camellias and azaleas, as well as a butterfly garden and reflection pond. Large old Southern live oak trees with Tucker Bayou as a backdrop add to the dramatic setting. Tours of the house are offered and there are picnic areas, nature trails and a fishing dock. All and all, it’s an enchanting side trip for any group.
For a convenient all-in-one destination, the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, part of the Beaches of South Walton, has 1,500 total accommodations (ranging from hotel villas to rental homes) centered around two conference centers and the Village of Baytowne Wharf — an adjacent complex packed with entertainment, dining and shopping. Nearby, the 598-room Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa offers 32,000 square feet of meeting space, a 12,000-sq.-ft. spa and access to 72 holes of championship golf.
Destin Harbor is one of the most stunning sights on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Fishing boats, charter and party boats, sailboats and historic ships ply its blue, blue waters. Groups can party in the shallow bay waters of Crab Island, enjoy dinner cruises in the harbor, or head into deeper waters offshore for snorkeling or dolphin watching. There’s shopping, dining and entertainment at the Harborwalk Marina and surrounding the Destin bridge.
Meeting facilities and off-site venues dot the shoreline of the Emerald Coast and the inland lakes and rivers as you venture farther. The Emerald Coast Conference Center in Fort Walton Beach has more than 35,000 square feet of space, and venues including Pensacola’s National Aviation Museum and the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach are popular choices.
While the miles of white, sandy beaches are a huge draw, inland adventures offer another view of Florida. Blackwater River State Forest and its surrounding area has more than 1 million acres of wilderness for hiking, kayaking, birding and camping. Adventures Unlimited offers team-building exercises from ropes course to kayaking trips within the forest.
TAMIAMI TOUR
Tampa, the state’s third most populous city, is a popular choice for planners who are looking for convenience and an abundance of cultural options. The 600,000-sq.-ft. Tampa Convention Center has 4,000 hotel rooms within four miles of its waterfront downtown location, which is also home to the Florida Aquarium, St. Pete Times Forum arena and Channelside entertainment district. Three newly built museums add to the attractions: The Tampa Museum of Art, The Tampa Bay History Center and the Glazer Children’s Museum (opening late 2010). And the ever-expanding Tampa Riverwalk connects many of the downtown venues.
“The riverwalk is a lively and interactive waterfront experience that has become a vital component to the overall convention experience,” says Paul Catoe, president and CEO of Tampa Bay and Company. Consisting of green spaces, art installations and public entertainment venues, the Tampa Riverwalk makes the city an attractive destination for groups that value walkability.
For stunning beaches and a little more seclusion, Sarasota and the surrounding islands about 60 miles south of Tampa offer an attractive option for planners of small meetings and retreats. Of note is the 218-room Longboat Key Club and Resort in Longboat Key, just a quick jaunt over the bridge from downtown Sarasota. In addition to meeting space for up to 150 guests, the resort offers private beaches, a new 20-court tennis center, five restaurants and a new spa. Nearby, bustling St. Armand’s circle in downtown Sarasota has more than 140 shops and restaurants for attendees to peruse, including the famous Columbia Restaurant (order the mojito and the 1905 salad). Other nearby properties include the 294-room Hyatt Regency Sarasota and the 266-room Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.
Follow the Tamiami Trail south and Naples and Marco Island are sure to woo you. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, the brand’s flagship location, boasts 42,000 square feet of meeting space and a new high-tech game and entertainment center, the vue lounge — be warned: Once kids enter they may never be heard from again.
Send your attendees on a dolphin cruise on their free time where conservation isn’t just a sightseeing activity. On the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project, off the coast of Naples, attendees step aboard and immediately join in the research. Teams pick a crew chief, photographer, observer and recorder, and work together to collect data as they cruise the coastal, bay, river and estuary waters of the region.
Fort Lauderdale is another destination moving forward despite the floundering economy. Now home to the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s new Oasis of the Seas, and co-host with Miami for this past Super Bowl XLIV and Pro Bowl, Fort Lauderdale is stocked with brand new, lavish hotel properties to welcome groups and visitors. The re-opened 433-room Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale with 32,000 square feet of meeting space, the 486-room W Fort Lauderdale (the first W Hotel in Florida) and the 192-room Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale are all part of the new “Lauderdale Luxe Collection” designated by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
“The launch of the collection is a sure sign to visitors that we are truly a transformed beach chic hot spot,” says Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Miami is hardly seeing a slowdown either, and why should it? The area has an ever-growing array of hot new restaurants, nightclubs and artsy boutique hotels. Miami Beach’s recent re-openings of the 1,504-room Fontainebleau Miami Beach and its next door neighbor, the 632-room Eden Roc, have revived Miami’s 1950s celebrity-studded art deco period — Sean Connery, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin entertained and played at the Morris Lapidus-designed beach playgrounds. Keeping much of the original art deco architecture and interior designs, both hotels have updated the historic properties with stunning oceanview rooms, celebrity chef-anchored restaurants and modern amenities like the Fontainebleau’s in-room iMac computers and 40,000-sq.-ft. spa. And with three convention centers — the Miami Beach Convention Center with more than 500,000 square feet of space, the Miami Convention Center with 28,000 square feet of space and the Coconut Grove Convention Center with more than 150,000 square feet of space — planners have plenty of options for larger meetings.
Add a little magic
Orlando, the No. 1 ranked convention destination in the country (according to Metropoll, a study conducted for the meetings industry), has 112,000 hotel rooms in the city proper and 43 group-dedicated hotels that offer a combined 3 million square feet of meeting space in addition to the 7 million-sq.-ft. Orange County Convention Center. For planners of small to medium-sized groups, those numbers might be a bit intimidating, but the draw of Orlando is in its hospitality towards groups of all shapes and sizes.
“Orlando’s best assets are value and variety,” says Tammi Runzler, senior vice president of convention sales and services at the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, who points out that hotels can be found at all price points, from quality value brands like Best Western and Holiday Inn to the recently opened Waldorf Astoria Orlando. “There’s still a lot of value to be had in Orlando,” Runzler adds. “Many groups find dates at hotels they didn’t think they could afford.
“Meeting planners who are new to Orlando or haven’t visited in a while are surprised by the growth and development compared with other destinations,” says Runzler, who lists the newly opened 1,400-room Hilton Orlando and The Peabody Orlando’s current $450 million expansion (both are connected to the convention center) as examples. In addition, by the end of 2010 the city will have added two new theme parks: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Aquatica at SeaWorld, which opened in 2009. Plans are also in the works for a Legoland theme park, and Walt Disney World Resort is gearing up for an expansion of its Magic Kingdom park to be complete by 2013.
Kissimmee offers its own entertainment and attractions yet is easily accessible to Orlando and its resources. Horseback riding and other adventures of the great outdoors are among the diversions in Kissimmee in addition to its range of meeting facilities. One of the area’s largest meeting hotels, The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center has the largest in-hotel exhibition facility in the state, the Florida Exhibition Hall with 178,500 square feet of flexible space. The resort’s One Partner program offers credits to new meetings booked in 2010 to offset any attrition for that meeting.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Daytona Beach completed a $76 million expansion on its Ocean Center Convention and Entertainment Complex that included an addition of 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 30,000 square feet of new meeting space. Home to LPGA, United States Tennis Association, Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 Experience, and the Daytona Cubs, the beach town has sports in the air, but the sandy beaches, Museum of Arts and Sciences, and historical sites are also popular draws. Catch a deal at the The Shores Resort and Spa, where two meeting packages are being offered for 2010: The Shores Stimulus Package includes preferred room rates, various discounts and complimentary meeting space, while team building is offered with the Ultimate BOARD Package, which includes a private, one-hour surfing lesson for your group.
The northeast side of the Sunshine State is doing its fair share to lure in meetings. In addition to a newly launched social media site, udontknowjax.com, and a mobile site to help visitors get around like a local, Visit Jacksonville offers dedicated, custom Web sites for your meeting. Attendees can access detailed information specific to your meeting, as well as itineraries and area information. Information includes attractions such as the Riverside Arts Market — 160 artists, live music, street performers and a fresh produce market Saturdays from April through December — and deals and packages ranging from seeing the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars play to escapes to nearby St. Augustine or Amelia Island. Attractions such as the more than 300-year-old Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine are a short drive away for an afternoon excursion for attendees.
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, which boasts more than 1,500 animals and 1,000 plants, added the Asian Bamboo Garden and Komodo Dragon permanent exhibit in March 2009, which includes a garden that can accommodate as many as 250 people for a special event. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is another setting for events or simply to peruse. The galleries with collections of European masters, American impressionists and 18th century Meissen porcelain, as well as its historic gardens and education center, Art Connections, are available for rental.
Amelia Island, the laid-back island getaway known for its natural beauty and historic feel, seems to make time slow down, but its meeting facilities are as good as it gets. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island completed construction on its $22 million ballroom expansion, adding 11,000 square feet of meeting space to the property. The resort now has 35,000 square feet of available conference space.

Planners find the right fit with tailor-made meetings in the Sunshine State.

By Jennifer Nicole Dienst

C1003_Dest_FLA_MAIN_FtLauderdale1

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Visit Florida implemented a creative marketing campaign, “Share a Little Sunshine,” to boost in-state tourism in 2009 and destinations around the state joined in by adding special touches for meeting planners from custom Web sites for your attendees (Visit Jacksonville) to custom branding on artisan soaps (Naples Soap Company).

“Everything is about being visitor-focused and visitor-centric,” says Tracy Louthain, Beaches of South Walton director of PR and visitor services. “Folks are getting more creative; it is more about packaging. It isn’t just about coming and staying at a specific property, but what else comes along with that. Whether that is making sure you have a beach chair set up when you arrive or adding unique experiences … how is it being taken to that next level?”

Gulf beaches to inland waters

Curiously, visitors will find that the farther north you travel in Florida, the more “Southern” Florida becomes. Drive into Northwest Florida from the south and you’ll find billboards for Walt Disney World and Ron Jon’s Surf Shop give way to rolling hills and moss-swept drives.

Panama City and its meeting facilities are abuzz about the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport arriving in May (see “New in Town,” page 56). The Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort opened the SeaWatch Conference and Entertainment Center on the water at the beginning of 2009, adding 4,000 square feet of meetings space to the resort’s existing 3,000 square feet. The Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort recently revamped with a new logo, Web site and renovation of its 32,000-sq.-ft. conference center. The Bay Point Marriott Golf Resort and Spa, with 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space that can accommodate meetings ranging from 10 to 700, has a Marriott’s Meetings Matter promotion through the end of the year.

North of Panama City Beach, the Beaches of South Walton (including picturesque Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach and Seaside) stretches west into the more developed Emerald Coast towns of Destin and Fort Walton Beach. Known for its pastel-painted beach cottages and new urbanism developments (Seaside was the setting for “The Truman Show”), the area offers a postcard-ready backdrop for retreats and small to medium-sized groups that favor seclusion.

Go inland from Seaside, off U.S. 98, and you’ll find idyllic Eden Gardens State Park, a 163-acre park and historic site centered on the Wesley house, a two-story mansion surrounded by white columns and verandas and filled with antiques. Living up to its name, the park is filled with ornamental gardens with heritage roses, camellias and azaleas, as well as a butterfly garden and reflection pond. Large old Southern live oak trees with Tucker Bayou as a backdrop add to the dramatic setting. Tours of the house are offered and there are picnic areas, nature trails and a fishing dock. All and all, it’s an enchanting side trip for any group.

For a convenient all-in-one destination, the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, part of the Beaches of South Walton, has 1,500 total accommodations (ranging from hotel villas to rental homes) centered around two conference centers and the Village of Baytowne Wharf — an adjacent complex packed with entertainment, dining and shopping. Nearby, the 598-room Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa offers 32,000 square feet of meeting space, a 12,000-sq.-ft. spa and access to 72 holes of championship golf.

Dolphin-watching off of Florida's Gulf Coast

Dolphin-watching off of Florida's Gulf Coast

Destin Harbor is one of the most stunning sights on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Fishing boats, charter and party boats, sailboats and historic ships ply its blue, blue waters. Groups can party in the shallow bay waters of Crab Island, enjoy dinner cruises in the harbor, or head into deeper waters offshore for snorkeling or dolphin watching. There’s shopping, dining and entertainment at the Harborwalk Marina and surrounding the Destin bridge.

Meeting facilities and off-site venues dot the shoreline of the Emerald Coast and the inland lakes and rivers as you venture farther. The Emerald Coast Conference Center in Fort Walton Beach has more than 35,000 square feet of space, and venues including Pensacola’s National Aviation Museum and the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach are popular choices.

While the miles of white, sandy beaches are a huge draw, inland adventures offer another view of Florida. Blackwater River State Forest and its surrounding area has more than 1 million acres of wilderness for hiking, kayaking, birding and camping. Adventures Unlimited offers team-building exercises from ropes course to kayaking trips within the forest.

Tamiami tour

Tampa, the state’s third most populous city, is a popular choice for planners who are looking for convenience and an abundance of cultural options. The 600,000-sq.-ft. Tampa Convention Center has 4,000 hotel rooms within four miles of its waterfront downtown location, which is also home to the Florida Aquarium, St. Pete Times Forum arena and Channelside entertainment district. Three newly built museums add to the attractions: The Tampa Museum of Art, The Tampa Bay History Center and the Glazer Children’s Museum (opening late 2010). And the ever-expanding Tampa Riverwalk connects many of the downtown venues.

“The riverwalk is a lively and interactive waterfront experience that has become a vital component to the overall convention experience,” says Paul Catoe, president and CEO of Tampa Bay and Company. Consisting of green spaces, art installations and public entertainment venues, the Tampa Riverwalk makes the city an attractive destination for groups that value walkability.

For stunning beaches and a little more seclusion, Sarasota and the surrounding islands about 60 miles south of Tampa offer an attractive option for planners of small meetings and retreats. Of note is the 218-room Longboat Key Club and Resort in Longboat Key, just a quick jaunt over the bridge from downtown Sarasota. In addition to meeting space for up to 150 guests, the resort offers private beaches, a new 20-court tennis center, five restaurants and a new spa. Nearby, bustling St. Armand’s circle in downtown Sarasota has more than 140 shops and restaurants for attendees to peruse, including the famous Columbia Restaurant (order the mojito and the 1905 salad). Other nearby properties include the 294-room Hyatt Regency Sarasota and the 266-room Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.

Golfing in Naples, Florida

Golfing in Naples, Florida

Follow the Tamiami Trail south and Naples and Marco Island are sure to woo you. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, the brand’s flagship location, boasts 42,000 square feet of meeting space and a new high-tech game and entertainment center, the vue lounge — be warned: Once kids enter they may never be heard from again.

Send your attendees on a dolphin cruise on their free time where conservation isn’t just a sightseeing activity. On the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project, off the coast of Naples, attendees step aboard and immediately join in the research. Teams pick a crew chief, photographer, observer and recorder, and work together to collect data as they cruise the coastal, bay, river and estuary waters of the region.

Fort Lauderdale is another destination moving forward despite the floundering economy. Now home to the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s new Oasis of the Seas, and co-host with Miami for this past Super Bowl XLIV and Pro Bowl, Fort Lauderdale is stocked with brand new, lavish hotel properties to welcome groups and visitors. The re-opened 433-room Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale with 32,000 square feet of meeting space, the 486-room W Fort Lauderdale (the first W Hotel in Florida) and the 192-room Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale are all part of the new “Lauderdale Luxe Collection” designated by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

“The launch of the collection is a sure sign to visitors that we are truly a transformed beach chic hot spot,” says Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Miami is hardly seeing a slowdown either, and why should it? The area has an ever-growing array of hot new restaurants, nightclubs and artsy boutique hotels. Miami Beach’s recent re-openings of the 1,504-room Fontainebleau Miami Beach and its next door neighbor, the 632-room Eden Roc, have revived Miami’s 1950s celebrity-studded art deco period — Sean Connery, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin entertained and played at the Morris Lapidus-designed beach playgrounds. Keeping much of the original art deco architecture and interior designs, both hotels have updated the historic properties with stunning oceanview rooms, celebrity chef-anchored restaurants and modern amenities like the Fontainebleau’s in-room iMac computers and 40,000-sq.-ft. spa. And with three convention centers — the Miami Beach Convention Center with more than 500,000 square feet of space, the Miami Convention Center with 28,000 square feet of space and the Coconut Grove Convention Center with more than 150,000 square feet of space — planners have plenty of options for larger meetings.

Add a little magic

Orlando, the No. 1 ranked convention destination in the country (according to Metropoll, a study conducted for the meetings industry), has 112,000 hotel rooms in the city proper and 43 group-dedicated hotels that offer a combined 3 million square feet of meeting space in addition to the 7 million-sq.-ft. Orange County Convention Center. For planners of small to medium-sized groups, those numbers might be a bit intimidating, but the draw of Orlando is in its hospitality towards groups of all shapes and sizes.

“Orlando’s best assets are value and variety,” says Tammi Runzler, senior vice president of convention sales and services at the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, who points out that hotels can be found at all price points, from quality value brands like Best Western and Holiday Inn to the recently opened Waldorf Astoria Orlando. “There’s still a lot of value to be had in Orlando,” Runzler adds. “Many groups find dates at hotels they didn’t think they could afford.

“Meeting planners who are new to Orlando or haven’t visited in a while are surprised by the growth and development compared with other destinations,” says Runzler, who lists the newly opened 1,400-room Hilton Orlando and The Peabody Orlando’s current $450 million expansion (both are connected to the convention center) as examples. In addition, by the end of 2010 the city will have added two new theme parks: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Aquatica at SeaWorld, which opened in 2009. Plans are also in the works for a Legoland theme park, and Walt Disney World Resort is gearing up for an expansion of its Magic Kingdom park to be complete by 2013.

Horseback riding in Kissimmee

Horseback riding in Kissimmee

Kissimmee offers its own entertainment and attractions yet is easily accessible to Orlando and its resources. Horseback riding and other adventures of the great outdoors are among the diversions in Kissimmee in addition to its range of meeting facilities. One of the area’s largest meeting hotels, The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center has the largest in-hotel exhibition facility in the state, the Florida Exhibition Hall with 178,500 square feet of flexible space. The resort’s One Partner program offers credits to new meetings booked in 2010 to offset any attrition for that meeting.

Customer satisfaction

Daytona Beach completed a $76 million expansion on its Ocean Center Convention and Entertainment Complex that included an addition of 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 30,000 square feet of new meeting space. Home to LPGA, United States Tennis Association, Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 Experience, and the Daytona Cubs, the beach town has sports in the air, but the sandy beaches, Museum of Arts and Sciences, and historical sites are also popular draws. Catch a deal at the The Shores Resort and Spa, where two meeting packages are being offered for 2010: The Shores Stimulus Package includes preferred room rates, various discounts and complimentary meeting space, while team building is offered with the Ultimate BOARD Package, which includes a private, one-hour surfing lesson for your group.

The northeast side of the Sunshine State is doing its fair share to lure in meetings. In addition to a newly launched social media site, udontknowjax.com, and a mobile site to help visitors get around like a local, Visit Jacksonville offers dedicated, custom Web sites for your meeting. Attendees can access detailed information specific to your meeting, as well as itineraries and area information. Information includes attractions such as the Riverside Arts Market — 160 artists, live music, street performers and a fresh produce market Saturdays from April through December — and deals and packages ranging from seeing the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars play to escapes to nearby St. Augustine or Amelia Island. Attractions such as the more than 300-year-old Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine are a short drive away for an afternoon excursion for attendees.

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, which boasts more than 1,500 animals and 1,000 plants, added the Asian Bamboo Garden and Komodo Dragon permanent exhibit in March 2009, which includes a garden that can accommodate as many as 250 people for a special event. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens is another setting for events or simply to peruse. The galleries with collections of European masters, American impressionists and 18th century Meissen porcelain, as well as its historic gardens and education center, Art Connections, are available for rental.

Amelia Island, the laid-back island getaway known for its natural beauty and historic feel, seems to make time slow down, but its meeting facilities are as good as it gets. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island completed construction on its $22 million ballroom expansion, adding 11,000 square feet of meeting space to the property. The resort now has 35,000 square feet of available conference space.

Special places

Find out more about the Florida destinations below by clicking on the photos.

Nearby: Marco Island Marriott

Nearby: Marco Island Marriott

New in town: Panama City airport

New Airport: Panama City

Spotlight on: Tallahassee

Spotlight on: Tallahassee

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March 26, 2010 Posted Under: , , , , , , , , ,

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