Meeting and convention business is a vital part of Miami’s top industry – travel and tourism, according to VP of Sales at the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Barry Moskowitz.
In 2012, the city welcomed nine citywide meetings from the medical, corporate, financial and tradeshow markets. These events attracted more than 40,000 delegates and generated an economic impact of US$50m.
Miami offers meeting planners 50,000 hotel rooms with a mix of resorts, convention hotels and boutique hotels. Major meeting facilities include two convention centres: the Miami Convention Center in the heart of downtown Miami, which can accommodate 5,000 delegates, and the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC), which features 92,900sqm of event space and 70 meeting rooms.
During the 2012 fiscal year, MBCC’s management company, Global Spectrum, generated a profit at the venue for only the second time in its 50-plus year history.
A renovation project at MBCC continues to move along, with the initial proposed plan including a complete overhaul of the existing space, a connected hotel, more parking, a larger ballroom and shaded green space.
“One of the biggest meeting industry stories from the past year in Miami-Dade County has been the proposed renovation of our venue,” says MBCC General Manager, Bob Balsam. “City leaders have chosen Rem Koolhaas and South Beach ACE as the master developer and the public will now have their chance to vote on the project. We look forward to seeing the positive results.”
Major conventions and tradeshows held at MBCC include the American Society for Radiation Oncology Convention, Goldwell Colour Zoom event and the American Academy of Periodontology meeting. Upcoming events include the 4Life International Convention 2013 and Informex 2014.
Other meeting venues in Miami include the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts with a capacity for up to 8,000 delegates; Miami Marlins Park, a new baseball stadium that can host concerts and tradeshows; Pérez Art Museum Miami, which opens in December 2013; and Bongo’s Cuban Café, with an open-floor layout and two terraces for 300 guests.
Miami boasts a subtropical climate with annual average daily temperatures of 23° celsius and offers a selection of beaches, arts centres, sport venues, boutiques, clubs and restaurants to keep delegates entertained during their conference downtime.
This was first published in issue 73 of CMW. Any comments? Email cmw@mashmedia.net
