Corporate & Incentive Travel....

SOUTH FLORIDA:

SUN, FUN, AND SERIOUS MEETINGS OPTIONS

When Henry Flagler's famed Florida East Coast Railway reached Palm Beach in 1894 and Fort Lauderdale and Miami in 1896, few could have predicted the visitor boom for South Florida. For decades, the trains brought tourists and businesspeople south to the Sunshine State for sun, fun...and meetings.

Today, airlines and airports have made Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami even easier to reach. Modern hotels and resorts, ever-expanding convention facilities, and a host of attractions have made sunny South Florida one of the world's top choices for meeting planners.

"Southeast Florida, like other Florida destinations, is an ideal location for meetings and conventions," says Austin Mott, president and CEO of Visit Florida. "With a network of convention and visitors bureaus, we are ready to assist meeting planners in all capacities of the planning process."

AN HISTORIC MEETING SITE

Meeting planners have had it made in the shade (and sun) in South Florida for an entire century. Elegant resorts located near each railhead made the destination popular back in the late-1800s, from Palm Beach's Royal Poinciana (with a banquet room for 1,600) to Miami's Royal Palm (with a six-hole circular golf course for post-meeting rounds).

Later in the century, additional legendary resorts like The Breakers, the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Pier 66, The Biltmore, the Fontainbleau, and Doral drew even more visitors south. The advent of airline travel and major convention facilities simply fueled the fire for South Florida meetings.

As the area approaches the millennium, meetings are more attractive than ever. Additional convention facilities, new hotels, major renovations, and much more will keep South Florida making meeting history well into the 21st century.

BALMY AND PALMY

Palm Beach County's slogan is "The Best of Everything" and it's easy to see why. The variety of options include a wide variety of accommodations options, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, exceptional support services, and many sporting and recreational amenities. Some of the 'best' includes: 47 miles of beaches; more than 15,000 guest rooms in more than 200 hotels and resorts; 2,000 restaurants; more golf courses (145) than any other county in the nation; 1,100 tennis courts; and 40 museums and cultural attractions.

The largest county southeast of the Mississippi, Palm Beach County stretches 47 miles along the Atlantic coastline from Jupiter/Tequesta in the north to Boca Raton in the south. The county is 53 miles at its widest point and encompasses more than 2,000 square miles of lush tropics. That's a lot of meeting space.

But that meeting space is going to get much better. Plans for the county's proposed $51.4 million convention center are on track. Located beside the CityPlace retail and hotel complex, the convention center will have about 150,000 square feet of total meeting space. It is currently scheduled to open in early-2001.

The coming enhancement of the meetings scene is currently augmented by an active Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Our main objective is to provide planners with a variety of complimentary services to enhance the ease of conducting business in our destination," says Benny Baez, the CVB's vice president of marketing.

The Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a wide range of meeting planner services. Some standard and unique offerings include: airport ambassadors; local service and vendor contacts; brochures and promotional items; on-line information; a slide library with hundreds of Palm Beach County scenes; shell brochures with blank space for printing meeting information; attractions information; suggestions for theme party venues; creative off-site function possibilities; and an active spouse program.

"I feel very strongly that building relationships with a CVB can enhance our skills as meeting planners, as well as provide better service to our clients," says Karen Lynch, Supervisor, Corporate Meetings for American Express Corporate Services. "Kimberly Chorniewy [a sales manager for Palm Beach County's CVB) visited our American Express office in Milwaukee to speak to a group of meeting planners on 'How to Use a CVB.' Kimberly's experience, poise, professionalism, and polish demonstrated how very important a CVB is to us."

Following in the legacy of Henry Flagler and developer Addison Mizner, the hotel and resort scene is stronger than ever. The biggest news is the January completion of the $40 million Mizner Center at the famed Boca Raton Resort & Club. The 128,000-square-foot meeting facilities includes more than 80,000-square-feet of function space, all of which is at ground level and framed by lofty Venetian ceilings reminiscent of Mizner's original Cloister Inn.

Four multi-functional ballrooms are divisible into 29 individual salons accommodating groups of 15 to 2,800. The Mediterranean-style center features and expansive and lushly landscaped 12,000-square-foot Great Lawn and 6,000-square-foot Spanish Terrace, providing a convenient setting for outdoor events and receptions. Several outdoor courtyards with tropical gardens, fountains, and hand-painted tiles surround the indoor spaces. Amenities at the legendary resort include 963 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites, 11 restaurants and lounges, a Tennis & Fitness Center, two championship golf courses, five swimming pools, a private beach and full-service marina.

Other hot hotel and meetings news includes the return of The Breakers to Mobil Five Star status and the award of AAA Five Diamond Rating to The Ritz-Carlton, the Four Seasons Resort, and The Breakers (only 57 were awarded in the U.S.). Further news of note includes major renovations at the Sheraton Oceanfront (5,500-square-feet of meeting space) and the Four Seasons Resort (additional oceanfront dining), enhancements at the Heart of Palm Beach Hotel and Jupiter Beach Resort, and planned upgrades at the Sheraton West Palm Beach Hotel and the Courtyard by Marriott West Palm Beach. Finally, the new Residence Inn by Marriott features 78 studios and one- or two-bedroom suites designed primarily for business travelers.

The area has a number of unique locations for events. Some of the possibilities include: the Duncan Theatre (720-seat state-of-the-art theater and 120-seat lecture room); the Burt Reynolds Ranch (a unique sound stage setting with old movie memorabilia); Ragtops Motorcars (a 16,000-square-foot antique car dealership with a 1920s showroom and 1950s drive-in for groups up to 300); the Old School Cultural Arts Center (refurbished 1925 gymnasium listed in the National Register of Historic Places, including the quaint Angelique Tea Room and Crest Theatre); the Norton Museum of Art (theater, courtyards, Great Hall, classroom space, and a fully-equipped kitchen); Palm Beach Atlantic College (range of facilities for 5 to 300); Palm Beach Community College (newly-opened facility with auditorium and exhibition area); Palm Beach Jai Alai (auditorium, VIP rooms, and an international room available all year); West Palm Beach Auditorium (meetings or exhibitions); and the South Florida Entertainment Center and Exposition Center (full-service facility with 85,000-square-feet of exposition and meeting space in 11 buildings). Many other unique facilities can be coordinated by CVB personnel.

In addition, Wizard Studios International recently opened a full service events production office in the area. They have exclusive rights to special events with the Palm Beach County Maritime Museum and the Chameleon Club. The Maritime Museum, located on Peanut Island and accessible only by boat, features a 1930s Coast Guard Boathouse and the Kennedy Presidential Safehouse, providing many opportunities for unique theme parties. The Chameleon Club, located on trendy Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach, is an ideal setting for private functions.

FORT LAUDERDALE MAKES 'BREAKS' BETTER

Less than 15 years ago, Greater Fort Lauderdale was attracting 350,000 college kids and very few meetings. The city was the setting for "Where the Boys Are," the most famous 'college romp' movie ever made, and a few weeks of sophomoric fun, but very few meeting planners or attendees dared visit.

Then the community, including all elements of the tourism industry, got together and decided to change Greater Fort Lauderdale's image. Recognizing that Spring Break severely limited its opportunities to draw tourists and meetings, the region's public and private sectors established the goal of turning Greater Fort Lauderdale into a multi-faceted tourism destination that would attract the widest range of visitors from around the country and the world. Meetings and conventions would play a prominent role.

What followed was an almost unbelievable commitment on the part of all members of the destination to the process of change, risking large amounts of money to make it possible. Major investments were also made in attracting new hotels and resorts (Hyatt, Radisson, Doubletree, Clarion, and Embassy Suites all established chains) and an ambitious and innovative marketing campaign was launched to changed the world's perception.

Most important for meeting planners, the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center was built and immediately established itself as one of the best managed and most attractive facilities of its size in the country. The 370,000-square-foot facility with five-star food service is easily accessible to the airport, hotels, cultural district, and the new beachfront promenade.

As 1997 figures show, both perception and reality have changed dramatically. The area hosted a total of 176 meetings and conventions, with an estimated total attendance of 135,947 and economic impact of at least $143 million. Among the groups choosing Greater Fort Lauderdale in 1997 were: Harley Davidson, the American Academy of Audiology, the National Air Transportation Association, and the International Boat Show. The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center is also setting the stage for continued success, with planned meetings including the National Sunday School & Baptist Training Union Congress (25,000 attendees), the National Association of Postmasters (14,600 attendees), and the National Sheriff's Association (6,000 attendees).

"We've been coming to Fort Lauderdale since the convention center opened and our people look forward to returning every year," says Linda Adams, associate vice president for the Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association. "We think it has the best of both worlds for our international attendees: a very usable convention center and a perfect setting."

Meeting planners like Ms. Adams are drawn to 23 miles of sandy beaches, 28,000 hotel rooms in every price range, more than 3,000 restaurants, a variety of spectator and participant sports, a world-class cruise port, and the user-friendly Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. But this former Spring Break mecca is getting even better.

Continuing its development as one of the country's leading meeting facilities, the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center will spend more than $15 million to expand by a total of 150,000 square feet, including 50,000 square feet of exhibit space. Investments on the hotel scene will exceed $67.5 million by the year 2000, with projects by Marriott, Holiday Inn, Amerisuites, Crowne Plaza, Embassy Suites, and other companies.

But the biggest news in the meeting and hotel arena is the $72 million 500-room Fort Lauderdale Convention Center Hotel. Scheduled to open in early-2000, the hotel will be the nation's largest hotel built and owned by an African-American-owned company. "I plan to give Broward County a first-class convention center hotel of which the people of this community will be proud," says R. Donahue Peebles, president of Peebles Atlantic Development Corporation.

As the official headquarters for the center, the 330,000-square-foot hotel is expected to play a powerful role in attracting even more conventions and meetings to Greater Fort Lauderdale. The hotel will be primely located along the Intracoastal Waterway, adjacent to the convention center and less than three miles from the airport. Just one mile west of Fort Lauderdale's famous beaches, the hotel site is located within Port Everglades, the second busiest cruise ship terminal in the world.

In addition to offering direct access to the convention center by an enclosed skywalk, the hotel will offer panoramic views of the Intracoastal Waterway, cruise ship activity in Port Everglades, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. The newly-opened Planet Hollywood and America Live restaurants are also located adjacent to the hotel site. More than 250,000 room nights have been pre-booked and there is a possibility for a 500-room expansion.

"Not only will this four-star on-site hotel give our convention center everything it needs to compete against the top meeting destinations in the country, but our new Convention Center Hotel will be a key component in Greater Fort Lauderdale's incredible $1.5 billion investment in new tourism-related infrastructure and facilities by the year 2000," says Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and recipient of Corporate & Incentive Travel's Award of Excellence. "We are making history, as this magnificent hotel will be the final element we need to complete one of America's finest convention center complexes."

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Meeting Planners Guide provides a plethora of valuable information for meeting planners, including free convention center space offers, convention center specifications, accommodations and meeting space details, unique venues, culture, sports, transportation information, and a variety of CVB and private convention services.

MIAMI IS NEON-HOT

Greater Miami and the Beaches are hot when it comes to attracting meetings. A winning combination of varied convention facilities, unique lodging, and the cultural cornucopia that makes Miami the 'Crossroads of the Americas' has made Miami and Miami Beach one of the world's hottest meeting destinations.

"Quite simply, Miami is one of our favorite destinations," says Annette Morris, manager of meeting and travel services for the Ralston Purina Company. "The great meeting facilities are augmented by lots of recreation and a fantastic nightlife. That's an ideal combination for my groups."

For the third year in a row, visitors flocked to the Miami area in record numbers, posting all-time highs in many segments and reporting the highest satisfaction ratings to date. "An astounding 96 percent of our visitors said they were extremely or very satisfied with their visit to Greater Miami and the Beaches," says Merrett R. Stierheim, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

A trio of outstanding convention facilities give Greater Miami unusual variety for planners. Whether the meeting is on the beach, in the Grove, or downtown, Miami has a boatload of briefcase space.

Spanning four city blocks with an elegant style of architecture, the Miami Beach Convention Center is located within walking distance of the beach and the historic Art Deco District. The newly expanded and renovated convention facility features more than one million feet of functional space and more than 500,000 square feet of contiguous space. The 2,746-seat refurbished Jackie Gleason Theater is adjacent to the convention center.

In the heart of downtown Miami and near the beaches and international financial district, the Miami Convention Center and James L. Knight Center are designed to maximize convenience and flexibility. The convention and function site includes 37 meeting rooms, a 444-seat auditorium, and a 117-seat lecture all, accommodations 20 to 5,000 people in a variety of configurations.

Finally, the Coconut Grove Convention Center offers 150,000 square feet of contiguous space subdividing into five halls ranging from 7,000 to 55,000 square feet. Convenient to the area's vibrant shopping, dining, and nightlife, this facility can be adapted to host conventions, exhibitions, and satellite feeds.

This trio of convention facilities is accompanied by an orchestra of 566 hotels with a total of 53,437 rooms. Convenient downtown, Coconut Grove, beach, and airport locations combined with a wide range of amenities continue Miami's menu of meetings options. Aside from the convention center and hotel, the Atlantic Ocean, world-class cuisine, sizzling nightlife, a cauldron of culture, shopping, recreational opportunities, and a bustling airport and cruise ship port make Miami a complete meetings destination.

Some of the latest developments reflect Miami's continued success in the meetings market. The Loews Miami Beach Hotel is a perfect example. This $135 million project will be Miami Beach's first new convention hotel in more than 30 years. Scheduled to open in October, the hotel will incorporate 100 rooms from the restored St. Moritz Hotel, a 1939 Art Deco gem, with a 700-room 17-story tower, 85,000 square feet of meeting space, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, six restaurants and lounges, and a 4,000-square-foot fitness center and pool.

Other hotel happenings include: the 316-room five-star Mandarin Oriental International Limited and 300-room J.W. Marriott developments in downtown Miami's Brickell financial district in 2001; the completion of a $25 million renovation for the Westin Resort Miami Beach; enhancements to meeting rooms, ballrooms, and guest rooms for the recently renamed Wyndham Hotel Miami-Biscayne Bay; the opening of the Holiday Inn Westside Corporate Center and the corporate value-conscious Homestead Village; the $5.5 million renovation of the Mayfair House Hotel in Coconut Grove; and multi-million-dollar renovations of the meeting spaces at Sheraton Biscayne Bay and Hotel Inter-Continental Miami, Miami Dadeland Marriott, the David William Hotel in Coral Gables. Many other improvements are taking place in the hot Miami hotel scene.

Other developments of interest to Miami-bound meeting planners include: a recently completed $90 million expansion at Aventura Mall; one of the country's highest grossing regional malls; several new stores in the ever-popular Streets of Mayfair in Coconut Grove; a 30-foot carousel in busy Bayside Marketplace; a huge expansion at Miami Beach's Art Deco Bass Museum of Art; the state's first all-electric free shuttle service in South Beach; the innovative 24-hour Miami Beach Visitor Hotline introduced by South Beach tourism pioneer Michael Aller; a new 74-passenger Water Taxi serving Bayside Marketplace and waterfront hotels and restaurants in Miami and Miami Beach; and Bus One, offering round-trip bus service between Miami and Orlando, with reclining seats, an on-board attendant, television, headphones, and bathrooms.

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau provides a wide range of services to meeting planners. A third of their staff of 75 is exclusively devoted to the convention and meetings markets.

From the Palm Beaches to the neon-hot beaches of Greater Miami, South Florida is an historically perfect pick for meeting planners. The sun, fun, and meetings just keep getting better with each spectacular sunrise.

Quote/Picture Resources:

Austin Mott, Visit Florida--call Maria Hayworth at 904/488-5607

Benny Baez, Palm Beach CVB--call Anne Hersley at 561/471-3995

Karen Lynch, American Express, 414/298-4714

Nicki Grossman, Fort Lauderdale CVB--call Francine Mason at 954/765-4466 or Tami Rosas at 212/754-6500

Linda Adams, Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association, 407/295-7994

Merrett R. Stierheim, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, call Jeanne Sullivan at 305/539-3104

Annette Morris, Ralston Purina, 314/982-4018