Editor's Note: Florida Encounter 2013 took place from Dec. 4 to 6 at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens.
After taking a year off to retool and reboot, Florida Encounter came back in early December with its core mission intact: to pair meeting planners with suppliers hoping to transact group business into the Sunshine State.
And indeed, more than 80 planners met with 79 Florida travel industry members–including CVBs, hotels, resorts and attractions–in 7,422 appointments that took place in the recently renovated meeting space of PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens.
But the familiar was complemented by several new elements, including the addition of educational presentations and CEU (certified education unit) values for all sessions through PCMA (the Professional Convention Management Association).
“We are still a relevant, one-of-a-kind trade show,” said Cheryl Hatcher, director of domestic sales for Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing corporation and host of Florida Encounter.
“We have the attributes that planners want,” she continued, citing a recent DestinationMAP analysis from Smith Travel, determining the factors that influence a planner’s choice of meeting location.
“Of 40 North American destinations rated on a 10-point scale, Florida rated nine,” Hatcher said. “The average of the other destinations was 7.5 … in over half the categories, Florida rated number one.”
Hatcher listed convenient air travel, outdoor recreation, golf, beaches, moderate food and lodging and attractive pre- and post-tours among the top-rated segments. Not surprisingly, “great weather” was also on list, though that hardly needed mentioning at this particular trade show, which took place as an ice storm marched across much of the South on its way to the Northeast.
In Palm Beach County, though, balmy temperatures and plenty of sunshine were on tap as delegates explored the sprawling PGA Resort host property, fresh off a $100 million revitalization and boasting five championship golf courses, 19 Har-Tru tennis courts, a 33,000-square-foot health and racquet club, nine restaurants and lounges, and 40,000 square feet of self-contained conference space.
The weather also cooperated during the Dec. 6th groundbreaking ceremony for the Hilton West Palm Beach at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Set to open in third quarter 2015, the new 403-room headquarter hotel will create a resort setting in the middle of downtown West Palm Beach according to Kenneth Himmel, president and CEO of Related Urban, the hotel’s developer.
“Everything will look out on a pool and landscaped area,” Himmel said. “Choosing Hilton gives us an opportunity to compete in the state of Florida.”
Meanwhile, local officials cheered the new property’s business and economic prospects.
“The 10-year fiscal impact will be over $1 billion,” said Mayor Priscilla Taylor, representing the Palm Beach County Commission.
Doug McLain, senior vice president of global sales for Discover Palm Beach County noted the new hotel will fill a long-standing need.
“Planners have been asking for this from the very start,” McLain said. “Whether regional or national associations, they always need a core hotel for their key stakeholders, exhibitors and speakers.
“It’s going to be a sweet spot of a site because it brings both the resort and business elements to one area.”
