Florida’s convention centers are making news, with several impressive openings and enhancements. Following is a roundup of some of the latest developments around the state.
In Fort Myers, the Harborside Event Center expansion project is making strides. According to Donald Paight, executive director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency, the city is in preliminary negotiations with a San Ramon, Calif.-based developer that has proposed a 250-room Sheraton headquarters hotel to be directly connected to the center. Further renovations include upgraded electrical, lighting and sound systems, as well as new and more flexible air walls for the center’s 30,000-square-foot main hall. Pending approval by the city council, construction could begin in the second quarter of 2015.
Slated for completion at the end of April, the Emerald Coast Convention Center is unveiling Bayview Plaza, an expansive outdoor deck overlooking scenic Choctawhatchee Bay in Northwest Florida. The tentable space will be large enough to host concerts and large receptions.
It’s been almost two years since the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center became the state’s first convention center in Florida to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “green” certification. At the time, it was also one of only three convention centers nationwide to earn LEED Gold status from the U.S. Green Building Council for an existing building. But they’re not finished. According to Julia Johnson, sustainable programs manager, the center is exploring the possibility of building a greenhouse on-site to grow micro-greens, herbs and tomatoes.
Set steps away from the Atlantic Ocean in Daytona Beach, the Ocean Center is making a name for itself in the world of sports tourism. Recently hosting 14,400 attendees, spectators and participants for State Cheer and Dance, and 3,150 for the Florida Volleyball Festival, the center will welcome thousands more to the USA Gymnastics Junior Pan Am Championships in May and the 2014 World Championships for Men’s and Women’s Trampoline and Tumbling in November.
The Palm Beach County Convention Center will welcome an adjacent headquarters hotel in 2015: the Hilton West Palm Beach, offering 403 rooms, lush landscaping and its own meeting space. Now in its 10th year, the convention center encompasses 350,000 square feet, including 100,000 square feet of exhibit hall space, 21,000 square feet of additional meeting space and a 22,000-square-foot grand ballroom. Directly across the street is West Palm Beach’s Arts and Entertainment District, including the elegant Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, also offering function space.
