Florida Connects - Winter 2008 - (Page 18)

Convention By Lisa Humphrey Public Relations Representative Tampa Bay & Company Tampa Bay’s Package TAMPA IS AN IDEAL CONVENTION and meeting destination. With the opening of the 360-suite Embassy Suites, expansion of the Tampa Convention Center and redeveloped entertainment and historic districts, bookings for future conventions are at an all-time high. Tampa is now offering approximately 20,000 hotel rooms — 2,500 committable rooms downtown near the convention center and an additional 4,000 rooms within four miles of the convention center. The downtown waterfront is anchored by the 600,000-square-foot Tampa Convention Center. The center completed a $5.9 million expansion project in 2001, which doubled its number of breakout rooms to 36, and ﬁnished a complete renovation in 2007. The area around the convention center has seen a redevelopment boom in recent years and has become a bustling entertainment district. Following the convention center’s opening in 1991, The Florida Aquarium and the 21,000-seat St. Pete Times Forum opened in the mid-1990s and double as meeting facilities and offsite function venues. The opening of the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina and Channelside Bay Plaza entertainment complex followed in 2000 and 18 Florida CONNECTS Winter 2008 2001. Channelside Bay Plaza features 230,000 square feet of movie theaters, shops, restaurants and Tampa Bay & Company’s ofﬁcial Visitor Information Center. Channelside Bay Plaza is adjacent to the Port Authority, where departing cruises by Carnival, Holland America and Royal Caribbean cruise lines create a ﬂurry of activity. In 2001, the Yacht StarShip made its maiden voyage from Channelside and offers luxury dining cruises for small or large groups from downtown Tampa into the beautiful Tampa Bay. In response to the evolving convention package, many of Tampa’s accommodations have stepped up to the plate. The Sheraton Riverwalk Hotel in downtown Tampa has been converted from a Radisson property and underwent $8.5 million worth of renovation, re-opening in 2005. The Sheraton features 277 luxurious guest rooms and suites, a club lounge, Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds and meeting facilities including a new 5,000-square-foot ballroom that connects to the river deck. A brand new edition to the downtown skyline is the $100 million, 360-suite Embassy Suites Hotel Tampa, which opened in June 2006. This is downtown Tampa’s ﬁrst all-suite hotel and is located across the street from the Tampa Convention Center. With the inclusion of on-site audiovisual services, 13-foot ceilings for move-in, and nearly 2,000 square feet of pre-function space and professional service, this hotel is a jewel to meeting and convention planners. The new Embassy Suites Hotel Tampa at the Tampa Convention Center provides guests with a full complement of services and amenities, including 9,000 square feet of meeting space. In 2002, the TECO Line Streetcar System made its debut after a 56-year absence. The air-conditioned replicas of the original electric streetcars that whisked passengers around the city years ago link the attractions and facilities of the downtown waterfront and port to historic Ybor City. In addition, a rubber-wheeled trolley system connects the waterfront to the hotels and arts centers in north downtown and to the shops and restaurants of Hyde Park. Convention delegates can board the streetcar or trolley at the convention center and be conveniently and inexpensively transported to other entertainment areas. Ybor City, Tampa’s historic “cigar city” that doubles as the “nightlife capital of Florida’s West Coast,” has experienced a renaissance of its own. Historic social clubs such as the Ital-

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Florida Connects - Winter 2008 Contents Message from the Presidents Boards of Directors Chapter Calendars Member News Tampa Bay’s Convention Package Ready or Not Tampa North Florida Orlando South Florida Advertiser.com Index of Advertisers On the Radar

Florida Connects - Winter 2008

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