Visit Florida - (Page 10)

Nathan Benderson Park, Sarasota PALM BEACH COUNTY GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE Known worldwide for its luxurious Palm Beach neighborhood, Palm Beach County also includes West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Delray Beach, among others. All of them are easily accessible in the county, providing an impressive variety of venues and experiences. "Our International Polo Club and Winter Equestrian Festival are ideal, unique and one-of-a-kind experiences that can be offered to incentive groups that will provide an experience of a lifetime for any incentive reward recipient," says Douglas McLain, senior VP, global sales at Discover Palm Beach County. Having just been ranked number #4 in the country for Best Shopping by Conde Nast, organize group shopping outings at: Worth Avenue Shops, Palm Beach; Town Center Mall Boca Raton; The Gardens Mall, Palm Beach Gardens; and the soon to open Palm Beach Outlets in West Palm Beach. The DMO offers an innovative array of support services. "We offer 2-day destination Meeting Planner Training Camps that cover topics from menu planning, costing, hotel negotiations, and more," says McLain. "A discounted rate is offered, and a low registration fee, so this is a great way to visit the Palm Beaches while getting some great refresher training without the time pressure of an ofﬁcial FAM trip." Looking ahead, the new 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach at Palm Beach County Convention Center is scheduled to open in 2015. It will offer two ballrooms, eight conference rooms and a 27,000-sf pool deck with cabanas for al fresco events. Next door, CityPlace is a shopping, dining and entertainment district with multiple upscale group venues. In late 2014, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport will open a new 8,000-foot runway, providing a signiﬁcant increase in ﬂight trafﬁc per hour. Furthermore, Terminal Four is expanding with eight new gates. Over the last decade, few destinations in the country have grown their inbound arrivals like Greater Fort Lauderdale, which includes the cities of Hollywood and Pompano Beach. Hotel and dining/entertainment product continue to grow as well. The arrival of the new Pompano Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa provides a boutique-style beach experience in the northern part of Broward County within easy distance to many shops and restaurants. In Hollywood, Jimmy Buffett's 350-room Margaritaville Resort is scheduled to open in 2015. Fort Lauderdale, meanwhile, is one of Florida's best city beaches with a glittering array of group hotels. "Active and authentic experiences that integrate people with one another and give them an opportunity to truly enjoy the area's surroundings, culture, history and natural beauty are our greatest assets," says Christine Roberts-Tascione, CMP, VP of convention sales/services for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB. "Though many people still enjoy the offerings in Greater Fort Lauderdale for outdoor, water, beach, spa or golf, new activities gaining in popularity are paddleboarding through Anne Kolb Nature Center, taking a guided nighttime airboat adventure in the Everglades at Sawgrass Recreation Park, or participating in a customized scavenger hunt throughout the area." The DMO reaches out to qualiﬁed planners to introduce them to Greater Fort Lauderdale with three campaigns: "Wake 44 | prevue magazine 35-55_FLORIDA.indd 44 FloridaMeetings.com 1/8/14 8:43 AM http://www.FloridaMeetings.com

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Visit Florida