Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/633921
B M & T ••• November/December 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 16 I N T H E N E W S The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) announced recently record-breaking Travel and Tourism numbers with an impressive 5.4% increase in overnight visitors to Miami and the Beaches during the 12- month period between September 2014 and August 2015. During that time the destination welcomed 15.1 million overnight visitors up from 14.2 million over the same period for the previous year bringing the economic impact to an astounding $25.1 billion to the destination, up from $23.5 bil- lion, a 7% increase. The record-breaking numbers are released as the details for the new Miami Beach Convention Center are unveiled, providing the destination with an unprecedented opportunity for further economic impact and job growth through meetings and conventions business in the near future. "We are breaking record upon record across industry indicators and are only begin- ning to realize the full potential and incremental economic impact once the new Miami Beach Convention Center opens its doors," says President & CEO William D. Talbert, III, CDME. "The GMCVB is hard at work selling the destination both through leisure and group marketing campaigns. We are booking business today for tomorrow's convention center and fully leveraging our global sales offices, PR agencies, adver- tising and digital programs as well as targeting new business sectors in the pharmaceutical, tech, medical, insurance, finance industries among many more. Also, this year we are seeing a 5% increase in hospitality jobs and already we are the number one industry for employment growth in the destination. The future is even brighter." THE NEW MIAMI BEACH CONVENTION CENTER (MBCC) Once home to Muhammad Ali boxing matches, the NFL Super Bowl Media Headquarters, NAACP National Conferences and both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and today home to Art Basel Miami Beach, the Miami Beach Convention Center is being reimag- ined as a state-of-the-art LEED certified facility with more than 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a 60,000-sq. ft. mixed use ballroom and 81 new break-out rooms spanning 190,000 sq. ft. The $615 million investment has already contributed to notable meeting bookings including the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), International Association of Chiefs of Police and The Premier Association of Financial Professionals (MDRT). The new MBCC is expected to bring an additional $100 million per year to the destination's economic impact. In addition to the renovated and expanded facility, the GMCVB is fully sup- portive of the proposed headquarter hotel. The adjacent hotel build-out will provide the destination with an 800-room, Art Deco inspired hotel. The future hotel, developed by Portman Property Group, will provide meeting planners and future convention organizers with an easily accessible hotel directly linked, lobby to lobby, to the renovated MBCC via Sky Bridge. For more information on the newly renovated and expanded MBCC, visit the GMCVB dedicated website www.MBCCReimagined.com.. SUPPLY KEEPS UP WITH DEMAND With airport arrivals up 5.5% this year, and the average visitor stay extending to six nights, people are staying longer because there is simply more to see and do, especially in the city's diverse and multicultural neighborhoods. The past 12 months show a 3% increase in rooms sold across the destina- tion for an all-time record of 13.2million room nights. Revenue Per Available Room increased 7% from $146.48 to $156.70 as the community prepares to welcome an additional GREATER MIAMI CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU ANNOUNCES RECORD-BREAKING TOURISM NUMBERS AND UNVEILS DESTINATION GROWTH PLANS Rendering of Miami Beach new Convention Center Miami and the Beaches to Undergo a Meetings & Conventions Renaissance Fueled by a $615 Million Renovation and Expansion to the Miami Beach Convention Center And Bountiful New Destination Attractions.