Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1250928
B M & T ••• January/February 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 15 Tampa Convention Center Waterfront location brings the warmth and light of the Florida sun- shine right into your meeting rooms. Treasure awaits you at the Tampa Convention Center, a 600,000-sq. ft. meeting and convention facility with unique architectural designs and spec- tacular waterfront views that provide an ideal setting for your next meeting. The convenience of a vibrant downtown, adjacent first-class accommodations and Florida's largest variety of destina- tion offerings allows you to pan and execute with ease. MEETING AT THE BEACH M ajor regional medical conventions, hemispheric financial conferences, and international professional gather- ings have been held at beachside resorts and venues for years. But increasingly — thanks to the availability of meeting rooms and exhib- it space, together with today's modern telecommunications network, frequent airline connections, and unmatched tourist attractions — many of the beach destinations across the world are being recognized as the locations of choice for businesses, organizations and profes- sional groups that want to complement the usefulness of their meetings and conferences with pleasure. Beach Resorts are especially preva- lent in Central America and the Caribbean. Closely related to these resorts are convention and large meet- ing sites. Generally these occur in cities where special meeting halls, together with ample accommodations as well as varied dining and entertainment, are provided. Typically, in these cities there might be several hotels that are located close to each other, allowing for multi- ple functions at different spots. Many of the beach resorts/hotels around the world offer a comfortable and fun environment for functions such as weddings, family reunions, bachelor/bachelorette parties, fraternal organization conferences and many other types of group meetings. Because of the all-inclusive aspect of most of the beach resorts planners have the option to offer their clients reasonable package deals that could save money in the pocket book in the long run. And we know EVERYONE likes a deal! Planning a meeting at the beach can be a very exciting venture. The experi- enced planner has the option to make efficient use of your group's time by interweaving substantive business meetings with entertaining "theme nights," intriguing excursions, visits to cultural attractions and, of course, lots of simple leisure-time fun. Trips to his- toric sites, or natural attractions, or championship golf courses, or world- class shopping centers, or magnificent beaches, can be easily integrated with the formalities. DOSWELL INGRAM