Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/3106
DAYTONA BEACH With the completion of a $76 million expansion of the Ocean Center Convention Complex, the Daytona Beach area is ready to roll out the red carpet for your meeting group. Completed at the end of 2008, this high- ly anticipated expansion of the convention complex added 100,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and 30,000 sq. ft. of new meeting space, nearly tripling its size. In addition to the Ocean Center, the area offers an array of other unique meeting facilities including the world-famous Daytona International Speedway/- Daytona 500 Experience; the News-Journal Center in downtown Daytona Beach; the historic oceanfront Bandshell and Oceanfront Park; the Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center; Peabody Auditorium; and the area's most famous asset – the beach. Home to approximately 13,000 hotel rooms, groups meeting in the Daytona Beach area will find accommo- dations to fit any budget, along with the recognizable brand names you have come to trust, including Hilton, Wyndham, and Marriott. The Daytona Beach area is a great place for work and play. The area's legendary 23 miles of sparkling beaches are perfect for castle building, cycling, jogging, fishing or just relaxing in the sun. A popular golf desti- nation, the area is home to several championship greens that make it an ideal spot for year-round golfing fun. Unique shopping and dining spots can be found along Beach Street in historic downtown Daytona Beach and along Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach. The area's newest shopping, dining and enter- tainment complex, Ocean Walk Shoppes at Ocean Walk Village is the perfect place for fun. Enjoy the 10-cinema theater complex, restaurants and plenty of apparel and gift stores all just steps away from the Atlantic Ocean. New resort spas also await visitors. The area's newest, Terra Acqua Day Spa at the Daytona Beach Resort & Conference Center, joins The Spa at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. Indulge at The Shores Resort & Spa, the Vacation Therapy Spa at Ocean Walk Resort and Ocean Waters Spa at The Plaza Resort & Spa in offering visitors a complete respite that rejuvenates the mind, body and spirit. Daytona Beach is also rich with an African-American history that encompasses several of the twentieth centu- ry's most prolific leaders. The seaside city is home to sev- eral African-American heritage sites that are listed on the National Historic Register, including the former homes of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman University, and famed theologian, Dr. Howard Thurman, who created, taught and wrote of a climate of action-oriented nonviolence that was later inherited and institutionalized by the Civil Rights Movement. Also listed on the National Historic Register is Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach, where in 1946, baseball icon Jackie Robinson broke the "color barrier" in U.S. professional sports by playing in the first racially integrated baseball game in modern Major League Baseball history. To plan your next reunion, meeting or convention in the Daytona Beach area contact: Sally Gardiner, Director of Convention Sales Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau 126 East Orange Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (800) 544-0415 ext. 129 Fax: (386) 255-5478 sgardiner@daytonabeachcvb.org www.daytonabeach.com Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 40 ly compliments the 220,000 sq. ft. of contiguous meeting and exhibit space. In addition, all Disney hotels are Green-Lodging certified by the Florida E.P.A., and Disney has created an exciting variety of health & well- ness options along with Green business practices avail- able for all meeting & convention groups. Each hotel offers amenities found in the world's finest destinations, from award-winning restaurants to relaxing spas and full-service marinas. Beyond the hotels and parks, Disney has championship golf courses, water sports & fishing on sparkling lakes, a world-renowned sports complex featuring the all-new Jostens Center, two water parks and nighttime entertainment districts. It's all part of the magic of meeting at Disney – where the options are unlimited, and the experiences unforgettable. For more information about hosting a Disney meeting, contact Walt Disney World Resort at (321) 939-7221 or visit disneymeetings.com. Florida Special Advertising Section Aerial view, Daytona Beach Photo Credit: Daytona Beach CVB