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B M & T ••• November/December 2016 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 30 TAMPA, FL Tampa Bay's perfect mix of affordability, accessibility and attractions make it the ideal place to unlock the potential of your next meetings. Attendees will love to discover their ever-expanding opportunities for unique dining, enjoyable recreational choices and unparalleled meeting venues. Waterfront location brings the warmth and light of the Florida sunshine right into your meeting rooms. Treasure awaits you at the Tampa Convention Center, a 600,000- sq. ft. meeting and convention facility with unique archi- tectural designs and spectacular waterfront views that provide a great setting for your next meeting. The con- venience of a vibrant downtown, adjacent first-class accommodations and Florida's largest variety of destina- tion offerings will ensure the success of your conference. The Tampa Convention Center makes it easy to do business with well-appointed, comfortable spaces, Wi-Fi access, an on-site business center, audio/visual services, and in-house receiving and shipping. The facility fea- tures a 200,000-sq. ft. Exhibit Hall that can be divided into 75,000-, 100,000- or 125,000-sq. ft. spaces, a 36,000- sq. ft. Ballroom that can handle up to 3,600 theater-style, 36 meeting rooms and 84,000 sq. ft. of flexible pre-func- tion space. Tampa Bay accommodations range from lavish resort hotels to cozy motels and four-diamond delights. Tampa's impressive portfolio of meeting properties include: the 442-room Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay with 23,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space in 19 rooms, and 10,000 sq. ft. of outdoor meeting space; 475-room DoubleTree by Hilton Tampa Westshore Airport, 12,000 sq. ft. in 16 rooms; 520-room Hilton Tampa Downtown, 30,000 sq. ft. in 19 rooms; 800-room Saddlebrook Resort Tampa, 95,000 sq. ft. in 34 rooms; 719-room Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina, 50,000 sq. ft. in 33 rooms; and the 299-room Westin Tampa Harbour Island Hotel, 18,000 sq. ft., in 13 rooms. Whether you have a few hours or an entire day to explore, there are plenty of wild-to-mild Tampa attrac- tions awaiting you when the work- day is done. The Tampa Museum of Art provides the region with world- class traveling exhibitions, a growing collection of contemporary and clas- sical art, expanded educational pro- grams and access to scenic outdoor events in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Tampa's Riverwalk. Or you and your attendees can experience the dramatic landscapes of the Serengeti at Safari Wilderness Ranch, without setting foot on an airplane. You can tee off at one of nearly 100 Tampa golf courses. The Armed Forces History Museum, dedicated to honorably preserving our military history and educating our current and future generations as to the sacrifices made by so many to pre- serve our freedom, is another option. And of course, there' world famous Busch Gardens® Tampa, the ulti- mate adventure, combining world-class thrill rides, live entertainment and one of North America's largest zoos attractions, shopping, dining and more. There are boutique hotels, pre- mium properties, business hotels and welcoming inns all offering comfort- able meeting space and overnight accommodations. With over 5,000 sq. ft. of attractively appointed meeting space, the Best Western Plus Tacoma Dome Hotel is one of Tacoma's top venues for conferences, seminars, weddings, and special events of up to 200 guests. The Courtyard Marriott - Tacoma Downtown, is another option, featuring 6,661 sq. ft. of total meeting space in seven rooms, the largest space – the Cascade Ballroom – able to accommo- date groups as large as 450. After the meetings are done for the day, Tacoma has much to offer. Everything from America's Car Museum, the world-famous Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, to the Washington State History Museum, downtown Tacoma with its premier galleries, theaters and shopping, and the Chambers Bay Golf Course, nestled against the shores of Puget Sound, for those who'd like to get outdoors and hit the links. Sea-Tac International Airport, just 18 miles north of Tacoma with easy access from Interstate 5, is the major airport serving Washington State. y p sq. ft. meeting and convention facility with unique archi- q D W 16 D ro R ro W sq W H an pl tio da A cl co sic gr ev Pa you and your attend Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay