“The Greater Fort Lauderdale area is the perfect place for a meeting due to its connectivity and beachy allure,” says Visit Lauderdale CEO Stacy Ritter. “Here, business and leisure blend seamlessly, making it a win-win for any type of event, business or social.”
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center is undergoing a significant expansion and renovation. The project includes increasing the main exhibit hall space to create 350,000 square feet of contiguous space, a new 65,000-square-foot ballroom, a waterfront plaza with multiple group event spaces, and unique dining options. A new 801-room Omni hotel will open next to the venue in 2025 and will feature 120,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, as well as extensive dining, retail, and spa amenities.
Among the Greater Fort Lauderdale area’s 38,000 hotels with event space is the 1,000-room oceanfront Diplomat Hollywood Beach Resort. Components include more than 209,000 square feet of flexible event space for 5,000 and 39 meeting rooms accommodating up to 225 guests. The Diplomat Landing & Marina contains 12,000 square feet of flexible event space for 700 guests. Groups also can lease the Diplomat’s yacht or host an event at any of the resort’s numerous outdoor spaces, including one with an infinity pool and another with a lagoon. The 1,271-room Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood contains 120,000 square feet of event space, while the 650-room Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa boasts 50,622 square feet of event space for a capacity of 1,800 guests.
The 595-room Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, which recently renovated its guest rooms, boasts 31,000 square feet of space for events of up to 800 guests. Other hotels with meeting and event space include the B Ocean Resort Fort Lauderdale, with 487 guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of event space; the 361-room Embassy Suites by Hilton Fort Lauderdale, featuring 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space; and the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel, which has 236 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of event space.
Greater Fort Lauderdale also has many new or renovated hotels, several of which are in the Convention Center District. The 14-floor, 138-room Aloft Hotels by Marriott at Fort Lauderdale Airport opened late last year.
The new 376-room Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina will open later this year and feature 42,000 square feet of event space, including
19 meeting rooms.
Known as the “Venice of America” for its lush maze of rivers, canals, and waterways, Fort Lauderdale has a water taxi transportation service—available for private charters—that stops at the convention center and follows a route stopping at hotspots like the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk, the Galleria Mall, and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.
For other options, hop on a Segway tour and cruise by mega yachts, mansions, and iconic locations while learning about the area’s history, or glide through the Everglades on a custom-built, state-of-the-art airboat at Everglades Holiday Park. Larger airboats are available for groups of 15 or more.
