SarasotaMeetings.com; @VisitSarasotaCounty
“Sarasota has a way of staying with people,” says Suzanne Hackman, director of sales and industry relations for Visit Sarasota County. “It’s not just the sunshine or the beaches—it’s the creativity, the culture, and the relaxed sophistication that turns a meeting into an experience.”
The 266-room Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota features 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space; its largest venue can accommodate 1,200 guests. Overlooking Sarasota Bay and downtown, Westin Sarasota features 255 guest rooms and 12,131 square feet of function space across seven rooms. Late last year, Hyatt Regency Sarasota was demolished to make way for the new 174-room Hyatt Centric Harborside, now under construction. The new hotel is expected to open in 2028 with 7,000 square feet of event space. Coastal resorts include the 168-room St. Regis Longboat Key, which has more than 31,000 square feet of event space, and Opal Collection’s 229-room Resort at Longboat Key Club, with 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, which includes a 5,256-square-foot ballroom with a capacity of 583 seated theater style.
Other venue options include Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, with a capacity of 1,200 guests (or 850 seated theater style). Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium has several venues, including the 10,000-square-foot Exploration Hall, which features a 400,000-gallon aquarium and accommodates up to 900 people in theater-style seating. The iconic Ringling Museum, once the winter estate of circus tycoon John Ringling, features various architecturally significant spaces and Italian Renaissance courtyards; the entire campus can accommodate 1,600 guests for events. The Ora, located on 32 acres and 10 minutes from downtown Sarasota, has 30,000 square feet of event space, including a nearly 10,000-square-foot ballroom.
