A conversation with Elliott Falcione of Bradenton Area CVB
As executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (BACVB), Elliott Falcione oversees tourism efforts for Florida’s Bradenton, Anna Maria Island, and Longboat Key communities. This includes the newly expanded Bradenton Area Convention Center, Powel Crosley Estate, Sports and Film Commission, Arts & Culture Alliance, and public-private tourism partnerships. Here, Falcione shares how the recent expansion of the convention center is a game changer for meetings in the Bradenton Area.
What makes the Bradenton Area, including Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, a great destination for meetings and events?
The Bradenton Area offers a Real Authentic Florida™ experience not found anywhere else in coastal Florida: a quaint seaside town with a low-rise coastline, sugar-white sand beaches, and turquoise blue waters that rival the Caribbean. Our Floribbean flavors, beachfront gatherings, eco-parks, and arts and cultural activities appeal to leisure and business travelers alike.
How does the newly expanded convention center enhance the Bradenton Area as a meeting destination?
Within the first year of operation, the expanded, renovated, and spacious Bradenton Area Convention Center is anticipated to stimulate the local economy through meetings and convention business, as well as event attendees bringing their families for “bleisure” travel. The $54 million project includes the addition of 95,000 square feet of conference space and renovations to the Gulf Islands Exhibit Hall.
The new convention center makes us an attractive option for small to mid-sized meetings, with gourmet offerings from our new in-house catering services, Gulf Islands Hospitality. The menu was carefully curated to showcase the unique Floribbean flavors of the Bradenton Area, giving meeting planners and attendees a sense of place through their palates.
Because the Bradenton Area CVB also manages the Bradenton Area Convention Center, our team can deliver a seamless experience. Meeting planners will experience personalized service from our sales team from start to finish of their events.
Downtown Bradenton is less than two miles away from the convention center and provides convenient access to unique offsite venues for welcome receptions and parties, just minutes away. With an array of additional diverse meeting spaces, the newly expanded and renovated convention center is anticipated to transform the Bradenton Area into a diverse meetings destination, offering a vibrant urban core just across the Manatee River and easy access to the world-renowned coastline of Anna Maria Island.
What unique spaces and features of the newly expanded convention center will appeal to meeting and event planners?
The convention center includes the renovated Gulf Islands Exhibit Hall, offering 32,400 square feet of space; a new 14,000-square-foot grand ballroom with banquet seating for up to 800 guests; four customizable breakout rooms, which can be divided into seven separate meeting spaces; and two 16,000-square-foot outdoor plazas, Bay Plaza and River Terrace, to take advantage of the Florida sunshine.
We are the only convention center of this size between St. Petersburg and Naples. Plus, we are less than 12 miles from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), which offers nearly 70 nonstop flights, and approximately 40 miles from Tampa International Airport (TPA), providing 85 nonstop domestic flights. Road access is convenient as well, with I-75 just four miles from the convention center.
How does the newly expanded convention center allow meeting planners to leverage the most available meeting space in tandem with the connecting Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa?
The convention center’s connection to the 252-room, full-service Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa provides efficiency and comfort, allowing meeting attendees to easily travel between the convention center and the hotel—just 112 steps—through a climate-controlled corridor connecting the two buildings. Every detail between the two buildings is designed to create a seamless experience, from coordinating modern coastal decor to complementary meeting spaces. We can host meetings year-round, rain or shine, because we are connected to the headquarters hotel. As a Florida destination, that truly sets us apart and allows us the versatility to book events any time of year.
Beyond the convention center, how might planners incorporate the unique charm of the Bradenton Area into their events?
The Avenue of the Arts is a cultural walkway just off the Riverwalk in downtown Bradenton. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature—the largest museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast—includes a manatee rehabilitation facility, where visitors can view these gentle “sea cows” as they prep to return to their natural habitat. Attendees can take a hands-on art class at the Herrig Center for the Arts, enjoy an evening of theater at the Manatee Performing Arts Center, or catch a local outdoor concert at the Riverwalk’s Mosaic Amphitheater.
IMG Academy is world-famous for the talent of athletes who graduate from their facilities. Planners can take advantage of the academy’s professional trainers through teambuilding tennis camps and golfing experiences.
The Bradenton Area has long been treasured for its quaint seaside towns, turquoise waters, and sugar-white sand beaches. Groups can enjoy a turnkey beach setup, complete with hand-delivered coconuts, before heading to one of our popular locally owned restaurants offering toes-in-the-sand dining and stunning sunset views.
What would you want to share about the Bradenton Area as a meetings destination that might surprise and resonate with planners?
Although the Bradenton Area has the capabilities of a large destination, it still radiates that Real Authentic Florida™ setting. Our partners and venues are dedicated to providing planners with the best service possible in order to execute their meeting or event in a way that aligns and even exceeds their expectations.
