Visitors
from across the globe are taking in the sun and sea, and getting down
to business, whether visiting Miami
for trade shows, corporate training programs or just stepping off
a cruise ship at Port Miami for a shopping expedition.
The
Greater Miami
Convention and Visitors Bureau reports a 5.4 percent increase in
corporate and leisure travel over the last 12 months. The 15.1
million visitors brought $25.1 billion to the Miami economy and give
plenty of reason for local hospitality groups to develop resources to
serve a growing need.
Miami
is a natural breeding ground for homegrown conferences too.
Hispanicize,
a Miami-based annual event for Hispanic trendsetters in music and
film, is a leader in the local movement to attract international
attention to the region. The Miami Herald credits Hispanicize with
bringing corporate sponsors to Miami,
including speakers from
Facebook, the
White House, Google, and Toyota, according to a recent article
in the Miami Herald, titled: “In
Miami, homegrown conferences are heating up.”
Venture
Up of Miami agrees that the city is heating up. Since 1983, the firm
has provided corporate team development programs throughout Florida.
“Recent
years have shown an upshot for team building venues in Miami,”
says Mike Donnelly, Venture Up Program Director, who also leads
training programs at local corporations.
Many
of the Venture Up’s training eventss take place indoors at resorts
and at corporate headquarters in Miami, especially in summer when
humidity is high, Donnelly says. “In the past, Orlando was a top
spot for our team building events,” he says. “Now Miami is the
hot spot.”
In
terms of serving the trade show and convention industry, a $615
million renovation project is underway at the Miami Beach Convention
Center. An 800-room headquarters-hotel is slated to open in March
2019.
“We are breaking record
upon record across industry indicators and are only beginning to
realize the full potential and incremental economic impact,” says
GMCVB President & CEO William Talbert, III in a recent article
published by the South Florida Business Journal.
Miami
International Airport expects a record 43 million passengers by 2016,
according to the article
by staff writer Emon Reiser. Port Miami expects to surpass its
4.8 million multiday cruise passenger record, reinforcing its name as
of the “Cruise Capital of the World.”
There’s
much good news for locals too. The influx has created 4.6 percent
more jobs in Miami-Dade than last year, bringing the total to more
than 134,300 positions in leisure and hospitality. Miami tourism has
hit a wave of growth, and the local economy keeps smiling.
