Corporate & Incentive Travel....

THE SUNSHINE STATE:

EVERYTHING BUT SNOW

Unless you want some skiing as an in-state amenity, Florida has everything. Sunshine State shines with lots of sun, bountiful beaches, outdoors galore, a wealth of attractions, and a successful legacy of hosting meeting and incentive travelers. Florida just may be the ultimate destination for planners and their clients. And, if you really need some snow, Walt Disney World even offers some of that--at Blizzard Beach.

"Ever-increasing meeting and convention space and supplier capabilities offer planners expanded options to create the perfect meeting for any interest, origin, and market," says Austin L. Mott, III, president and chief executive officer of Visit Florida, the unique private/public partnership designed to promote tourism to Florida. "Florida also serves as a great extended stay destination, with more than 1,000 golf courses, 7,700 tennis courts, numerous popular attractions, the best beaches in the U.S., a year-round comfortable climate, tropical landscapes, and breathtaking beauty. Meeting and convention attendees may bring their families for extended stays."

From as far back as the late-1800s, Florida has always been at the forefront of tourism and business travel. When Henry Flagler's famed Florida East Coast Railway reached Palm Beach in 1894 and Fort Lauderdale and Miami in 1896, few could have predicted the visitor boom for Florida. For decades, the trains brought tourists and businesspeople south to the Sunshine State for sun, fun...and meetings.

Today, service by virtually all airlines and many modern airports have made all of Florida even easier to reach. Modern hotels and resorts, ever-expanding convention facilities, and a host of attractions have made sunny the state one of the world's top choices for meeting planners.

Meeting planners have had it made in the shade (and sun) in Florida for an entire century. Elegant resorts located near each railhead made the state popular back in the late-1800s, from Palm Beach's Royal Poinciana (with a banquet room for 1,600) to Miami's Royal Palm (with a six-hole circular golf course for post-meeting rounds).

Later in the century, additional legendary resorts like The Breakers, the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Pier 66, The Biltmore, the Fontainbleau, and Doral drew even more visitors south. The advent of airline travel and major convention facilities simply fueled the fire for Florida meetings.

As the state approaches the millennium, meetings are more attractive than ever. Additional convention facilities, new hotels, major renovations, and much more will keep Florida making meeting history well into the 21st century. But one of the biggest developments has nothing to do with new buildings--Florida's official Internet Meeting Planners Site (IMPS) has put the state at the meeting planning forefront again.

VIRTUAL PLANNER...www.imps.net/fla

For planners wired into the efficiency of using the internet, Florida's IMPS is a web winner. "The IMPS is a continuously updated database of hotels, attractions, car rentals, airlines, convention and visitors bureaus, and related facilities that cater to Florida's meetings and conventions industry," says Austin Mott. "Planners can also take advantage of our consumer website for general information about Florida as a destination at www.flausa.com."

Developed for Visit Florida by Worth Technology in Orlando, the IMPS has virtually everything a planner needs in searching the databases for information, resources, and specific contacts, as well as requesting multiple proposals from locales. Vice president Gary Herman says, "No other state has a meeting planner website with all of these helpful features. Meeting planners definitely love one-stop research and the ability to send multiple RFPs."

For those who still like the feel of a traditional meeting planners guide at their fingertips, Visit Florida offers one of the best meeting planner guides in the nation. Published jointly twice a year with Worth International Communications in Miami Lakes (parent company of Worth Technology), the 'Florida Official Meeting Planners Guide' contains everything needed to research destinations, learn about changes and improvements, and find specific contacts for convention services. For a state like Florida, it's an invaluable resource. Combined with the IMPS, it's hard to beat Florida's meeting planner resources.

But resources are only as good as the destinations served and that's where Florida really shines. From the Panhandle in the northwest to the Florida Keys, there's a Sunshine State destination for everyone.

NORTHWEST

The panhandle region is definitely an up-and-coming part of the state. From the state capital to the glimmering white sand beaches, the northwest part of Florida offers some unique opportunities to meeting planners.

The state's capital, Tallahassee, offers big-city facilities in a small-town environment. The state's original meeting was probably held here, when a momentous 1823 hilltop get-together resulted in the naming of the city as the state's headquarters.

The Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center features six meeting rooms, with the largest holding 1,000 people, while the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center at FSU's campus has 12 modern rooms, seating up to 375 in the largest one. Additional space is now available at the unique new Tallahassee Antique Car Museum and the Capital Cultural Center. The Dale Mabry Conference Center right at the Tallahassee Regional Airport offers another convenient option.

Other smaller facilities are available in this bustling city, less than 90 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico, as is a great C&VB to enhance planning. "Tallahassee's C&VB was fantastic," says Arlene Van Note, executive director for Arizona-based RV Women. "We held our national conference there and they coordinated a perfect event."

Down at the famed beaches, Pensacola has developed into a meeting mecca, with the Pensacola Civic Center welcoming up to 10,000 people with modern facilities and lots of area hotels and resorts catering to meeting and incentive guests. Nearby, the Resort at Sandestin (with a new beachfront highrise featuring an entire floor for business and meetings) and the Pelican Beach Resort & Conference Center (with 340 one- and two-bedroom condominium units) both continue to expand, offering two of the finest overall resort destinations in the state.

The Fort Walton Beach area is also attracting its share of business, with the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort completing a $10 million makeover and adding seven new meeting rooms totaling more than 14,000 square feet and the Radisson Beach Resort's $6 million refurbishment (including 10,000 square feet of meeting space)

Finally, Panama City Beach has also become popular, with Marriott's Bay Point Resort offering the largest meeting and convention facility between Tampa and New Orleans--40,000 square feet of meeting space--and additional 47,500 square feet of space available in the rest of Panama City Beach.

The region also offers some unique destinations and properties for smaller groups and boards. For instance, Steinhatchee Landing Resort & Conference Center features cottages in a small community setting, with on-site meeting facilities. Other unusual options include the popular community of Seaside and Wakulla Springs Lodge, part of Florida's state park system.

Seaside is typical of the varied small meeting offerings in the region generally (and the Beaches of South Walton area specifically). "I've travelled the world and it's hard to beat the region's combination of white sand and blue water," says Pete Foley, an Atlanta-based meeting planner with a Fortune 20 company.

NORTHEAST

Like the northwest part of the state, new visitation is booming in the northeast. From urban environments like Jacksonville and Gainesville to many beach communities, the northeast is a virtual microcosm of the rest of the state.

Dubbed the River City, Jacksonville is adding and renovating much of its meeting space. Updates include a $30 million refurbishment of the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts and the new Ramada Conference Center, located on 19 acres of quiet woods. Plans call for a new Adam's Mark in downtown Jacksonville in early-2000, as well as a 400-room hotel with additional meeting space near the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum, both of which offer flexible space for groups of virtually any size.

The biggest news in the Jacksonville area is the opening of the World Golf Village this past spring. With the largest combination hotel and meeting facility between Atlanta and Orlando, the complex features the new St. Johns County Convention Center and more than 80,000 square feet of meeting space. Golfers will love the various courses and the World Golf Hall of Fame, but this facility is attracting attention from everyone. "We've already been there several times and have plans for several more events," says Carol N. Sinoff, a vice-president with Jacksonville-based Caldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty. "We're very impressed with the entire concept and facilities."

Vistana Resort at World Golf Village and the World Golf Village Resort Hotel offer the first accommodations available at the resort. Vistana's one- and two-bedroom villas feature a fully-equipped kitchen, living room, dining room, washer/dryer, and a screened-in balcony. The property also features tennis courts, a swimming complex, a fitness center, children's activities, and other amenities. "With the new convention center nearby, our resort's spacious villas make for an ideal combination at World Golf Village," says David Matheson, vice president of Orlando-based, Vistana, Inc., one of the country's leading resort developers.

Over in Gainesville, the University of Florida offers a great setting for some serious business. The possibilities include the Center for the Performing Arts, which seats 1,745 and can also host groups in the lobbies, and the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, which offers seating for 12,052 and 296,000 square feet of floor space. The Best Western Gateway is opening in October, with more than 8,000 square feet of new meeting space for the area.

Beach possibilities include: Amelia Island Plantation, with 23,000 square feet of space and a recently completed $35 million expansion of Amelia Island Inn and Beach Club; the upscale Lodge and Beach Club at Ponte Vedra Beach, offering 7,500 square feet of function space, a $1.2 million renovation, and it's 'Outpost Adventure' team building challenge course; Ponte Vedra Beach's golf mecca; The Marriott at Sawgrass Resort, with newly fashioned guestrooms; Palm Coast Resort and it's great golf; and, of course, all of historic St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, where history and beaches make a perfect attraction combination (and the new Casa Monica Hotel will be the new draw in 1999).

CENTRAL WEST

Whether it's the bustling urban areas of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater or the beaches along the Gulf Coast, the central west coast of Florida is hard to beat. With upcoming events like the NCAA's Final Four in 1999 and the 2001 Super Bowl, this success story is obvious.

Big groups in Tampa enjoy more than 600,000 square feet of space at the waterfront Tampa Convention Center and more than 275,000 total square feet of space at the nearby Florida State Fair Grounds. Upcoming Tampa-area changes include: a huge downtown entertainment complex in 1999 (next to the Florida Aquarium and within walking distance of the convention center); the new 700-room Marriott Waterside in 2000, also next to the convention center; restoration of the historic Floridian Hotel; and the doubling of meeting space at the Hyatt next year.

Over in Clearwater, small and mid-size groups love Harborview Center. This facility features a 6,000-square-foot pre-function area with a stunning view of the harbor, as well as the 30,000-square-foot Bayside Exhibit Hall. The Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort is completing a $5 million renovation this year, while the Sheraton Sand Key Resort has completely remodeled its 24,000 square feet of meeting space.

Down in St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach, meeting space options include more than 27,000 square feet at the Bayfront Center and several hotels and resorts with their own space. On the renovation front, the 577-room TradeWinds Resort is completing major renovations that includes updating the popular Fountain Square Courtyard meeting space. The legendary Don CeSar Beach Resort & Spa continues to offer elegant accommodations, a host of amenities, and some of the finest on-site meeting facilities in the state.

St. Petersburg and Clearwater combine their assets for a joint St. Petersburg/Clearwater C&VB, with three sales personnel who focus on the meetings market. "There are terrific sites for off-property functions--including a number of world-class museums and other attractions--and a hospitality that makes delegates feel welcome and appreciated," says Carole Ketterhagen, executive director of the C&VB. "In addition to professional hockey and football, the new Tampa Bay Devil Rays play in St. Petersburg, giving planners other wonderful possibilities to work into an itinerary."

Further down the coast in the Sarasota and Bradenton area, the options include the municipal auditoriums in both cities, as well as the modern Manatee Convention Center in convenient Palmetto and the upscale Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota.

CENTRAL

Walt Disney World ushered in the modern era of Florida tourism and the state has never been the same. From world-class attractions to a host of meeting facilities, central Florida is still one of the state's biggest draws. The incredible 240-page Orlando '1998-1999 Professional Meeting Planners Guide' provides an example of the plethora of options in the area--you could stay in a different hotel room in the area every night for the next 240 years!

Thanks to continued expansion, the Orange County Convention Center is now the second largest in the country, with more than one million square feet of space. The list of facilities is almost endless, but includes the new 2,643-seat auditorium and almost 50 meeting rooms with more than 125 breakout possibilities. Of course, smaller venues continue to hit the horizon, like the Orlando Science Center, which handles groups up to 2,500 and features a 6,500 rooftop terrace overlooking the colorful Orlando skyline.

Other unusual settings include: the aviation-themed museum called Fantasy of Flight, with a B-52 bomber, a World War II-style Officer's Club, and the South Pacific Bar and Grill providing unique venues; the Adventure Dinner Train, which takes groups up to 180 through the central Florida landscape; and, all of the various theme parks, like Soundstage 33 at Universal Studios Florida and customized private events at Sea World of Florida.

In addition, there's an incredible number of hotels and resorts in the region with there own meeting space, like the new Caribe Royale Resort Suites & Convention Center, with 60,000 square feet of ballrooms, meeting rooms, boardrooms, and suites. The outlying area features a number of popular resorts, like the ever-popular Greenlefe Golf & Tennis Resort, with more than 50,000 square feet of function space, a 16,000 square-foot ballroom, and a 500-seat outdoor pavilion, or the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort, with it's 30,000 square feet of space.

NEW DISNEY COVERAGE...please replace two paragraphs starting with, "As can be expected, Walt Disney World does...." with the following new paragraph:

As can be expected, Walt Disney World Resort does meetings right. Their 'meetings magic' group and convention services division has seen it all and seems to do it all for meeting planners. New and unique Disney offerings include: Disney Cruise Line, which just launched its first ship, Disney Magic, in July; Disney's Wide World of Sports, a 200-acre international sports complex able to accommodate top-caliber training and competition and festival- and tournament-type events for more than 30 individual and team sports; Coronado Springs Resort, offering a mid-priced meeting option and space all on one level; and the Disney Institute, which offers Disney-style management seminars and many other educational and enjoyable activities for meeting attendees and family members in a casual campus-like atmosphere.

As can be expected, Walt Disney World does meetings right. Their Meetings Magic group and convention services division has seen it all and seems to do it all for meeting planners. Disney's Coronado Springs Resort offers a mid-priced option and 95,000 square feet of space on one level.

Planners looking for something unique in the area should also consider the Disney Institute, where the offerings include: Timequest, a time management and personal productivity seminar presented by Franklin Quest; and Disney-style management seminars; animation and story arts; culinary arts; television, film, and photography; sports and fitness programs and facilities; a full-service spa; Camp Disney for kids; and a variety of scheduled theme programs. The campus-like setting and full-service facilities are also ideal for spouses and children.

Central Florida is also a great place to enjoy the great outdoors. There are more than 100 golf courses and a wide variety of land pursuits lakes (Lake County is 1/6 covered with lakes).

CENTRAL EAST

The central east coast of Florida continues to capitalize on its great beaches and meeting facilities. Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, and St. Lucie counties all have assets to attract any size group.

Daytona Beach's Ocean Center features 60,000 square feet of space just steps from the Atlantic Ocean. Smaller groups are attracted to the city's Peabody Auditorium. But there are also several stand-alone resort options, like the Adam's Mark Daytona Beach Resort and the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort & Conference Center. The downtown area also features Legends in Concert at the Coliseum Theater, where live recreations of star performances are very popular with groups.

Down in the Space Coast area, the Melbourne Auditorium offers more than 20,000 square feet and Cape Canaveral's Radisson Resort at the Port provides 8,000 more square feet of flexible possibilities. Port Canaveral is bustling, thanks to Disney Cruise Line's presence and the coming attraction of the 6,200-passenger America World City--The Westin Flagship, which may offer tax advantages for meetings.

Further south, St. Lucie County Civic Center, the Seward Johnson Conference Center, and Indian River Plantation Marriott Resort combine to provide the Treasure Coast region with lots of options. With several small resorts and the unusual (and very popular) Harrison Conference Center at Dodgertown, Vero Beach is another excellent option for meetings.

SOUTHWEST

The southwestern side of Florida is still a secret to some meeting planners, but word is spreading quickly. This is the quieter side of sunny southern Florida and many planners like it that way.

The Fort Myers and Lee County area, known as the Lee Island Coast, is definitely on the upswing with meeting attendees. The groups up to 8,000, the varied options include the 63,00-square-foot Lee Civic Center, several venues at Harborside, the Bay Oaks Community Center, and the historic renovated Arcade Theater. The Sheraton Harbor Place in downtown Fort Myers now has a Club Level for business travelers. Their new 'Lee Island Coast Meeting Planner's Guide' provides full insight to the offerings. "The guide has been designed to assist meeting planners and provide the details needed to easily plan a group, meetings function, or conference," says Elaine McLaughlin, their Visitor & Convention Bureau executive director.

Out on the outlying islands, popular resorts like South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island and Sundial Beach Resort on Sanibel Island offer full-service convention facilities. In addition, a new high-speed ferry service takes area visitors to Key West in less than three hours. "The Lee Island coast area properties--and, more specifically, South Seas Plantation--offered excellent options for a business meetings, providing both conference and teambuilding activities," says Trish Steel, marketing communications manager for The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan. "The competitive pricing from the airlines to the accommodations made Florida the best choice for our meeting."

Down in Naples and Collier County, several upscale resorts feature their own meeting facilities. The possibilities include: The Registry, with 38,000 square feet of elegant space; the Ritz-Carlton, with more than 40,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space and an expanded business center; and La Playa Beach Resort, with the Vanderbilt House Conference Center.

Finally, out on Marco Island, the resorts and convention facilities are ideal. The Marco Island Marriott Resort and Golf Club features more than 50,000 square feet of function space, while additional space and facilities are offered at the Radisson Suite Beach Resort on Marco Island and the Marco Island Hilton Beach Resort.

SOUTHEAST

Southeast Florida has been welcoming visitors for more than a century and the welcome just keeps getting better and better. From Palm Beach County down to the Florida Keys, the area just may offer the most variety of any region in the state.

Palm Beach County has many excellent options. The West Palm Beach Auditorium has more than 27,500 square feet of exhibit space and a large meeting room. But the big news on the meetings front is the new $52 million, 235,000-square-foot convention center that will open in 2001. Of course, other legendary options include the new $40 million, 128,000-square-foot Mizner Center at the famed Boca Raton Resort & Club and the new $$25 million Oceanfront Conference Center, Spa and Beach Club at The Breakers. In addition, the stunning Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts offers a variety of shows, as well as private events, and the area has a number of other unique locations for events.

The Fort Lauderdale area continues to grow along the beach and inland. This major tourist destination features the 370,000-square-foot Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, which will soon include an additional 150,000 square feet and the adjacent 500-room Crowne Plaza Hotel (opening in early-2000). Just one mile west of Fort Lauderdale's famous beaches, the hotel site is located within Port Everglades, the second busiest cruise ship terminal in the world. Further to the west, the massive and elegantly modern Signature Grand can host 2,000 for receptions or 1,500 for sit-down meals. The Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area is in the midst of a landmark $1.5 billion enhancement of its tourism infrastructure.

Down in Miami, Miami Beach, and Coral Gables it's neon hot. The options include: the 1.1 million-square-foot Miami Beach Convention Center, just blocks from the famed beach; the popular James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami; and the uniquely situated Coconut Grove Convention Center down in the Coral Gables area. Smaller groups can also get everything they need at resorts like the Sonesta Beach Resort Key Biscayne, Doral Golf Resort and Spa, the Sheraton Bal Harbour Beach Resort, the Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and Towers, and The Westin Resort Miami Beach.

Of course, everyone awaits the fall opening of the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, the city's first new hotel in more than 30 years. With 85,000 square feet of function space and space for groups up to 3,000, it's sure to be another hot Miami Beach offering. Additional news includes renovation of the meeting space at the Sheraton Biscayne Bay, special packages for meeting delegates at the Mayfair House Hotel, and a $4.5 million renovation at the airport's Crowne Plaza Hotel, including full meeting and business services.

At the far southern tip of the Sunshine State, the Florida Keys offer one final unique meeting possibility. Small and upscale options include: Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada; Hawk's Cay Resort on Duck Key; Key Largo Resorts & Casino; Marriott Key Largo Bay Beach Resort; the Ocean Reef Club; and several resort and small hotel picks in Key West.