Hotel & meeting facilities

Latin CEO: Executive Strategies for the Americas, August-Sept, 2002

"Sept. 11 threw a lot of curve balls at us," says Price, whose Graphics of the Americas annual trade show has been staged in Miami Beach since 1975. "This is the first year we haven't grown in attendance ... but I think we have turned the corner."

Just when that turn will result in a real resurgence is anyone's guess. One thing is certain: when the business and convention market roars again in Miami, a big part of it will come from the Americas. And Miami will be ready to accommodate. Says White, "If we didn't have these facilities, it would certainly diminish the attractiveness of Miami as a connecting point. We have other amenities, of which the airport is a critical component, but without the facilities we offer we wouldn't be in the running."

Greater Miami's Convention Business

        Number of  Number of    Expenditures
Year    Delegates  Room Nights  (in US$)

1985    300,000    787,500      $180,180
1986    401,822    1,054,783    $241,093
1987    475,000    1,176,161    $285,000
1988    546,250    1,308,000    $368,344
1989    600,000    1,500,000    $405,330
1990    650,000    1,750,000    $439,108
1991    620,000    1,674,000    $428,000
1992    680,000    1,850,000    $469,404
1993    704,000    1,970,000    $690,624
1994 *  1,155,954  2,521,120    $1,055,395
1995 *  1,405,950  2,952,495    $1,351,118
1996    1,445,825  3,036,232    $1,463,175
1997    1,100,200  2,500,800    $1,100,200
1998    856,000    2,341,900    $937,990
1999    898,800    2,458,995    $984,890
2000    943,740    2,581,945    $1,034,134
2001    955,500    2,711,042    $1,085,841

* Expenditure figures revised based in IACVB Annual Income Survey

RELATED ARTICLE:

Top Convention and Meeting Facilities

* AmericanAirlines Arena

* Biltmore Hotel and Conference Center of the Americas

* Coconut Grove Expo Center

* Doral Golf Resort & Spa

* Eden Roc/Renaissance Resort & Spa

* Fontainebleau Hilton Resort

* Hotel Inter-Continental Miami

* Hyatt Regency Miami

* James L. Knight International Center

* Kovens Conference Center

* Loews Miami Beach Hotel

* Mandarin Oriental Miami

* Miami Arena

* Miami Beach Convention Center

* Miami Dadeland Marriott

* Radisson Deauville Resort

* Radisson Mart Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

* Renaissance Hotel Biscayne Bay

* Sheraton Bal Harbour Resort

* Tumberry Isle Resort & Club

SNAPSHOT

Number of Latin American and Caribbean Visitors who came to Miami or business purposes last year: 529,000

Amount spent by foreign convention goers n Miami in the year 2001: US$1.1 billion

Number of new luxury hotel rooms added to Miami in last four years: 3,000

The Conference Center of the Americas

* The Biltmore Hotel's handsome central tower, one of Greater Miami's architectural landmarks, was modeled after the famous bell tower in Seville, Spain. But it is the hotel's most recent addition, the Conference Center of the Americas, that has put the Biltmore on the global map for meeting planners. With the addition of the center, the hotel adds 40,000 square feet of conference space to the 36,000 square feet in the main hotel. The new facility also jumps the hotel ahead in terms of technology, offering two separate amphitheaters, each with twin tiers and rear-screen projectors. Each theater also has three translation booths, ergonomic chairs for the audience and highspeed Internet connections for every seat. "The conference center has really evolved into an extension of the overall facility," says Eli White, corporate vice president for the Seaway Group, which owns the Biltmore. "IBM has their e-briefing center there, which brings in the top management of Latin American companies' For something more Old World, the Biltmore's client base of top multinationals also books space in the hotel. With full audio and video capabilities, the main conference rooms have ultra-high ceilings, fluted columns and a distinct elegance. The hotel also boasts the largest swimming pool in Florida, a tennis complex and an 18-hole golf course, all in the heart of Miami's residential suburb, Coral Gables.