New Convention Centers Are Pivoting Toward Trade Shows Over Consumer Events
Photo Credit: The newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center, pictured here, is the cornerstone of the city tourism board's new strategy to sell itself as a serious convention city. Miami Beach Convention Center
Skift Take
Destinations like Miami and Anaheim aren't turning their backs on the leisure travel business that they grew up on. But they also don't want their leisure reputations to overshadow their new convention center capabilities. That means they and other destinations are following new strategies to grow business travel.
With renovated or expanded convention centers coming online in destinations like Miami and Anaheim, California, many tourism boards are shifting their strategies to attract more citywide conventions, or conventions that span multiple venues across a destination, and trade conventions that bring heavier spending.
Many destinations are prioritizing pharmaceutical and medical conventions over consumer shows. Consumer auto, boat, and travel shows are some of the highlights of the year for some destinations. But consumer shows can draw mostly local crowds that might not spend as much as thousands of business travelers in town for conventions, meetings, and client events.
The Miami Beach Convention Center, which is currently hosting smaller groups but will fully reopen in late September, is one example of a renovated convention center with a tourism board working to reposition it. The convention center opened in 1957 and apart from a renovation and expansion in 1989, the building incr
