Business is booming at Miami Beach Convention Center and there’s no indication of its slowing in the next couple of years, Christian Jaramillo, associate director of sales, foresees during a meeting break at IMEX America in Las Vegas.
Miami’s tradeshow calendar is “very fruitful” through 2028, and Grand Hyatt is planning to open a 17-story, 800-room hotel in November 2027 with a skybridge connecting to the convention center. That keeps pace with Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, San Francisco and other convention cities with similar connecting hotels.
It’s bringing an influx of corporate and association meetings to the 1.4 million-square-foot Miami Beach Convention Center, which underwent a $640 million renovation in 2020.
“Miami, being a first-tier city, we’ve been doing well,” Jaramillo boasts. “Everyone wants to be in Miami Beach because of the weather and the lift at Miami International Airport. It’s American Airlines’ hub, which caters to domestic and international direct flights.”
CITIES MAKE THEIR CASE
Naturally, every convention and tourism representative from every city and country that’s exhibiting at IMEX America – and there were at least 100 on the show floor Oct. 13-15 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center – diligently presents a strong case for choosing their location.
Number one for Javits Center is that it’s in New York City, simply states Stephanie Gaspari, sales manager for Javits at New York’s massive IMEX America exhibit booth comprised of 59 business entities.
Javits Center spans 3.3 million square feet across six city blocks along the Hudson River on Manhattan’s West Side, with 850,000 square feet of exhibit space and 102 meeting rooms.
Sustainability is another selling point. The center’s 6.75-acre green roof is more than a beautiful view for events; it’s an environmental asset for the community. One acre of the rooftop is dedicated to growing crops used for farm-to-table catering.
Javits created a marshalling building that can park up to 200 trucks, pulling traffic off the streets, making it easier for loading, and reducing emissions, toll and gasoline costs with fewer trips to their home base.
“Everything at Javits comes down to how we can best serve our customers, our community and our people,” says Sammi Ragsdale, director of communications.
Like Miami, weather is a huge draw for Tampa Bay. It’s also a cultural city, claims Juan Lopez, sales and marketing manager for Tampa Convention Center. The historic Ybor City neighborhood is famously known as the “Cigar Capital of the World.”
The most prominent feature of the 600,000-square-foot Tampa Convention Center, located in the heart of downtown Tampa, is its waterfront views. “It’s safe and clean,” Lopez adds.
Tampa International Airport is consistently ranked No. 1 for customer service, and Tampa CC recently won its fourth straight Northstar Stella Award as the best convention center in the Southeast.
RECOVERY DRAG
The convention reps’ hubris was curbed somewhat by Marsha Flanagan, president and chief executive officer of IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events), who delved into results from the CEIR (Center for Exhibition Industry Research) 2026 Midyear Report at an IMEX America press conference. She revealed the CEIR Index to be 4 percent below its 2019 peak.
The largest drag on the industry’s recovery following COVID is a 7 percent decline in convention attendance. Exhibitors are down 3.8 percent, and net square feet reduced by a mere 2.5 percent. The bright side of global business events comes from 1.65 billion participants and $1.3 trillion in direct spending, according to CEIR.
The industry faces more headwinds. Flanagan cites tariffs, inflation, overall costs and geopolitical tension as “negative forces” on full recovery, which was supposed to come in 2026 or 2027, but has now been pushed out to 2028.
“Travel cost is number one,” the IAEE president elaborates. “Airfares, gas prices … it’s getting more expensive to attend. We’ll see how it plays out moving forward.”
Tariffs play into the cost. In Washington, D.C., IAEE is fighting tariffs on Chinese vessels, which carry tons of exhibition cargo.
Private equity investment could squeeze profit margins. “Anytime companies merge, overall budgets are squeezed. The first thing they look at is the budget,” Flanagan points out.
FIRST-TIME EXHIBITORS
Mike Bojesen, president of Chicago-based Source One Events, deferring to his wife, Jackie, chief financial officer, made the expensive decision to exhibit at IMEX America for the first time.
The floor space and exhibit booth, built by Source One Events, a general service contractor, ran about $50,000. Throw in airline tickets, hotel rooms and food costs for company staff and the budget edges closer to $80,000.
Source One has been in business for 21 years, but a lot of people didn’t know who they were, Mike Bojesen explains. They built the booth for Rosen Hotels and Resorts and PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) at IMEX America and were awarded the PCMA contract for three more years.
“We came out and figured, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’ If we get one show or two shows, it’ll be worth it,” Mike Bojesen says. “What’s great for us, we’ve noticed our revenue has gone up every year. Obviously, COVID killed us, but we’ve had slow, steady growth year over year. We’ve stayed consistent.”
Source One prides itself on creativity and innovation, a great team and superb graphics department. They set up their first exhibition booth two years ago at IAEE Expo! Expo! in Los Angeles.
“It makes a difference,” Jackie Bojesen emphasizes. “People want to meet you. What sets us off from GES and Freeman and some other general contractors is we’re more personal. You’re not just a number.”
IMEX TRENDS
Among the trends seen at IMEX is demand for auxiliary events at places like Lusso Lounge, opening later this year on The Venetian Convention Center’s third floor. The 10,000-square-foot lounge is poised to redefine the very essence of executive gatherings. It’s a cornerstone of The Venetian’s $188 million transformation of its convention center, reinforcing the resort’s capacity to host large-scale events.
AREA15, an immersive entertainment complex near the Las Vegas Strip, is booking private groups at Altair Sky Lounge. With a repurposed Boeing 747 as its centerpiece, the venue offers four distinctive environments accommodating groups ranging from 150-person VIP experiences to a full buyout of the venue for more than 800 guests.
In Austin, AT&T Hotel and Conference Center recently completed a comprehensive $35 million renovation, modernizing its 85,000 square feet of meeting space. It’s especially relevant as the Austin Convention Center has been closed since last spring.
Incentives are being given to offset rising costs. Rio Las Vegas began waiving resort fees in June for group business, becoming the first property in Las Vegas to eliminate this longstanding cost friction for meeting and event planners.
IMEX Chairman Ray Bloom and CEO Carina Bauer shared highlights from the convention in a closing press conference, including face-to-face networking with 3,700 destinations, venues and suppliers; 300 education sessions exploring the latest technology, trends and industry challenges; and an intense schedule of hosted buyer-led meetings.
