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The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a relief collection for emergency medical supplies for our neighbors in the Bahamas. The collection site is at our CVB offices, 101 NE 3rd Ave, Ste 100, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
Donations will go to Grand Bahama Island, directly to local clinics and hospitals as they aid displaced patients during this critical time. Please consider donating emergency medical & supplies, babies emergency relief, women’s emergency relief and men’s emergency relief supplies. You can also purchase items to be shipped directly to our offices. Click here for more information or contact us at GFLCVB@broward.org.
The Broward Cultural Division, in partnership with the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and Entercom, launched “Searching for Giants” this month. The kickoff event debuted the first of nine inflatable art exhibitions that will be on display at nine different locations throughout Broward County now through October 26, 2019. This first of its kind public art project brings pop-up art to Broward County with large-scale inflatable sculptures measuring up to 30 feet high.
Summer isn't over yet in Greater Fort Lauderdale. From savory, signature dishes created by top chefs, to relaxing treatments at Greater Fort Lauderdale’s most sublime resort & day spas, visitors can enjoy extraordinary culinary and pampered experiences at affordable prices. Restaurant Month features special three course menus starting at $35 at more than 70 restaurants: sunny.org/RestaurantMonth. And Spa Month offers special spa treatments starting at $99: sunny.org/SpaMonth.
You can also save with 2-for-1 deals during Summer Savings at more than 45 attractions through September 30. Visit sunny.org/summer to view special summer deals. Plan a staycation with exclusive Greater Fort Lauderdale Vacation Like A VIP packages also available through September 30 at participating Resort Collection properties. For details on participating properties visit sunny.org/vip.
JULY STATS
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Greater Fort Lauderdale Average Hotel Occupancy
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July 2019
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% Change
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75.39%
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-2.2%
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Greater Fort Lauderdale Average Hotel Daily Rate
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July 2019
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% Change
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$119.21
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-0.8%
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The Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB won a 2019 PRSA Sunshine District Radiance Award for working with leading travel influencer Sarah Funky on her ultimate travel guide to Greater Fort Lauderdale.
Ivonne MacMillan created an off-the-beaten-path itinerary for Sarah to guide her through a three-day trip in the destination, spotlighting adventure, gastronomy and nightlife. In addition to coverage on her social media handles and blog, Sarah also hosted an Instagram Story takeover on Travel + Leisure.
Social Media Splash
To kick off Greater Fort Lauderdale Restaurant and Spa Months last month, @VisitLauderdale hosted a Social Media Splash. Participating partners were invited to announce the program simultaneously to leverage our collective voice and come together to spread the word about the programs. Participating accounts on Instagram alone exceeded 97K followers combined.
Social Media Micro Influencer Campaign
In August, @VisitLauderdale launched a social media campaign collaborating with popular local micro influencers such as @lauderbabe (11.7K followers), @ftlauderdalefoodies (13.8K followers) and @floridadatenight (12.3K followers) to create buzz about the Restaurant and Spa Months programs through firsthand experiences. Click here for results.
Rank & File Social Club (rankandfilesocialclub.com), a craft cocktail bar & lounge (pictured above), recently opened in Flagler Village offering exceptional service, delicious libations and live entertainment in a warm, inviting and unique space.
Also in Flagler Village, Batch, the Cookie Company (batchcookieco.com) opened last month featuring nine over-the-top soft-baked cookies and a milk bar, along with a pick-up window catering to late-night cookie cravings. And Crates Tavern (cratestavern.com) opens at the end of the month featuring a 1,300-square-foot bar designed with 2,000 reclaimed wood pallets, and a 4,000-square-foot outside with two 20-foot shipping-container bars serving tapas and hookahs.
Molly Maguire's Pub and Eatery, a new modern Irish pub concept, is set to open in time for Saint Patrick's Day 2020 in the old Maguires Hill 16 location. The pub will be a blend of traditional Irish pub concepts and new-school touches and will take up 3,240-square-feet with seating for 128 inside, 56 outside and 18 at the indoor bar.
Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar is scheduled to open in two locations late November. A new 7,500-square-foot downtown Fort Lauderdale restaurant will open on Las Olas Boulevard and a second 6,900-square-foot bar inside the new Dania Pointe shopping complex. Guests can enjoy a casual, relaxing environment to eat, drink and shop.
Altar’d State, a women’s fashion, accessories, gifts and home decor boutique, opened last month at The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale. The 6,000-square-foot store is the first location in South Florida.
TOURISM SALES
The Diplomat Beach Resort welcomed the American Society of Travel Advisor's Global Convention. Gonzalo and Caitlan hosted attendees with activities including visiting the Everglades, a Water Taxi tour and a Cultural Heritage Tour with CHAT (pictured here). The CVB, along with Port Everglades, hosted the official welcome reception at Ten Palms at Gulfstream Park with more than 600 in attendance and 10 attraction partners. Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort hosted the ASTA Advocacy Dinner and Caitlan and Gonzalo hosted 8 advisors for the post-convention FAM trip.
Tracy Vaughan and Gabriel Martinez participated in a Brazil Sales Mission last month hosting events in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. Tracy also attended the IIATA Retreat in Colorado and ESTO in Austin. Tracy, along with Caitlan Etchevers and Gonzalo Rubio attended Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas last month, meeting with more than 400 travel advisors from around the world with one on one meetings, participating on a Domestic Trends Panel and attending the Destination Dinner. Gonzalo also attended the Marriott Trade Show with 500 sales reps in Omaha.
International Offices
The Brazil team partnered with Visit Florida and Kissimmee training 32 travel agents who work/sell Agaxtour Tour Operator products from Santo André City. They also partnered with Visit Florida and Tampa training 36 agents in São Caetano City from Viajanet - OTA. The team attended Travel Business Networking in Búzios, Rio de Janeiro with more than 250 travel agencies from all over Brazil.
The UK PR team is working with key publications such as The Sun on Sunday's supplement - Fabulous Magazine, Gentleman’s Journal and The Wordrobe discussing media trip opportunities. The UK Sales & Marketing is working on attending Tour America's Red Cow sale and training events, as well as assisting with tour operator FAM trips. And the German team hosted a PR & Sales Mission in Germany this month.
The Southern Comfort Transgender Conference was held at the Riverside Hotel last month. Transgender flags were placed at the entrance to welcome attendees, a first for a U.S. hotel. Also downtown, the Bank of America building was draped in transgender colors. Click here to read more about the conference.
During the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce conference last month in Tampa, Richard Gray announced Greater Fort Lauderdale and The Diplomat Hotel will host the Annual Conference in August 2021. This is the largest LGBT business conference in North America. Click here to read more.
Stacy Ritter and Richard Gray were interviewed by 6 In The Mix on NBC discussing Pride of the Americas 2020 in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Watch here. Richard also attended the first ever LGBT+ Business Conference in Cartagena, Colombia last month, speaking about Diversity in GFL and Pride of The Americas 2020.
The Broward County Signature Event, Riptide Music Festival powered by Ford, recently announced the two-day festival (November 23-24) will feature more than 20 musical performers including The Killers, The 1975, The Revivalists, Silversun Pickups, and Judah & the Lion, among others. The festival will also highlight fashion in Broward County with a runway fashion show and feature an enhanced art exhibition celebration and a robust array of culinary food demos. Click here to read more.
Stacy Ritter and Noelle Stevenson are pictured above with Hector Prado (local artist) and Keven Pimental (manager) during the event “Depiction” at the GalleryOne featuring Hector’s painting on display representing film in Greater Fort Lauderdale.
August Film Permits = 31
SEPTEMBER CONFERENCES & CONVENTIONS
Groups meeting in September will generate more than $5 million to Broward County. Groups include:
Sept 8-10: United Way Worldwide, 2019 Finance, Talent and Technology Forum (400 attendees)
Sept 12-15: Women of Color Empowerment Institute, Ninth Annual Conference (800 attendees)
Sept 19-26: Esource Brands 2019 Conference (450 attendees)
Sept 20-21: PREP Prevention Conference 2019 (500 attendees)
Sept 21-24: 2019 NCCMP Annual Conference (400 attendees)
Sept 22-26: 2019 Elevate Annual Conference (500 attendees)
Sept 24-26: CPA Accountant & Business Show 2019 (500 attendees)
Sept 29-Oct 6: 2019 Zero to Three - National Training Institute (2800 attendees)
MULTICULTURAL
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Influential African American professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world will gather with emerging leaders for the ICABA Global Hall of Fame Weekend at The Diplomat Beach Resort, September 26-29.
The four-day event promotes economic development, diversity, and tourism and offers an innovative lineup of sessions including global career, business, and health summits and master classes with business influencers, as well as special programs, all spotlighting economic empowerment, ways to build relationships and wealth, and strategies for leadership in a culturally-diverse society.
To read more, click here or check out a recent article in the Miami Times: Wealth of Black business influencers assembled.
Sports welcomes more than 8,000 athletes, coaches, and families to Greater Fort Lauderdale in September including: International Soccer Friendly Colombia vs Brazil at Hard Rock Stadium, United Soccer Cup in Plantation, International LATAM Cup at the ICEDEN in Coral Springs and Davie Pro Rodeo at Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie.
SAVE THE DATE for the 2019 Annual Sports Banquet and Induction Dinner honoring six of Broward County’s Sports legends on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at the Broward County Convention Center.
Contact Saskia Fisher at 954-767-2455 or via email sfisher@broward.org, if you would like to contribute an auction item or attend this great event
FLL NEWS
July total traffic: 3,131,019, down -1.1%; domestic traffic: 2,305,439, down -1.9%; international traffic: 825,580, up 1.1%, YTD total traffic: 22.4M, up 3.2%.
January-July 2019: FLL ranked 18th in total traffic, 9th in total international traffic, 12th in total passenger growth
NEW SERVICE
- Spirit Airlines: Nashville (Oct)
- Frontier Airlines: Cleveland and Cincinnati (Nov)
- Southwest Airlines: Cleveland, Louisville, Boston (Nov, all seasonal)
- Swoop: Winnipeg (Nov)
- Air Transat: Vancouver (Dec)
Click here to read the latest edition of FLL’s NewsFLLash.
The inaugural voyage from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will take place on February 5, 2020 out of Port Everglades. Each yacht will feature 149 suites, each with its own private terrace, and accommodate up to 298 guests in a relaxed, casually elegant atmosphere. Each yacht will feature personalized service, elevated dining and luxury amenities. To provide the highest quality service, there will be nearly as many staff members as guests.
All-inclusive fares will include:
- All-suite oceanview accommodations, each with private terrace
- Dedicated Personal Assistant attending each suite
- Onboard gratuities
- Multiple dining venues
- 24-hour in-suite dining
- Beverages in-suite and throughout the yacht
- Onboard entertainment and enrichment
- Wi-Fi
- Marina-style platform with access to watersports
Agnes Zaranski, pictured here with Pilar Espinosa from Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach and Aniko El Chantiry from Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa, attended the Canadian Meetings + Events Expo in Toronto last month.
Sept 4: Hotel Management International (HMI) Annual Client & Supplier Gala, Montreal
Sept 4-7: La Cita, Kissimmee
Sept 9-19: USA Travel Week Europe, London
Sept 14-21: Germany Sales Mission
Sept 16-18: Apple Leisure Group Trade Show, King of Prussia
Sept 21-23: Delta Vacations University Trade Show, Detroit
Sept 29-Oct 3: ASTA Small Business Network Conference
Click here to check out more of our CVB team in action at various events and functions around the world.
HAPPENINGS AROUND TOWN
Sept 12-15: Disney On Ice: Road Trip Adventures, BB&T Center
Sept 15-22: Greater Fort Lauderdale Beer Week
Sept 20: Oakland Park Latin Fest , Jaco Pastorius Park
Sept 20: The Who, BB&T Center
Sept 20-21: Fort Lauderdale Franchise Show, Broward County Convention Center
Sept 21: 5th Annual Riverwalk Fall Festival
Sept 21: Downtown Hollywood Artwalk, Market & Mural Tour
Sept 21: Nirvana and Rise of Indie Music in the 90’s, Pompano Beach Cultural Center
Sept 24, 26: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, BB&T Center
Sept 27: Scott Stapp of Creed, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Sept 28: FAT Village Art Walk
For more events visit sunny.org/events. If you would like to submit an event for approval, go to sunny.org/submit.
Best wishes,
Stacy Ritter, President
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