Editor’s Note: Updated on 11/26/2019.

In addition to arranging events, planners typically attend many industry gatherings each year to make connections, stay on top of new developments, develop skills and pick up hot tips so that they can keep improving. Here are some of the top industry events to look forward to in the United States during the coming year.

Convening Leaders 2020

San Francisco Travel Association will host PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2020, on Jan. 5–8 at Moscone Center in San Francisco. The 2021 Convening Leaders conference will take place Jan. 10–13 at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Caesars Forum be will in Las Vegas will be the site of the 2022 event Jan. 9–12, and Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio will host the 2023 gathering Jan. 8–11.

Destination Showcase 2020

Washington, D.C.’s only one-day event for CVBs and event organizers to come together for a full day of learning, Destination Showcase 2020 is set to take place on Feb. 5, 2020, at Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Sara Ross, co-founder of BrainAmped, will be the keynote speaker. The event debuted last year, and is offered jointly by PCMA and Destinations International.

More: Upcoming Smart Events

Destinations International Annual Convention 2020

If you just can’t get enough of Destinations International at the 2020 showcase, head to Illinois for its Annual Convention, which will be hosted in Chicago on July 13–15.

Elevate! 2020

The Association for Women in Events (AWE) will be hosting its second event, Elevate! 2020, on March 5. Its first gathering—held in in Washington, D.C., last year—was such a success that AWE has decided to go bigger, so this year they are headed to one of the biggest convention destinations in the country: Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. You can register here.

IPW 2020

The U.S. Travel Association’s IPW, a leading travel trade show, will be in Las Vegas from May 30 to June 3, 2020. IPW Daily has just come out with its fall preview issue to get you ready and excited for the trade-show floor. Check out this page to find out the registration dates and deadlines.

Cvent Connect

Las Vegas will be busy next June. Twelve days after IPW 2020, Cvent’s Connect will take over Las Vegas’ Caesars Forum Conference Center on June 15–18. It is the world’s largest event technology user conference, and registration has just opened.

SPINCon 2020

Senior Planners Industry Network has announced that its 10th annual SPINcon will be held at Kimpton Epic Hotel in Miami Dec. 13–15. SPIN members must be full-time planners, suppliers or media personnel and have at least 10 years of experience.

IMEX America 2020

MICE industry professionals will flock to Las Vegas next September for IMEX 2020. The popular convention will be held at Sands Expo and Convention Center Sept. 14–17. P.S. registration is already open!

IMEX Frankfurt 2020

Before IMEX America hits in September, IMEX Frankfurt will kick of the 2020 summer events calendar with its annual event, to be hosted by Messe Frankfurt on May 11–14. IMEX already has all the information you need here on how to get there, where to stay and how to register.

ASAE 2020

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino will host ASAE’s annual meeting and exposition Aug. 8–11 next year. Additionally, ASAE has announced the dates and location for its annual event in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, expect to head to Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas in Texas on Aug. 14–17, while in 2022 the annual meeting and convention will take place at Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Aug 6–9.

FICP Annual Conference 2020

Finance and Insurance Conference Professionals hold several events throughout the year. One of its biggest events is the Annual Conference, and next year it will take place Nov. 15–16 in Washington, D.C., at Washington Hilton. FICP has also announced that its 2021 Annual Conference will be held at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge on Nov. 14–17.

MPI WEC 2020

Meeting Professionals International is all about creating authentic experiences at its next World Education Congress. Therefore, the 2020 WEC will be held in Grapevine, Texas, June 6–9. Get ready for locally sourced, locally flavored food as one example of the genuine hospitality that Texas has to offer as well as a part of the authentic experience that MPI has promised.

Mastering the art of event planning requires more than the hundreds of hours spent learning best practices for everything from ordering the right number of gallons of coffee to deciphering an RFP. The 325 professionals who spent the weekend at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at Event Industry Council’s (EIC) annual Conclave 2019 were challenged to embrace the many changes happening in ballrooms, trade-show floors and offices around the world.

The conference focused on five tracks: Event Strategy and Strategic Planning, Leadership, Meeting and Event Design, Personal Growth and Wellness, and Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

Smart Meetings joined this dedicated group as they shared ideas and made new connections. Here are three takeaways brought back from the mountaintop.

1. The World is Getting Smaller

New EIC CEO Amy Calvert is charting a course for the association that makes resources, research and learning more accessible for professionals in North America and, increasingly, around the world. “We want to be a global voice for the industry,” said Calvert. The organization is already represented in 46 countries, and Calvert is initiating conversations to determine how best to support the industry across the globe.

Fittingly, one standing-room-only session was “It’s a Small World After All: Best Practices in Global Sourcing and Contracting for U.S. Meeting Planners,” led by Alisa Peters, senior national account manager at Experient, a Maritz Global Events Company.

Peters advised planners to “throw out everything you know about sourcing in North America” when working with overseas properties. She advised getting familiar with the nuances of new acronyms: DDR (daily delegate rate) and VAT (value-added tax) being two of them. She left planners with this Smart Tip: Subvention funding from bureaus in Europe is often much bigger than CVB subsidies in the U.S.

“That can mean can huge dollars for your budget,” she said.

2. Planners are Natural Change Makers

Calvert reported that 40 participants qualified for EIC’s Sustainability Certificate during the conference.

That area of study has expanded to include social justice issues such as gender equity and human trafficking. “EIC’s resources are an inspiring place to learn first steps,” she said.

The power of meeting professionals to impact social change was broken down by Jessica Levin, CEO of Seven Degrees, as a responsibility to address a cause that aligns with the company and will be meaningful for attendees.

Closing keynote speaker John Register, a Paralympic silver medalist, encouraged attendees to embrace change, rather than trying to tolerate it. “See it as opportunity,” he said.

3. Planners Have a Mandate to Welcome All

“We are in the business of welcoming people of all abilities,” Tracy Stuckrath, president and chief connecting officer at Thrive! Meetings and Events, reminded attendees at her breakout, “How inclusive is your event?”

She noted that meetings often unintentionally exclude people simply by not having alternatives to stairs or menus that don’t accommodate attendee dietary needs. “We need to take deliberate action to ensure everyone has a place at the table,” she said. In addition to being the right thing to do, it can help meeting professionals attract attendees who otherwise might think they wouldn’t be comfortable at an event. Plus, having nonaccessible websites and facilities exposes meeting producers to lawsuits. The trick is to provide access without calling people out and making them feel self-conscious, she said.

Up and Out

Calvert described the end of the calendar year as a time to reflect—and where better to take a deep breath than at a historic property with Rocky Mountain majesty all around? Forum discussions took place steps from where The Broadmoor is erecting a new exhibition hall with more than 115,000 sq. ft. of new luxury meeting space scheduled for a 2020 opening.

The expanded meeting facility will complement the recently renovated Forbes Five Star accommodations. With 784 guest rooms on the campus, the 1918-vintage property allows groups of all sizes to get down to business while getting away from it all.

More than 100 international event planners and media headed home from Perth this week after participating in the buoyant Dreamtime 2019, Tourism Australia’s business events incentive showcase.

The event took place Dec. 2 and 3, and included a full-day, face-to-face business session of pre-scheduled appointments, providing sellers with the opportunity to meet and do business with international buyers; a welcome event and dinner, networking events that provided sellers with the opportunity to develop relationships and have further discussions with international buyers and media; and a breakfast and Perth showcase, both designed to showcase the city’s incentive offerings.

More: Qantas Airways Will Test 20-Hour Flights

Here are some other highlights from Dreamtime 2019.

Work Together

Dreamtime is hosted by a different Australia city once every two years. Tourism Australia works together with various convention and visitors bureaus (in this case, Perth Convention Bureau), businesses and government members to ensure that the country’s destinations are portrayed in the best possible light. An example of this cooperation and teamwork was the collaborative performance by Wadumbah Aboriginal Dance Group and a local orchestra group, Dolce Ensemble, at the showcase dinner.

Timing, Timing, Timing

Penny Lion, executive general manager of events at Tourism Australia, says Perth has changed considerably in recent years. Therefore, Dreamtime 2019 was the perfect opportunity for Perth to show off its major renovations and revitalization, which have included new and improved hotels, precincts and experiences. Perth’s role in hosting Dreamtime 2019 presented an excellent opportunity to re-introduce the city to worldwide business-event planners.

Keep it Local, Keep it Authentic

Perth sent guests away with minds teeming with new ideas and destination possibilities—and stomachs full of oysters and whiskey. To go out with a bang, at the farewell dinner that Tourism Australia hosted, the focus was on luxury and authenticity. The authenticity was found in the food, made with locally sourced ingredients, and cocktails, created using local gin. All the food was prepared in an open kitchen, and guests ate outside in the gardens of the Government House in true Australian outdoor-dining fashion.

Haute Dokimazo (HD), an event industry startup dedicated to improving meeting, sharing and learning by staging spontaneous think tanks, hosted its first Secret Family Reunion (SFR) in early November. Eighty event prof registrants who had all attended previous HD experiences signed up for the all-inclusive voyage with no clues to location other than to bring their passport and items from a packing checklist.

A pre-flight reveal party at TWA Hotel at JFK in New York City popped the cork on the hidden itinerary—Tuscany, Italy. Attendees then boarded a privately chartered 737 which conveyed them by way of in-air dance party (with conga lines), fostering camaraderie and ultimately providing for the group comfort that Haute Dokimazo says is the key to its efficacious think tanks.

The trip itself breaks the mold of destination travel for business—the voyage was a vacation and a conference in one, where participant’s professional obstacles and ideas set the agenda.

Smart Meetings chatted with president and co-founder Nicole Osibodu and co-founder Liz Lathan to find out more about HD’s particular unconference philosophy.

HD Comes into Focus

The revolution started a few years ago when Osibodu, Lathan and fellow co-founder Tom Spano were at a conference, deep into an amazing conversation in the hallway when the xylophone usher came to steer them into the presentation. “We were in a deep moment, and we told them we’d be in in a minute. And they said ‘But it’s kind of light [empty] in there.’ And I was thinking, really? Everything that’s wrong with events just happened right now. Well, ok—not everything.”

Not everything, because there were other aspects of conferences that Lathan wanted to change. “What’s the worst part of a conference? Registration,” she said, answering her own question. “You get in line and then get your badge and then everyone goes off and sits in a corner on their phone, hoping to see someone they know. I had always wanted to do a different kind of registration.”

Their collective experiences birthed HD’s focus on making an event, well, a collective experience. HD’s signature “welcome attack” starts with greeting attendees with a hug or a handshake, taking the impersonal rote-ness out of proceedings. The event begins with a family meal, where you’ll be introduced to others at your table. With the icebreaking done for you, you’re in your human element right off the bat.

This is important because, besides being much more enjoyable, the content of the event is crowdsourced from the real-life questions and challenges of the attendants. Topics are sorted and focused, and attendees with expertise offer to be facilitators. The magic of HD, according to the live feedback following each event, is its organic nature and the freedom participants feel to dig into problems and raise questions. Osibodu offered up some HD philosophy: “The first thing we remove is motive. We have no hidden agenda behind this movement: we simply want more events to focus on people more. People go to events to learn, meet, share, network and take something back to their job or their life that is immediately actionable. Peer-to-peer is our core. This means humans are our core. So, we strip away the fake fun and surface-level connections and get straight to the human conversation that helps participants solve problems.”

Room for Everyone

Osibodu explained that HD isn’t trying to throw the entire conference concept out the window. “We knew there needed to be something else. Not a replacement, but a supplement.” The unconference model isn’t brand new. Forbes wrote about its potential for sparking innovation back in 2014. The HD difference is a vibe, an openness to further expansion, and an atmosphere that results in genuine human connection.

The in-flight glow-in-the-dark party at SFR, for instance, was staged “purely because it is ridiculously awesome” according to Osibodu. But also, “We believe that memorable moments cement learnings. Our surprise and delight elements all focus around an emotional response that is shared with the people surrounding when it happens. Deeper connections are made around a sloth and a lemur than you’d ever imagine.”

Relationships are not just a platitude—SFR participants started a Whatsapp chat during the trip that lived on and looks just like your friends group text—pictures of seats in coach lamenting the lack of glow sticks, best wishes when someone’s not feeling too hot, and plans to get together (that get followed through). Osibodu told me that even though there are no facilitations for this at the event, as no selling is allowed, that participants have shared with her the business transactions that resulted from the event. “It just happens naturally. They make a genuine connection, and then find they have needs each other can fill.”

An Anthology of Events

Plans for the next SFR are already in the works and the two say it will be completely different, not just a change of destination. Osibodu said: “We know that we can never recapture the magic of that experience, and we didn’t do it to create yet another event for the industry. We did it to open minds, push boundaries and show that human connection is required for businesses to flourish. We are more digitally connected and humanly disconnected than ever before, so we believe bringing people together for analog serendipity will outlast technology.”

Lathan compared the experience to the television show Survivor’s same-old content in new locations. “You know how the first season was so exciting, and then by the 3rd or 4th season it’s kind of boring? We want every season to be as exciting as the first season.”

IAEE—the International Association of Exhibitions & Events—brought Expo! Expo!, its Annual Meeting and Exposition, to Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where it took advantage of the glitz and glam of the setting from start to finish.

The opening session of the “Show for Shows” brought longtime local residents Blue Man Group on stage to pound out hypnotic rhythms on PVC piping, adding a musical coda to an inspiring keynote by Chris Bashinelli, host of the popular TV series “Bridge the Gap,” on the power of true human connectedness. Day Two saw a keynote by Darlene Sanford, called Coach Dar by the many pro athletes and corporate executives she has mentored in how to mentally up their games. “It’s not OK to be just OK,” Sanford, a two-time stroke survivor, said. “Ask yourself, ‘Am I fully alive and fully there?’”

The core of the show included more than 100 education sessions and over 60 product categories on the show floor, ranging from event companies to event tech providers, destination CVBs and hoteliers to event freight transport companies.

A series of short talks amid the exhibits called Smart Sessions included Melinda Kendall, senior vice president for sustainability at Freeman. Her “Simple Cost-Saving Steps to Sustainable Events” included tips based on the “Seven Rs”—Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Recover and Recycle. “Rethink every step,” she advised. “Make sustainability part of the overall planning process, not an add on.”

Megan Bearce, a licensed therapist, led an education session titled “Mental Health and Burnout: Strategies for Increasing Resilience,” in which she cited a Harvard study that calculated the cost to the U.S. economy annually in work days lost due to stress at $30 billion.

The expo’s wrap-up general session was an awards luncheon that honored members in numerous categories. Chris Meyer, vice president of global sales for Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, received the Chairperson’s Award. The group’s chairperson for 2020 was announced as Bob McLean Jr., executive vice president for Promotional Products Association International.

Networking and social events included “Humanity Rocks: A Celebration with a Cause,” at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, which raised $35,000 for a local foodbank.

More: Big Industry Events on Tap for 2020

IAEE Expo! Expo! 2020 will be held Dec. 8-10 In Louisville, Kentucky. The announcement came complete with the official bugle player and track announcer from iconic Churchill Downs Racetrack, home to the Kentucky Derby.

Are you traveling to San Francisco’s Moscone Center for PCMA Convening Leaders next week? San Francisco Travel Association has suggestions for things to do when you aren’t discovering your “why” with Simon Sinek or practicing your “Jagger moves” with Maroon 5.

Bus It: Big Bus Tours can be picked up all over the city and offer narrated, hop-on-hop-off access to Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and Haight Ashbury. Night tours take in the lights with an excursion to Treasure Island. For another perspective on the city, a Sausalito tour offers Insta-perfect Bay views.

Check Out: Precocious pinnipeds (sea lions) at Pier 39 are the soundtrack to any visit to the Bay. A short walk along the Embarcadero takes you to Exploratorium, an interactive museum of science, art and humanity that is currently featuring an exhibit of Curious Contraptions. And steps from Moscone is the expanded SF Museum of Modern Art, where the show Beyond Spaceship Earth features “the suits, habs and labs” that could become part of the meeting professional’s toolkit when we start planning gatherings in space.

Go Far: San Francisco is known for its temperate winters, so take time to get outside. Whether it is a walking tour of Chinatown, a hike on Angel Island State Park (via ferry to Tiburon, then another to the island) or a wooded stroll through the Presidio that will make you forget you are in the middle of a big city, this is your chance to take a deep breath and see the sights.

Puzzle This: Winchester Mystery House in San Jose has long left visitors asking why one of the richest women in the world would build a maze of rooms and windows with staircases leading nowhere. While pondering the eccentricities of the mansion’s former owner, groups can dabble in axe-throwing at the stables or experience a Houdini-themed escape room challenge.

Eat That: No trip to San Francisco would be complete without sampling the foodie haunts. SF Travel suggests making your way to Mission District for brunch at Foreign Cinema that will win awards. After a walk down the red carpet to the patio-theater, check out organic “pop tarts,” lavender baked goat cheese and balsamic fried egg. Or, find one of the many Tacolicious locations in the city for a taco of the week. A sweet finish would be Bi-Rite Creamery for salted caramel ice cream dipped in sprinkles.

See also: Welcome to the Neighborhoods of San Francisco

Drink Up: Groups can’t live on grub alone. Wash down that farm-to-town goodness with craft cocktails. SF originals include Irish Coffee at Buena Vista Cafe (the aged, frothy cream was first added in 1952, so, yeah, they know what they are doing) and a Cable Car, a twist on the classic sidecar with spiced rum and a cinnamon-sugar rim, at Sir Francis Drake’s Starlight Room, the reimagined space where the drink was invented.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to flood your social to give everyone back home the appropriate level of FOMO.

At the end of the 2019 Smart Women in Meetings Awards gala in Las Vegas, there was not a dry eye in the ballroom. The brilliant women who make the events industry such a powerful force for good in the world had gathered together to celebrate their impact and reflect on what’s next.

Now, Smart Meetings needs your help choosing the women to honor in 2020. This is your chance to give back to the women who influence you and everyone around them. Winners will be featured in the March issue of Smart Meetings magazine and online and recognized at a bespoke Women’s Summit Event at The Ritz-Carlton Denver in April.

Show your support for your colleagues and submit your nominations today. From visionaries and industry leaders, to entrepreneurs, stellar performers and rising stars, join us in recognizing the top women in the meetings industry who continue to open new doors for all with creativity, passion and drive.

Nominate a Smart Woman Today! The deadline is Jan. 13, 2020.

And save the date, because an even more career enhancing Smart Woman Summit and gala is planned for April 23, 2020.

As 5,000 meeting professionals made their way to San Francisco for PCMA Convening Leaders Annual Conference 2020, nine teams of near-total strangers huddled at the expanded Moscone Center to brainstorm ways to improve meetings using that most Silicon Valley of tricks—the hackathon.

Jamie Murdock, vice president of sales with Experient, and Donna Kastner, founder of Retirepreneur, led the groups in taking the event’s theme, “Extend Your Reach,” very literally.

The pair have been “orchestrating beautiful chaos” to encourage unorthodox ideas for PCMA since 2017. Each year, they have refined their techniques to include a framework that encourages wild thinking, deferring judgment, building on the ideas of others and applying practical standards for bringing solutions to life. The addition of mentors helps keep people focused. A limited time-frame encourages creativity.

The challenge given to the teams this time: how to keep PCMA events fresh, diverse and reaching new and untapped audiences. This task was much more approachable than the assignment at PCMA EduCon in Los Angeles in June 2019. That time around, it was hacking homelessness (or at least helping people on the verge of being turned out onto the streets).

Not that this year’s assignment was a slam dunk. One return participant said it was more difficult for him to put aside preconceived notions and approach the design with fresh eyes.

The mixing of job titles, backgrounds and personality types on teams also challenged people to learn to work in new ways. Those who are natural leaders had to learn to listen so everyone could contribute, and others had to step outside their comfort zones to promote the group’s ideas. “It requires being vulnerable,” said Murdock. “That is hard.”

The Big Pitch

At the end of the process, teams competed Shark Tank-style for $200 each, plus bragging rights, $1,500 for a local charity of their choice, and the hope that their hack would actually get adopted. Solutions included a “conference within a conference,” with 60 percent of content derived from a virtual audience—a strategy that could open the event up to those who don’t see themselves as meeting planners, but still source and execute logistics for company gatherings. “You have to be brave,” intoned the presenter.

Others expanded outreach to include politicians and students who would benefit from the education at PCMA events.

The winning pitch was a “gateway gatherings” strategy that would immerse the event in the community and reinforce networking with an “unreception” to ensure that connections extend beyond the ballroom.

Of course, in the end, everyone was a winner for having gone through what one participant called a transformational process. And in an Oprah-inspired announcement, they learned they would all receive Bombas socks, the footwear that gives back to homeless communities.

Oscar Cerezales, global executive vice president of MCI Group, has been awarded the 2019 Chairman’s Award at PCMA Convening Leaders, which wraps up today at Moscone Center in San Francisco after a four-day run.

See also: PCMA Convening Leaders Kicks Off with an Epic Hack

Cerezales received the award due to his contributions to PCMA and the overall business events industry, as well as his role in building the Latin American audience for the organization. He also codeveloped plans for PCMA’s regional advisory boards in the Asia-Pacific and EMEA regions, and designed the Leadership Summit program for C-suite and senior-level leaders at Convening Leaders 2020, which was hosted by San Francisco Travel Association.

“When I joined PCMA, it was all about volunteering—I’m just trying to walk the talk,” Cerezales said while accepting the award. His company, MCI Group, is based in Geneva and specializes in creating face-to-face and digital experiences.

Past recipients of the award include Team PCMA; Isabel Bardient, CEO of European Society of Cardiology; and Janet Tan-Collis, president of Singapore Association of Conventions and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, as well as founder and CEO of East West Planners in Singapore.

Super Bowl LIV is still two weeks away, but the buzz for it heated up right after the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers won their games last weekend, thereby earning their way to play on pro football’s biggest stage in Miami.

See also: Game On: Sports Venues for Meeting Groups

Actually, the excitement for Super Bowl LIV has been building steadily in Greater Miami ever since the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII nearly a year ago. Three counties—Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach—are collaborating in hosting the game on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium, as well as the many activities leading up to it during the next two weeks. The Miami Super Bowl Host Committee (MSBHC) is using the event both as an opportunity to showcase the many new developments in the area and to lend a helping hand to others.

Signature Super Bowl Events

Signature events include Super Bowl Live presented by Verizon, a free weeklong fan festival that will showcase Miami’s vibrant culture and music scene. It will take over all of Bayfront Park during Super Bowl Week, which runs from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1, and feature evening concerts at the amphitheater, Huddle Down Community Stage, Road to the 11th Super Bowl activation, Tailgate Town (featuring a culinary stage), Environmental Village, live water shows, evening parades, fireworks and more.

“Super Bowl Live will completely transform Downtown Miami,” said Rodney Barreto, MSBHC chairman. “Our team has worked hard to bring the game to everyone and create a memorable, fun and interactive Super Bowl experience for visitors and residents alike.”

Another signature event, Party with a Purpose by Taste of the NFL, which traditionally takes place on Feb. 1, the eve of the Super Bowl, will be offered at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood. This star-studded, strolling wine and food event brings together exceptional cuisine, more than 40 prominent chefs from around the country, NFL players, coaches, legends, celebrities and more—all to support a nationwide fundraising campaign to fight hunger. Chefs from each NFL city will serve their signature dish alongside a current or alumni NFL player, and net proceeds will directly support Feeding South Florida through the NFL’s Kick Hunger Challenge program.

“We are thrilled to partner with Taste of the NFL and its participating restaurants to raise awareness about hunger in South Florida, especially with this year’s Super Bowl taking place here in Miami,” said Paco Velez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “This partnership is a great example of how, with the help of our community, Feeding South Florida can continue addressing food insecurity for the more than 706,000 individuals we serve throughout South Florida.”

See also: Incorporate Sports into Your Events

InterContinental Miami (653 guest rooms, 101,000 sq. ft. of meeting space) will serve as the NFL’s headquarter hotel for the Super Bowl and Miami Beach Convention Center (1.5 million sq. ft. of meeting space) will be the media center.

The Magic City

super bowl

Until a couple decades ago, Miami was a pretty relaxed, quiet place. Since then, it’s become a major international metropolis with outstanding hotels, innovative chefs and restaurants, and one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world (South Beach). It’s been given the nickname “The Magic City” because of this rapid growth—and it just keeps growing.

Visiting groups and Super Bowl LIV attendees have plenty of opportunities to sample the city’s exciting offerings, which include several new developments.

Mila, a “MediterrAsian” restaurant, lounge and mixology bar, is slated to open in South Beach this week, just in time for the big game. Its culinary experience draws influences from the Mediterranean and Japan, and marries health and nutrition with sensorial textures, flavors and elegantly plated dishes.

On the meetings front, last year, Miami Beach Convention Center completed a $620 million renovation and expansion that made it a state-of-the-art facility. It added 300,000 sq. ft. of space, and now offers a 60,000-square-foot ballroom, 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space and nearly 200,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Plans for an 800-room hotel adjacent to the convention center have been approved, and it is scheduled to open by 2023.

One of Miami’s iconic properties, Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, recently finished a $25 million restoration. A new meeting facility, Conference Center of the Americas, was added, bringing the total meeting space to 75,000 sq. ft. The renovation also included the 271 guest rooms.

At JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, attendees can surround themselves with luxurious accommodations and amenities in an upscale part of town. The resort offers 685 guest rooms, along with two championship golf courses, the award-winning Bourbon Steak restaurant, a full-service spa and 98,687 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Other top hotels include two host properties for the Super Bowl—The Diplomat Beach Resort, with 1,000 guest rooms and 209,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, and Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, with 589 guest rooms and 21,300 sq. ft.

Flourishing Meetings Cities

At first glance, they don’t seem to have much in common besides their outstanding football teams and struggling baseball clubs. San Francisco exudes West Coast urban sophistication and innovation while Kansas City exemplifies Midwestern qualities—friendly people, a more laidback lifestyle and plenty of open space.

These contrasting qualities were on full display just six years ago when the San Francisco Giants bested the Kansas City Royals in a hard-fought, seven-game World Series. And the cities will meet again on Feb. 2 when the San Francisco 49ers play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in Miami, known for its stunning beaches and buoyant nightlife.

Differences aside, San Francisco and Kansas City are both attractive meetings cities that recently enhanced their offerings.

The City of Fountains

super bowl

Kansas City is America’s most centrally located metropolitan area, with easy access from both coasts. It’s long been known for having some of the best barbecue in the country (Arthur Bryant’s KC Barbecue and Gates Bar-B-Q are the traditional favorites), but a wide variety of other culinary choices—including an ever-increasing number of ethnic and trendy restaurants—are also excellent for group dining. Kansas City also boasts a lively music scene, particularly blues and jazz, and perhaps the world’s most fabulous unsung art museum—Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, featuring superb Impressionist and Chinese collections.

The City of Fountains (Kansas City has 200 of them) is also rapidly becoming a more popular meetings destination due to an ongoing $7.3 billion renaissance that includes new hotels, cultural attractions (especially in the lively Power & Light entertainment district and artsy Crossroads neighborhood) and a free streetcar line that covers 2.2 miles in the heart of the city.

Recently renovated Kansas City Convention Center offers 800,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, plus an outdoor plaza and sculpture garden. A new 120-room property, 21c Museum Hotel, emerged from a $50 million reinvention of Savoy Bar and Grill recently. Situated in a structure dating to 1888, the luxury, boutique hotel features rotating art exhibits and 6,200 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Crossroads Hotel, located in a building that formerly housed a Pabst Brewing Co. bottling plant, is another newbie, offering 132 guest rooms and 8,746 sq. ft. of meeting space. And Loews Kansas City is scheduled to debut in the spring with 800 guest rooms, a lobby bar, a signature restaurant, an indoor lap pool and 60,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

The City by the Bay

super bowl

Consistently ranked as one of the top meetings destinations in the country, San Francisco features a unique cosmopolitan mix and some of the world’s leading hotels, restaurants and attractions, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz Island. Its neighborhoods maintain distinct identities, though they have become more mixed recently. They include Chinatown, Japantown, North Beach (the city’s “Little Italy) and the Mission District (with a large Latino population).

Highlighting culinary developments, Wolfgang Puck Catering provided a big boost to planners by returning to the city last year and bringing its world-class chefs and creative culinary experiences to everything from intimate dinner parties to large gatherings such as corporate events and celebrations.

Last year, a $551 expansion of Moscone Center added more than 500,000 sq. ft. for meetings and events, bringing the total there to nearly 1.4 million sq. ft. Hyatt Regency San Francisco, situated on the Embarcadero waterfront, refreshed its Regency Club VIP accommodations, consisting of 57 suites and a 17th-floor retreat.

Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Union Square underwent an $11 million renovation that included its 416 guest rooms, but preserved the elegant woodwork and chandeliers in its 18,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.