DINE OUT LAUDERDALE kicks off
We invite you to dine out. Often. This is your chance to experience the culinary greatness in Greater "Fork" Lauderdale. On Sunday-Thursday through November 15, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, in partnership with American Express, present Broward's top 35 restaurants offering three-course dinner menus for $35. (not valid during the Boat Show, Oct 25-29). Visit www.sunny.org/dineout for participating restaurants and their Dine Out menus. If you would like to print out copies of the Dine Out flyer for your guests, click here to download a PDF.

Dine Out and Learn to Cook with Le Bistro
Le Bistro restaurant in Lighthouse Point, participant in the Dine Out Lauderdale program, invites you to a cooking class on Saturday, Oct 20. Join Chef Andy on a mouth-watering exploration of regional Italian cooking, including: Prosciutto and Melon Lollipops, Frico with Onions, Orzotto, Potatoes with Sour Cream, String Bean Salad, Scampi Busara Style, Venison Ribs, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves, Classic Friulian Cake. $50 includes class and food tastings. Advance reservations required. Call (954) 946-9240.

Summer Numbers
July 2007 bed tax collections rose 4.52% over July 2006 to $2,593,816.05. Hotel rates in August rose 10% to $98.47 and Greater Fort Lauderdale hotel occupancy was 66.8%, a 5.8% increase over last year.

GFL makes Forbes' "America's 30 Most Visited Cities" list
Greater Fort Lauderdale ranked number 29 in Forbes' list of America's 30 Most Visited Cities. Here's what Forbes had to say: This "beach chic" destination drew ten and a half million overnight visitors to its sun-soaked shores in 2006, a two percent increase over previous years and, city tourism officials hope, part of a longer, upward trend as luxury properties continue to transform the coastline.

Tourism Sales Update
The Tourism Sales department will participate in the following October shows: NTS Roadshow (NH, MA, CT, RI), Oct 1-4; Baltimore Sales Mission, Oct 1-3; HX Media Gay Life Travel Expo, NY, Oct 21-22; New York/New Jersey Sales Mission, Oct 22-26; ABAV and Latin American Sales Mission, Brazil, Oct 24-27 and AAA Annual Conference, GFL, Oct 28-31. The GFLCVB will host a tailgating client event for UK media and travel trade in London on Oct 28 for the first-ever NFL regular season game outside of the US.

Upcoming Media Visits
This month, the PR department welcomes media from Homefront Magazine, Canada, Oct 19-21 and Houston Tribune, Oct 27-30. Jessica Taylor heads to LA for the VISIT FLORIDA media mission next week.

Multiculturally Speaking
Congratulations to Nicki Grossman, who received a Diversity Award from the Urban League at a special dinner last week, making her the first female to receive the award. GFL partners with VISIT FLORIDA this fall for a trip giveaway radio promotion on Sheridan Gospel Networks' "The Light & Gospel Mornings."

2008 Meeting Planners Guide
Advertising sales will soon come to a close for the 2008 edition of the official Meeting Planners Guide. This award-winning guide specifically for the meeting planner, is distributed through direct mail, sales missions and industry shows. A virtual planner on sunny.org will accompany the printed piece. Contact: Sharon Kyryliw, Worth International, (305) 828-0123, ext. 103, sharon@worthit.com

October Convention Sales Update
Groups meeting in October generate more than $20 million to Broward County. Sample groups include:
Oct 3-7: SYSCO Corporation (3,500 attendees)
Oct 4-9: Broward Caribbean Carnival (500 attendees)
Oct 7-12: American Road & Transportation Builders Assn. (1,000 attendees)
Oct 8-12: Sourcing Leadership 2007 (350 attendees)
Oct 9-14: Real Estate Owned Managers Assn. of California (550 attendees)
Oct 10-14: Florida Council for Exceptional Children (100 attendees)
Oct 11-14: Catholic Charismatic Services Archdiocese Miami Conference (700 attendees)
Oct 12-14: Best Buy Back to School Meeting Achievers (850 attendees)
Oct 12-19: Interantional Assn. of Insurance Supervisors (550 attendees)
Oct 13-19: Florida Crime Prevention Association (100 attendees)
Oct 14-18: Amerind Risk Management Corporation Annual Meeting (400 attendees)
Oct 20-24: Women in Ministry International Conference (300 attendees)
Oct 20-26: Florida Division of the International Assn. for Identification (150 attendees)
Oct 24-26: ISPA Industry Conference (250 attendees)
Oct 28-Nov 1: Mobile Beat DJ Show and Conference (450 attendees)
Oct 29-Nov 4: American Urological Assn. (600 attendees)
Oct 30-Nov 8: Omega Institute Pass of Yoga (1,000 attendees)

Sport Lauderdale
Greater Fort Lauderdale welcomes the following sports groups in October, with 19,700 competitors plus family and friends, for $18.2 million in economic impact.
Oct 4-7: ECA Thrive 2007 Conference (1,000 attendees)
Oct 5-7: USA Basketball Pre Season Clinic (1,200 attendees)
Oct 5-7: Coral Springs Netball Invitational (200 attendees)
Oct 10-12: International Softball Classic (3,775 attendees)
Oct 11-14: USTA Women's Clay Court Tennis (1,350 attendees)
Oct 11-14: USTA Men's Clay Court Tennis (975 attendees)
Oct 12-15: South Florida Swim & Dive Championships (550 attendees)
Oct 16-21: FINA Judges' School for Sychronized Swimming (250 attendees)
Oct 18-21: US Adult Soccer Meeting/Workshops (1,200 attendees)
Oct 19-21: South Florida Fright Night Invitational Gymnastics (500 attendees)
Oct 25-29: Rising Stars Fall Showcase (6,000 attendees)
Oct 25-27: Florida Sports Foundation Summit (1,400 attendees)
Oct 25-28: National Soccer Coaches Association of America (350 attendees)
Oct 25-29: Hofball Columbus Day Invitational (750 attendees)
Oct 26-28: University of Lafayette, LA football (200 attendees)

Sports Hall of Fame Auction Donation
Save the date for the 2007 Broward County Sports Hall of Fame honoring Broward's sports legends, Tuesday, December 11 at the Broward County Convention Center. As always, we will kick off the festivities with a cocktail reception and silent auction. We hope you can help us make the auction a success by donating a certificate or prize package. Please contact Saskia Fisher, sfisher@broward.org, to donate an item.

High Heel Hike
The Fort Lauderdale High Heel Hike™, the official Glam event of Winterfest 2007, will turn up the Glam at Galleria Mall on October 6. Hikers of all ages will ‘strut their stuff’ while raising funds to benefit young women affected by breast cancer. Hundreds of divas and dudes will bring a new meaning to the word fashionista as the sassiest glam-aholics gather to "Go For The Crown!" Rub elbows with celebrity Divas and score a little swag while you’re there. Slip on your Choos and lace up your Louboutins. For details and registration information, visit www.highheelhike.com.

Bet on it
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach now accepts wagers on the nation's leading daytime racetracks. Racing programs and wagering are available in the Silks Simulcast Center, Sport of Kings Poker & Racing Lounge and Ten Palms Restaurant, all opening at 11:30am.

Calling all movie buffs and stargazers
The 22nd Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival kicks off Oct 15 and runs through Nov 11, with official opener on Oct 19. This year, more than 200 top new independent films from the U.S. and around the globe will be unveiled, with more than 100 special guests in attendance.

Hotel News
Extended through November 15, a group of Superior Small Lodging properties and gay-owned guesthouses will offer a special promotion for 4th night free. Visit www.sunny.org/ssl and www.sunny.org/rainbow for participating hotels. The Best Western Plantation Sawgrass has been renamed the Plantation Hotel & Conference Center. This month, the long-awaited Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach opens its doors, adding 261 rooms and expanded guest amenities. The Villa Sinclair, a Superior Small Lodging on Hollywood Beach, invites you to an art expo featuring more than 100 original paintings by Patricia Burger. Held every Friday in October from 5pm-8pm, this free event features complimentary appetizers and wine. Visit www.villa-sinclair.com/press for more info.

The Plane Facts: FLL News
The GFLCVB makes traveling a breeze at FLL, with new destination-branded, clear plastic bags for liquids such as shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream or makeup -- now available FREE at all security checkpoints throughout the airport.

Data for August 2007 indicates that total traffic was up 18.9%, domestic traffic was up 16%, and International traffic up 39.7%. It was the second consecutive month of double digit growth and the busiest August on record. Air Carrier operations were 20,436, up 10% over last year. GA was up .4% for the month. Total aircraft operations were 24,404, up 8.3%. The low fare carriers continued to be the success story. Spirit carried 369,442 passengers up 103.3% over August 06, AirTran was up 46.7%, JetBlue increased by 13.5%, and Southwest was up 13%. These carriers combined to add 280,226 more passengers or 9,039 passengers per day. Significant gains were also had by some of the legacy carriers. Continental led the way with 137,748 passengers, up 22.3% over August 06, American carried 135,165 passengers, up 5.9% over last year, and United/TED carried 49,514 passengers, up 6.7%. August marked the first month of positive growth for American since October 06.Load factor for the top 12 air carriers for August 07 was 84% compared to 77.3% last year. To get a feel for the growth of the low fare and legacy carriers, if we were to reduce Spirit's August 07 growth to 10% (not the actual 103.3%), total traffic would still be up 8.4%.

On the operations side, Spirit operated an average of 50 flights a day, 21 more daily departures than August 06. AirTran was up 5 flights during the same period, and SW and JetBlue were up 4 daily flights. International traffic continued its phenomenal growth. Air Jamaica launched service to Barbados at the end of July and Spirit began service to Managua in August. The last quarter looks very bright as Spirit will begin service to Aruba and Freeport in November and American begins service to Port Au Prince, Santo Domingo, and San Jose in December.Domestic traffic will also continue to grow. JetBlue will begin service to Buffalo, Syracuse and Ponce, PR in November. Spirit will also begin Ponce in November, and Allegiant will commence in mid November.

Miami City Ballet/Museum of Art Promotion
The MCB and MOA have teamed up for a joint promotion during the holidays. Visitors who see the new Chinese furniture exhibition at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Inspired by China: Contemporary Furnituremakers Explore Chinese Traditions, running Nov 30-Mar 31, can take their ticket stubs to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for a discount on The Nutcracker, Dec 21-23. The same promotion works vice versa, with discounts at the Museum of Art with a ticket stub from The Nutcracker.

Nicki Grossman honored at Crystal Vision Gala, Nov 3
We are proud to announce that Nicki was selected to receive the Chairman's Award at the Art & Culture Center of Hollywood's Crystal Vision Gala, Nov 3 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Beatlemania Live is scheduled to perform. Call (954) 921-3274 for details.

Happenings Around Town
Oct 1-Nov 15: Dine Out Lauderdale, Greater Fort Lauderdale
Oct 3-14: The Wedding Singer, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 4: Young Professionals Social, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society
Oct 5-7: Southeast Winter Sports Show, Broward County Convention Center
Oct 5, 12, 19, 26: Patricia Burger, French Artist, Villa Sinclair in Hollywood
Oct 6: FAU Football vs. South Florida, Lockhart Stadium
Oct 6, 11: Florida Panthers vs. New Jersey Devils, BankAtlantic Center
Oct 6: High Heel Hike, Galleria Mall
Oct 6-7: Las Olas Art Festival
Oct 6: Wayne Newton, Hard Rock Live
Oct 7: SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch, Riverwalk Downtown Fort Lauderdale
Oct 9: Daughtry, Hard Rock Live
Oct 11: Stone Soup, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 11: Neville Brothers, Hard Rock Live
Oct 12, 26: Broadwalk Friday Fest, Hollywood Broadwalk
Oct 13: Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, BankAtlantic Center
Oct 15-Nov 11: Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Oct 16: Old Fashion Fish Fry, Damon’s Grill, Lauderdale by the Sea
Oct 16: Beakman Live!, Parker Playhouse
Oct 16: Twelve Girls Band, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 17: HSMAI luncheon "How to Sell to the Gay and Lesbian Market," Tatiana in Hallandale Beach
Oct 17: "Sabor Latino" - Latin Flavor in Weston, Hyatt Regency Bonaventure
Oct 17: George Benson and Al Jarreau, Hard Rock Live
Oct 17: Natalie Cole, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 19-21: Jewels, Miami City Ballet, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 20: Patti LaBelle, Hard Rock Live
Oct 20: Max & Ruby, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 20-21: Hollywood Festival of the Arts, ArtsPark at Young Circle, Hollywood
Oct 20: Maroon 5, BankAtlantic Center
Oct 20: NBC's Last Comic Standing, Coral Springs Center for the Arts
Oct 20-21: Bank of America VIVA Broward!, Stranahan Park, Fort Lauderdale
Oct 20-21: Cat Show, War Memorial Auditorium
Oct 20-21, 26-31: "Dr. Sanitarium" Haunted House to benefit the Special Olympics, Tradewinds Park
Oct 21: "Bill Pinkney's" Original Drifters, Coral Springs Center for the Arts
Oct 23: The Winds in the Willows, Parker Playhouse
Oct 24: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Parker Playhouse
Oct 24: Florida Panthers vs. Philadelphia Flyers, BankAtlantic Center
Oct 25-29: 48th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Oct 26: Solid Gold Soul, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 26: Florida Panthers vs. Buffalo Sabres, BankAtlantic Center
Oct 27: FAU Football vs. Louisiana-Monroe, Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale
Oct 31: Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Oct 31-Nov 4: I May Be Black, but God Knows I’m Jewish, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Nov 2: Fort Lauderdale Historical Society's Founder’s Dinner honoring Ray Ferrero, Jr. and Nova Southeastern University.

With all best wishes,

Nicki E. Grossman
President