June is “Learn to Dive Month”
Dive into summer with savings in June. Special dive packages have been created offering a free graduation dive along with a free hotel night stay. Warm summer seas make scuba even more inviting, and local dive operators have created convenient training programs for out of towners and locals. Certification only takes three days (four, if traveling by plane), and then you can spend quality time with colorful parrotfish, giant grouper, sea turtles and stingrays. Participating dive operators include: Brownies Yachtdiver Stores, Brownie’s Marine Group, Divers Cove, Divers Discount Florida, Dixie Divers of Deerfield Beach, Gold Coast Scuba LLC, Lauderdale Diver, Pompano Dive Center, Private Scuba Lessons.com, Pro Dive International, Scuba Network, Sea Experience, South Florida Diving Headquarters and US 1 Scuba. Learn to Dive advertising includes: NY Times, Dive Training Magazine, Sport Diver Magazine, Sport Diver.com, Florida Travel & Life, Trip Advisor, Conde Nast Traveler and TravelHost. More details: www.sunny.org/learntodive.
Vacation Like a VIP
Summer visitors can discover a passion for diving, charter a fishing boat for an afternoon adventure, spend the day relaxing and revitalizing at the spa, or rent a Harley or beach cruiser. Thanks to our many hospitality industry partners who are providing 2 for 1 experiences from arts and entertainment to transportation to encourage summer visitation. Consumers, meeting planners, and travel agents can now order a free VIP card online with more than 30 special two-for-one deals available through Sept 30: http://sunny.org/vip.
Joe Millsaps will be missed
We are so sorry to hear that Joe Millsaps, president and chairman of the board for Broward Navy Days, passed away over the Memorial Day weekend. Joe, a longtime community activist, helped found Broward Navy Days. He also served on many boards including chairman of the Winterfest Boat Parade, chairman of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Association of Realtors, and a trustee of Nova Southeastern University. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Broward Navy Days, in care of Garry Murphy, 5300 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308.
Gr8 Beaches, Gr8 Stories
With just 8 words, what story would you write about the 8 beach cities of Gr8ter Fort Lauderdale? You are invited to create your own fabulous 8-word story and then generate a cool flip flop postcard to send to a friend, client or colleague. Get started now: http://www.sunny.org/flipflop.
Broward Attractions and Museums Month (BAMM)
Experience diverse cultural treasures all for the price of one membership, thanks to the collaborative effort of 17 attractions, museums, and cultural destinations during Broward Attractions and Museums Month (BAMM). Members of any of the17 institutions will enjoy reciprocal membership to the other venues free of charge. Participating institutions include: African-American Research Library, Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, ArtServe, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, Cinema Paradiso, Flamingo Gardens, Fort Lauderdale History Center, Historic Stranahan House Museum, IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame, International Swimming Hall of Fame, Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale Nova SE University, Old Davie School Historical Museum, Old Dillard Museum, Plantation Historical Museum, and Seminole Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. www.bamminfo.org
Share A Little Sunshine
Let’s Share a Little Sunshine! Invite family and friends to enjoy our beautiful sun, sand and shore. Become a fan and post your pictures and caption of Greater Fort Lauderdale from the beaches to the Everglades here: http://facebook.com/floridasunshine.
Broward County Film Productions
Welcome Noelle Stevenson to the CVB team as Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward Film Commission Director. Andrea Voss is now handling film permitting. Here's a recap of projects in the works: Motion Picture: In A Pickle. Television Productions: The Glades: A&E; Swamp Men: National Geographic WILD; Burn Notice: USA; Busiest Day - Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas: TLC; Code Enforcers: USA; Hip Hop Honors: VH1; Designing Spaces: We TV. Pre-Production: Made: MTV; Color Splash: HGTV; Whose Wedding Is It Anyway: Style Network.
Convention Sales Team Update
The convention sales team recently participated in the following: Meetings Industry Ladies Open, Meeting Spots in Tallahassee, GFLCVB Texas Sales Mission in Houston, GFLCVB DC Sales Mission, GFLCVB Toronto Sales Mission, SGMP in Kansas City, Winterfest Board Retreat, SFMPI South Florida Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Dunn’s Crabfeast in Virginia, PCMA Executive Edge and Foundation Dinner & Springtime in the Park, and ASAE DC Invitational Golf Tournament. Catch the sales team at these upcoming events and tradeshows:
June 7-10: GFLCVB Philadelphia Sales Mission
June 12- 15: PCMA Education Summit, Montreal, Canada
June 20-22: SFMPI Chapter Leadership Conference
June 21-27: International Gay & Lesbian Travel Assn Annual Meeting, Antwerp, Belgium
June 26-29: Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association Annual, New Orleans
Upcoming Convention Sales Missions: Want to join us? Contact the group sales team leader listed.
Philadelphia, PA (Steve Aird/ Dion James): June 8–10
Fort Lauderdale Destination Preview/Site Summer Seminar: July 8-11
Chicago Cubs Event (Nora Gorman): July 19-21
Minneapolis (Stacy Copeland): Aug 9-13
Atlanta Sales Mission (Michele Bemis): Sept 20-24
DC Area Cirque du Soleil Client Event (Sally Slater/Dion James): Sept TBD
St. Louis (Stacy Copeland): Sept 27-30
June Group Sales Update
Groups meeting in June will generate more than $20 million to Broward County. Sample groups include:
June 2-5: 2010 LSAC Annual Meeting & Educational Conference (500 attendees)
June 2-7: FamilyLife Weekend to Remember 2010 (300 attendees)
June 5-10: 2010 Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference (250 attendees)
June 7-11: National Urban Black Executives Exchange Program (366 attendees)
June 10-17: Edison Electric Institute 2010 Annual Convention & Expo (700 attendees)
June 12-20: Defense Supply Center Philadelphia’s Subsistence Worldwide Consumer Conference (1,050 attendees)
June 15-21: 100 Black Men of America, Inc 2010 National Convention (1,800 attendees)
June 22-28: Celebration of Friends 2010 (500 attendees)
June 22-24: EnergyOcean 2010 Conference & Exhibition (300 attendees)
Sport Lauderdale
Greater Fort Lauderdale welcomes the following sports groups in June, with more than 21,000 competitors plus family and friends:
June 1-10: International Youth Cup (2200 attendees)
June 4-6: Gold Coast Basketball - AAU Super Regional (900 attendees)
June 5-7: Deerfield Beach Volleyball Tournament (600 attendees)
June 10-14: US Baseball Assoc. Regional Soccer Qualifiers (1250 attendees)
June 11-13: June Krauser Summer Invite (800 attendees)
June 17-21: Make a Wish Celebrity Classic (600 attendees)
June 17-21: US Paralympics National Championships (Track) (600 attendees)
June 24-27: International Age Group Invite (1250 attendees)
June 25-28: CSSC International Swim Meet (800 attendees)
June 25-27: Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships (1500 attendees)
June 25-27: SFTTO Robo Pong Tournament (850 attendees)
June 26-July 3: Summer Softball Classic (3000 attendees)
June 28-July 3: AAU Taekwondo Youth & Adult Championships (6000 attendees)
Media Visits
Jessica Taylor met with dozens of media at International Pow Wow in Orlando in May, along with Dine Magazine from Canada visiting this past weekend. If anyone is interested in hosting working press from Latin America, Canada, Germany, UK and Scandinavia please contact Jessica jtaylor@broward.org There will be opportunities throughout the summer and fall.
Tourism Sales
In May, Fernando Harb attended the HSMAI Networker at the Atlantic Hotel and was at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport to welcome Condor Airlines’ inaugural flight with service from Frankfurt, Germany. Fernando, along with Jessica Taylor, represented the CVB in Orlando at Pow Wow, where they met with delegations from Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands. Josh Winston, joined by several hotel partners, kicked off the summer drive season with our annual AAA Sales Mission across Florida.
Port Everglades
Carnival, the world’s largest cruise company, signed one of its largest passenger terminal use agreements last month, committing that 25.5 million cruise guests will sail to and from Broward County’s Port Everglades over the next 15 years. The agreement, effective October 1, 2010, will potentially produce half-a-billion dollars in Port revenue and is expected to have an average annual economic impact on more than 6,000 local jobs with related personal income of $293.6 million over the 15-year period. The agreement calls for an average of 1.7 million passengers embarking and debarking annually from a combination of most Carnival-brand cruise ships, including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, P&O Cruises, Cunard Line, and the Yachts of Seabourn, which already sail to and from Port Everglades. The Port is committed to making significant improvements to four existing cruise terminals at Port Everglades to accommodate Carnival’s fleet of world-leading cruise ships.
Multiculturally Speaking
Al Tucker participated in the Odyssey Network Conference in Naples last month exposing Greater Fort Lauderdale to more than 1,100 affluent women from around the country. June 6-10 GFL will be the host city for the United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF) Development Conference at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa bringing together all of the senior staff from Washington, DC and more than 100 Senior Development leaders from cities from across the country. June 9-12 The National Urban League brings their prestigious Black Executive Exchange Program (BEEP) to the Harbor Beach Marriott. The Urban League’s best and brightest from around the country set the tone for preparing black leaders for corporate America. June 16-20 The 100 Black Men of America (BMOA) will bring more than 3,800 leaders and organizers from around the country for their 24th Annual Conference at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa. And on June 22 Al Tucker travels to New Orleans to make a presentation to Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) to bring the 2014 Conference to GFL. The conference will bring more than 2,000 delegates to the destination and highlights the growth of FLL.
Hotel News
Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center and Spa has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. This signifies the hotel performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. Sun Tower Hotel & Suites is now offering through October Beach Day Packages including 2 lounge chairs, beach umbrella, beach towels, lunch for two at the oceanfront Sand Bar & Grill and pool access & facility use for $49 for two. Click here for more info.
Attractions News
Charter One is proud to announce the arrival of their newest vessel “The Floridian Princess,” their largest and most luxurious yacht to date. Click here to view a complete photo gallery. Congratulations to Hollywood Beach Broadwalk for being named One of America’s Best Beach Boardwalks by Travel + Leisure. Click here to read all about it.
Blue Wild Expo
Florida’s diving event kicks off June 4 at the Courtyard by Marriott Beach 6-10pm. The expo will take place June 5-6 at the Broward County Convention Center. Featuring over 100 vendors, the top marine artist, and a speaker list that includes the best names in freediving, scuba, and technical diving, underwater cinematography, spearfishing, shark experts, and more. For ticket info visit www.thebluewild.com.
Lego Man: Back by Popular Demand
An exhibition of new work by Nathan Sawaya: Replay returns to the Art & Culture Center of Hollywood June 5-Aug 15. The family-friendly exhibition by the acclaimed artist features sculptures made exclusively of LEGO® brick. Special Event: Live Day Build with the artist on June 5 from 11am-4pm. http://artandculturecenter.org/nathan-sawaya-replay
THE HUKILAU: Experience Polynesia in America’s Vacationland
The 9th Annual Hukilau, a multifaceted event celebrating “Polynesian Pop,” June 10-13, brings together Tiki and Polynesian Pop Culture, including entertainment, music, visual art, mixology, food, fashion, cultural and social history. Tiki lovers and curiosity seekers travel from all over the world for the ultimate party and vacation weekender. Events and seminars take place in three venues: Mai-Kai, Bahia Cabana, and Bahia Mar Beach Resort. www.thehukilau.com
I-595 Express Contractor & Supplier’s Breakfast Forum
Broward County is undergoing a major interstate improvements project: The I-595 Express Corridor Improvements Project. The four and half year project will open the way for suppliers, vendors, engineers, contractors and other specialists to become a part of this expansion. The I-595 Express Team, LLC is presenting opportunities at the Contractors & Suppliers Breakfast Forum on Tue, June 8 at the Signature Grand in Davie. Click here to learn more.
Happenings Around Town
Through-June 17: Shrek: Forever After, Museum of Discovery & Science
Through -Sept 30: Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Vacation Like a VIP 2-for-1 Summer Deals, www.sunny.org/vip
June 1-3: Florida Marlins vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Sun Life Stadium
June 1-13: For Art’s Sake! Art Exhibit, Gallery 101
June 1-30: Learn to Dive Month in Greater Fort Lauderdale, www.sunny.org/learntodive
June 1-30: Broward Attractions and Museum Month
June 1-July 31: Moonlight, Sea Turtles and You! Museum of Discovery & Science
June 3-7: 1st Annual Italian Festa, Cinema Paradiso
June 4: Riverwalk’s Trust’s Burger Battle, The Lawn on Las Olas, Riverside Hotel
June 4-6: Fort Lauderdale Home Design & Remodeling Show, Broward County Convention Center
June 5: Carole King / James Taylor, BankAtlantic Center
June 5-6: Dance Dimensions Spring Concert, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 5-6: Franchise & Business Opportunities Expo, Broward County Convention Center
June 5-6: The Blue Wild Ocean Adventure Seminar & Expo, Broward County Convention Center
June 5-Aug 1: Adaptation, Art & Culture Center of Hollywood
June 5-Aug 15: Nathan Sawaya: Replay, Art & Culture Center of Hollywood
June 6: SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch, Riverwalk, Downtown Fort Lauderdale
June 6: Disney's Aladdin, Jr., Miramar Cultural Center
June 8: Cobra Starship and 3OH!3, Pompano Beach Amphitheater
June 9-27: Mary Poppins, Broadway, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 10: Bellator Fighting Championships - Mixed Martial Arts, Hard Rock Live
June 10-13: The Hukilau, Mai-Kai Restaurant, Bahia Cabana and Bahia Mar Beach Resort
June 10-27: Mother / Son, Rising Action Theatre
June 11-13: Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing, I.T. Parker Community Center
June 11-July 25: The Drowsy Chaperone, Stage Door Theatre
June 12-13: Gun and Knife Show, War Memorial Auditorium
June 12: Pops, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 14-Aug 20: Summer Theatre Camp, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 15: Rise of the Heavyweights Boxing, Hard Rock Live
June 15-17: Florida Marlins vs. Texas Rangers, Sun Life Stadium
June 18: Fort Lauderdale Bus Loop, 17th Street Causeway and Fort Lauderdale Beach
June 18-20: U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships, Ansin Sports Complex, Miramar
June 18-20: Florida Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays, Sun Life Stadium
June 19: Celebrating The Male Dancer Encore, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 19: Daddy’s Day Pool Party, Sunrise & Pembroke Pines
June 20: Stonewall Street Festival & Parade, Wilton Manors
June 21: Chopin in the Summer, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 25: Fort Lauderdale’s Gay Men’s Chorus presents Feeling Groovy, Parker Playhouse
June 25-27: Florida Marlins vs. San Diego Padres, Sun Life Stadium
June 26: The Studio's "Fame" Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 27: "It's Show Time" Miramar Cultural Center
June 27: ArtUnited Performing Arts Series with Matt Zarley, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
June 27: Bjorn Again, Parker Playhouse
June 27: Earth, Wind & Fire, Hard Rock Live
June 28-30: Florida Marlins vs. New York Mets, Sun Life Stadium
June 28-July 3: AAU Taekwondo Youth & Adult Championship, Broward County Convention Center
With all best wishes,
Nicki E. Grossman
President
