ON THE WEB

› For more information about meeting in Tampa, visit takeovertampa.com.

› To watch a video about Tampa’s new brand, visit convn.org/tampa-brand.

– Center for Advanced Media Learn- ing and Simulation (affiliated with the University of South Florida) opened in a 90,000-square-foot building in 2012, and offers cutting-edge health-care simulation training and educational facilities. The first facility of its kind in the world, the $38-million CAMLS caters to groups of all kinds — from dental students to medical device companies — that need state-of-the-art spaces and equipment for training, edu- cation, and demonstrations. In an effort to stimulate the other side of the brain, we hit the Tampa Museum of Art, one of four museums that dot the downtown waterfront. In 2010, the museum moved into its current location adjacent to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, which was also recently revitalized. The building’s lobby atrium and covered terrace over- look the park and serve as a sort of front yard for the museum, and are ideal for receptions and launch parties. As we lunched at the museum’s Sono Cafe, I chatted with Jane Han Godfrey, Visit Tampa Bay’s senior services manager, who told me about how the waterfront and green spaces like Curtis Hixon are playing a major role in attracting both locals and visitors to downtown. Segway tours, paddleboarding excursions, yoga in the park, and water taxis are a regular sight now, and the accessibility of the Tampa Riverwalk makes jumping from the convention center to an attraction or hotel simple and safe for everyone. After lunch, we took a look at two

other popular attractions that offer options for groups. The Glazer Chil- dren’s Museum — a great add-on for family programs — has a private third floor with 5,000 square feet of meeting

86 PCMA CONVENE OCTOBER 2013

Open Space Firestick Grill at Tampa Bay Times Forum, which ranked fourth in the United States and 12th in the world on Poll- star’s ‘Top 100 Worldwide Arena Venues.’

space and a terrace that overlooks downtown for after-hours events. Nearby, in the Channel District, the Florida Aquarium has a smorgasbord of aquatic-themed spaces for events. From seated dinners in front of a shark tank, where groups can be entertained by divers who speak through a special speaker system, to cigar lounges set up on the tiki deck and dolphin-spotting excursions on the aquarium’s private catamaran, the options are plentiful and always entertaining. Our last stop of the day was the

6,000-square-foot Vault, a recently restored, blank canvas of a special-event space in the Downtown Arts District. With floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out on downtown, The Vault features an actual vault — from when the space served as a bank, built in 1923. My last evening in Tampa was spent

enjoying a long, luxurious dinner at Mise en Place, a 180-seat restaurant known for its enormous menu and attentive service. A number of banquet and private dining spaces are available for groups within the restaurant itself, and a catering and event-planning division offers services for off-site events. Next door, the elegant, airy Oxford Exchange is another must-see. The jack-of-all- trades space houses a full-service res- taurant, a private club, separate tea and coffee shops, and an eclectic gift store.

Medical Progress The $38-million CAMLS is the first facility of its kind in the world.

The next morning, before my last

site visit of the trip, I grabbed coffee and a bacon-and-egg sandwich — served on two huge slabs of mouthwatering Cuban bread — at Moxies Café before touring the Tampa Bay Times Forum, the main site of last year’s RNC. The venue hosts 150 events annually, every- thing from hockey games to concerts, and a $40-million renovation com- pleted in 2012 added a number of new amenities and event spaces — including the 11,000-square-foot Bud Light Out- door Party Deck, 69 new luxury suites, and the 9,000-square-foot Firestick Grill. The spaces all have a noticeably upscale ambience to them, making you feel like you’re in a classy hotel rather than a sports arena. It’s just one more example of how

Tampa is setting itself apart and setting the bar higher.

.

Contributing Editor Jennifer N. Dienst is a freelance writer based in Charleston, S.C.

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