WHERE THE BUOYS ARE: Fort Lauderdale has been nicknamed

“America’s Venice” for its 300-plus miles of canals and waterways. No yacht? No problem. Visitors can hop on and off the city’s water taxi service, which makes stops at hotels,

the Broward County Convention Center, and Las Olas Riverfront, for shopping, dining, and nightlife.

CONVENE ON SITE

Spring Break toMeeting Break A

LMOST 50 YEARS AGO, FORT LAU- derdale more or less invented spring break. The beer cans, balcony-

diving, and hordes of coeds have long since departed, but the stunning beaches — and a sophisticated air — remain. And this year, Fort Lauderdale is finding plenty of reasons to cheer, as the city celebrates its centennial and the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center (BCCC) marks 20 years of sun-dappled conventions. During a perfectly temperate week in

October, I spent four days getting to know Fort Lauderdale and its many meetings assets. Kicking off the fam trip, the BCCC’s 20th-anni- versary celebration showcased its 600,000 square feet of flexible meeting space as well as the area’s wealth of talent available for events, including a dance troupe and a

26 pcma convene December 2011

Grammy-winning flutist. The following day, our group of journalists and meeting planners started with breakfast at the 192-room Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale — the epitome of understated, maritime- themed elegance — followed by a voluntour- ism experience with the hotel’s Give Back Getaway program at nearby John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. We spent the morning planting sea oats and sea-grape trees, which, according to a park representative, will help slow the effects of erosion.

An afternoon of site visits revealed Fort Lauderdale’s wide range of accommodation options, from stylish boutique hotels lining the lively Intracoastal Waterway to full-service beachfront resorts — including the 650-room Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, where the meeting space’s floor-to-ceiling windows

www.pcma.org PIER TO PIER: The 384-room Hyatt

Regency Pier Sixty-Six, the host hotel for

Convene’s Fort Lauder- dale fam trip, lays claim to some of the city’s best views, including from its rotating Pier Top ballroom.

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