Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

Fort Myers

Learn why you should host your next meeting, event or conference in Fort Myers, Fla.

Mark Chesnutby Mark Chesnut
July 18, 2025

Why Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods for Your Next Meeting or Event?

Innovation thrives in Fort Myers. And that’s especially enticing for meeting planners looking to treat their groups to activities in a beachfront paradise while also making use of an array of meetings- and incentive-friendly facilities and services.
 
Throughout the islands, beaches and neighborhoods of Fort Myers, planners will find all the essentials for a memorable group program. The destination has more than 12,000 hotel rooms, plus charming neighborhoods, historic landmarks, miles of white-sand beaches, more than 90 golf courses and 30,000 acres of nature sanctuaries. The revitalized downtown Fort Myers River District pulses with energy, while the iconic convention center places attendees steps away from excellent dining, entertainment and accommodation options. What sets Fort Myers apart is its ability to transform business gatherings into immersive experiences. Between sessions, attendees can collect seashells along sugar-white beaches, spot diverse wildlife in pristine natural settings, or perfect their swing at a championship golf course.
 
The destination's culinary scene adds yet another dimension to meetings and events in the islands, beaches and neighborhoods of Fort Myers. From fresh-caught Gulf seafood to a growing craft brewery trail, planners can incorporate memorable food and beverage experiences that showcase local flavors. Historic landmarks, charming neighborhoods, and world-class shopping venues provide additional options for off-site activities and team building.
 
An important sign of the destination’s strong rebound is the range of new hotels that have debuted as well as existing properties that have reopened following impressive renovations. the Fort Myers area is back to business. Another big selling point is the convenience of getting to Fort Myers. Southwest Florida International Airport is well connected with nonstop flights to major hubs as well as smaller cities both domestic and international. It’s no wonder that groups flock to this sun-soaked destination, year-round.

Only in Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods

The islands, beaches and neighborhoods of Fort Myers offer a rare opportunity for groups to enjoy nature, history and local cuisine. No other destination offers the opportunity to explore the winter residences of legendary inventors at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, or to spot gentle, non-captive manatees at Manatee Park.

Nature lovers can also enjoy outdoor activities like biking, hiking and stand-up paddleboarding, as well as kayaking on the Great Calusa Blueway. Secluded, white-sand beaches make it easy for attendees to find a place to relax in the sun in between meetings and activities, while the region’s famed seashells provide lots of opportunities for them to find a one-of-a-kind souvenir to take home.

Transportation in & Around the Area

Southwest Florida International Airport, 17 miles from downtown Fort Myers. Cost by taxi, about $45; a fare-zone map establishes set fares for other destinations throughout the region.

Travel Essentials

Taxes: Fort Myers: room tax, 5%; sales tax, 6.5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11.5%

Convention Center: Caloosa Sound Convention Center; exhibit space: 42,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms: 8

Contact: Visit Fort Myers; phone, (239) 338-3500

Meeting and Event Venues

New & Coming Soon to Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods

  • Sandbox VR, which opens March 14, offers virtual reality experiences, complete with haptic suits, motion capture cameras and 3D precision body trackers. Multiple rooms are available for private events.

  • Several hotels have recently reopened following renovations. Among the refreshed properties is the Gasparilla Inn, which offers “old Florida” style. The Gasparilla Island property, which is a member of Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has 188 guest rooms and cottages, and accommodates groups of up to 300, with venues including a beach club, croquet lawns with clubhouse, a golf gazebo and the Pelican Club, which has a bar.
  • Also recently reopened is the 225-room Sundial Beach Resort & Spa on Sanibel Island. The property has 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space as well as food and beverage options including the Turtles Tiki Bar, Shima Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, Sea Breeze Cafe and Beach Bites.
  • The 169-room Crowne Plaza Fort Myers Gulf Coast completed renovations in early 2024. The hotel has 7,000 square feet of meeting space and features a restaurant, fitness center, outdoor pool and lakeside patio with firepits. A free 24-hour shuttle provides transportation to and from the airport, as well as to the Gulf Coast Town Center mall and other locations within a three-mile radius of the hotel.
  • Recently reopened attractions include Wildlife Drive at the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. Groups can learn more about the refuge during tram tours offered by Tarpon Bay Explorers, which includes insight from guides about the region’s flora and fauna. The company also provides rentals of kayaks, canoes, bicycles, fishing equipment and stand-up paddleboards.
  • Brightwater Lagoon, a five-acre water attraction, has opened in North Fort Myers. The facility, which features a floating obstacle course and waterslide, has several venues for private group events, including floating “aquabana” cabanas, the Tiki Cove beach area and the Hub and an open-air space with a lawn.
  • Sanibel Island’s Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and Aquarium is home to a variety of species. One of the facility’s newest residents is a giant Pacific octopus, which is just one of some 60 species on exhibit at the Living Gallery of Aquariums and Marine Life section, which debuted in 2020.

More Meeting & Event Venues in Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods

  • Meetings and incentive properties in the destination include the 462-room Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs. The resort has more than 82,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, as well as five restaurants and bars, a spa, multiple swimming pools, a water park, nature boardwalk trail and a private island beach.
  • Near to the Caloosa Sound Convention Center is the 243-room Luminary Hotel & Co., Autograph Collection, located in downtown Fort Myers. In addition to easy access to the adjacent convention center, the hotel offers 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, including a culinary workshop theater space.
  • Groups staying at the 347-room Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa can enjoy a variety of amenities. The property has a spa and multiple restaurants and offers more than 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, including 13 event rooms.
  • The 308-room Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village, located on the waterfront in Cape Coral, has 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, including 11 event rooms. The property features multiple pools, dining outlets and a fitness center, and offers access to a nearby private recreation area that has tennis courts, a bocce ball court, pool and an additional fitness center.
  • The 254-room Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach offers groups 5,079 square feet of meeting space and has a beach club, a spa, multiple restaurants and weekly resort activities.
  • The 195-room Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina has 8,700 square feet of meeting space as well as multiple restaurants. The historic Fort Myers property is situated on Estero Island, surrounded by the Matanzas Pass on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other.
  • The 150-room Embassy Suites Fort Myers – Estero has 5,080 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, in addition to a restaurant and an outdoor swimming pool. The property hosts a complimentary evening reception for all guests.
  • The 137-room 'Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa on Captiva Island has 3,541 square feet of meeting space, including Old Captiva House, a1930s one-room schoolhouse that’s on the National Registry of Historic Places. The property also has multiple restaurants, a spa and marina.
  • The 224-room DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops has 6,196 square feet of meeting space as well as an outdoor pool and restaurant. Guests can make use of an airport shuttle service.
  • Groups can connect with history at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates which has a restored botanical laboratory where Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone worked together, as well as a 15,000-square-foot museum and 20 acres of historic gardens. Private guided tours are available, and private events can take place at venues including the Edison Ford Museum, Edison Caretaker’s House and the Ford Lawn, the estates’ largest group venue, which accommodates up to 400 guests.
  • The Burroughs Home & Gardens is a beautifully restored 1901 Georgian Revival mansion in downtown Fort Myers. The venue offers several spaces for private events, including an open-air pavilion that offers breathtaking views of the Caloosahatchee River.
  • Lee Health Sports Complex hosts spring baseball training for the Minnesota Twins. Private event space includes the 540-square-foot Lee County Suite and 440-square-foot Minnesota Twins Suite, both of which offer views of the main stadium field. The venue also has a 225-square-foot umpire’s room, 1,400-square-foot dining room and a conference room with a 280-square-foot reception area.
  • The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre mixes live entertainment with delicious cuisine. Private events can be held in the 380-seat main theater. The venue also has a reception room for 100 guests and the 80-person Off Broadway Palm Theatre.
  • Theatre Conspiracy at Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers stages an array of performances throughout the year. The Alliance operates several group-friendly venues, including the 1,500-seat Margaret Morrow Frizzell Amphitheater & Grounds, 135-seat Foulds Theatre, a 200-person art gallery, 50-person classroom and 35-person meeting room.
  • The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers hosts concerts, art exhibits, lectures and other events, with venues including a rooftop, conservatory and gallery.
  • Backyard Social features food trucks that serve Greek, barbecue, Asian fusion and Venezuelan fare. The venue hosts private events for up to 525 guests in its indoor and outdoor spaces.
  • In Fort Myers Beach, the historic Dixie Fish Company specializes in fresh seafood, with dishes like oysters, calamari and peel-and-eat shrimp. Offering open-air waterfront dining, the eatery is a 2023 Yelp Top 100 Florida Restaurant. The restaurant accommodates 200 guests.

Things to Do in Fort Myers – Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods

  • Groups looking to immerse themselves in the region’s history should consider a visit to the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village, which is open seasonally every year during the cooler months. Guides and presentations share the story of Sanibel Island, from the eras of the Calusa and Spanish through to the pioneer families of the 1800s. The grounds feature nine historic buildings that were moved from their original sites and restored to their original state.
  • Norman Love Confections offers three-hour cooking classes that reveal the secrets to making chocolate truffles, molded chocolates and other sweet treats. Private classes are available.
  • Kitchen Social also offers cooking classes, which can be in the form of team-building activities. A variety of menus and culinary styles are offered.
  • Groups can get closer to nature with Estero River Outfitters, a company that offers kayaking, canoeing and other activities along the Estero River, including moonlight guided paddles, guided lessons and group outings that can include team building for up to 50 people.
  • Groups can test their swing at a variety of golf courses in the Fort Myers area. Among the options is the Fort Myers Country Club, which was designed in 1916 by Donald Ross and is one of the oldest courses on Florida’s Gulf coast. The 18-hole facility is home to the Edison Restaurant, which accommodates private group events.
  • The Shell Point Golf Club, also in Fort Myers, is a 70-acre, Audubon-certified, par 71 golf course designed by Gordon Lewis. The course has a pro shop and two restaurants: Vue, which offers views of the course, and the Breezeway Café, which is conveniently positioned near the golf course turn.
  • The Old Corkscrew Golf Club, in Estero, is a 7,400-yard, Jack Nicklaus Signature Design course that’s also a certified Audubon International Silver Signature Sanctuary. It’s home to a restaurant, the Grille Room.
  • Coral Oaks Golf Course, in Cape Coral, is an 18-hole, Arthur Hills-designed course that hosts golf outings and tournaments. It also has a driving range and chipping area and a pub.
  • For detailed insight about the region’s history, True Tours, offers historical walking tours including a haunted history tour, River District history tour, a cemetery tour and even an armchair tour, which features an on-site presentation by a local historian, at a location of the planner’s choosing.
  • Southern Fresh Farms, an agro-tourism farm that uses hydroponic farming techniques that take up less land and produce a larger crop yield, hosts private events between October and June, as well as food trucks and live music every Friday and Saturday for the public.
  • Among the region’s many live entertainment venues is the Florida Repertory Theatre, an organization that manages two theaters: the 393-seat Arcade Theatre, which dates to 1915, and the 120-seat ArtStage Studio Theatre, which opened in 2009.
  • Birdwatchers can view bald eagles, ibis, herons and more wildlife at Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve, a 365-acre space in Cape Coral.
  • Manatee Park is one of the best places for viewing non-captive Florida manatees, especially between the months of December and March. The facility offers a free garden tour of its butterfly garden and habitats every Sunday during cooler months.
  • Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, which spans more than 3,500 acres of wetland and upland ecosystems, is home to alligators, turtles, otters and birds. Visitors can join guided walks along a boardwalk trail and butterfly garden, and small group tours can be arranged August to December and April to May.
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