Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

The Palm Beaches

Learn why you should host your next meeting, event or conference in The Palm Beaches.

Why The Palm Beaches for Your Next Meeting or Event?

Travel Essentials
Taxes: Room tax, 6%; sales tax, 7%; total tax on hotel rooms, 13%

Convention Center:
Palm Beach County Convention Center; exhibit space, 100,000 square feet; total meeting space, 350,000 square feet; (561) 366-3000

CVB:The Palm Beaches, (877) 722-2871

With more than two-dozen tropical beach parks lining its Atlantic Coast from Jupiter to Boca Raton, The Palm Beaches offer lots of fun and sun. Palm Beach County's sophisticated hotels — with a total of more than 18,000 guest rooms and 1 million square feet of flexible meeting space — and a host of other event-ready venues make the area ideal for conferences, too. The colorful local culture, dedication to Covid prevention, and a new program of experiences for attendees, Between the Sessions (for more details, see “New and Coming Soon to The Palm Beaches” section), all add to the destination's appeal. 

Planners can earn up to $30 per room night for business booked at the Palm Beach County Convention Center from Sept. 1 to Dec. 21, 2023. The offer is valid for new qualified events with a minimum of 200 room nights on peak. More information is available at Sales@ThePalmBeaches.com.

The destination is also an important base for some of the nation’s top industries, including the life sciences, information technology and financial services, not to mention myriad corporate headquarters from ADT to Office Depot. They all form a shared network of expertise and resources that can support groups and meetings. 

Transportation in & Around the Area

Palm Beach International Airport, 10 minutes to downtown West Palm Beach; transfer cost by taxi, $15; Uber and Lyft, $13

 

2021 Stella Award Winners

Meeting and Event Venues

New and Coming Soon to The Palm Beaches 

The Between the Sessions program from The Palm Beaches offers planners a wide variety of team-building exercises, exclusive visits to local attractions, sessions with industry thought leaders, and more in the following categories:

  • Palm Beach International Airport, a convenient, relaxed facility with its own shops, spa and even an indoor putting green; plus a plethora of dining options
  • Local Industries, proximity to many top corporate headquarters and sources for speakers and event tie-ins relating to the life sciences, information technology and financial service

The latest round of meetings promotions from The Palm Beaches includes the following: 

  • Planners can receive up to $20 per room night when booking a new meeting at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. The deal requires minimum contracted room nights of 300 rooms on peak. Qualified events must be sourced by June 30, 2023, and contracted by Sept. 30, 2023.
  • Planners who bring their incentive programs to the destination can get assistance curating unique experiences supported by The Palm Beaches organization.
  • Local West Palm Beach outfitter Lots of Yachts offers deals to groups of up to 500 for private cruises aboard luxury motor and sailing yachts, plus special corporate leases of yachts for 10, 20 or 30 hours for attendees to use at their leisure.

Looking to Plan a Meeting in Florida?
Join us at Destination Southeast, the leading hosted-buyer event for top-level, pre-qualified meetings and incentive professionals looking to book business in the region. 

• Planners now can take advantage of new community partnerships developed by The Palm Beaches and other agencies. The Destination Champions Program brings the expertise of nationally acclaimed guest speakers and musicians, all based in the area, to virtual meetings. The Cultural Concierge Program can help organizers create an immersive experience within the meeting space via on-site art installations, live performances and more. And partnerships with area cafes, restaurants and F&B providers bring a variety of food activities to attendees. Contact The Palm Beaches for more information.

• The Palm Beaches CVB has launched a new meetings industry podcast, “Between The Sessions,” with new episodes every other Thursday. The series offers insights, solutions and inspiration for planners from industry leaders, peers and experts on topics ranging from food and beverage trends to sourcing and contracting tips

• The 164-room Mandarin Oriental Boca Raton will feature two rooftop pools, an assortment of fine-dining restaurants and bars, including the hotel chain’s signature MO Bar + Lounge, and a cake shop. The property’s Spa at Mandarin Oriental will offer holistic treatments and a fully equipped fitness center. On-site meeting space will include a 4,500-square-foot ballroom, while nearby is the Via Mizner Golf & City Club, where Jack Nicklaus is redesigning the 18-hole course. Stay tuned for updates on its opening date.

• The 369-room PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens has completed a $100 million refresh that included a fully renovated 40,000-square-foot spa; new guest-room furnishings; two new golf courses (adding to the current four), the 18-hole Match and the 9-hole Staple, for a total of 99 holes; and new culinary outlets from famed chefs Jeremy Ford and Lindsay Autry. The property has a variety of event spaces able to accommodate groups of up to 1,200.

• The luxury Boca Raton, formerly the Boca Raton Resort & Club, has completed an upgrade to its 1,047 guest rooms. The 356-acre property, comprising five hotels, also plans to develop a four-acre lakefront oasis complete with a new restaurant, four pools, a 450-foot lazy river, two slides, a splash park and more, all set for completion in time for the resort’s 100th anniversary in 2026. On-site meeting space includes the Mizner Center with 150,000 flexible square feet.

• Set to open in 2023 is the 155-room luxury Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences on more than seven beachfront acres along the Atlantic shoreline on Palm Beach County's picturesque Singer Island. The property will have 100,000 square feet of wellness amenities, including hydrothermal water therapy, indoor/outdoor treatment rooms, a float tank, sound and light therapies, an array of fitness classes, a spa-centered Ayurvedic and yoga program, plus four food-and-beverage options.

More Meeting and Event Venues

• With vibrant downtown Delray Beach within walking distance, the 154-room Seagate offers guests a newly renovated 18-hole championship golf course, exclusive access to a private beach, a full-service spa, four food outlets, two swimming pools and more. The hotel’s 14,000 square feet of meeting space includes various flexible indoor/outdoor venues, including two ballrooms that can accommodate up to 90 and 80 people, respectively.

 

• There’s lots of exhibition action, along with conventions, meetings and social events, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Behind its striking architectural facade, the 350,000-square-foot venue includes a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 22,000-square-foot ballroom and 21,000 square feet of flexible breakout space divisible into 19 rooms.

• West Palm Beach Convention, Arts & Entertainment District, offers more than 20 cultural institutions, restaurants, shops and live-music venues, not to mention special events like SunFest and the Palm Beach International Boat Show.

• In West Palm Beach, The Ben, Autograph Collection, overlooks the Palm Harbor Marina and Intracoastal Waterway and is a short walk to all of the colorful nightlife on Clematis Street. Amenities at the the 208-room boutique property include a 24-hour fitness center, rooftop pool, well-curated library and more. The property provides 7,800 square feet of meeting space in five event rooms, the largest holding up to 336 people. The 3,799-square-foot Blue Heron Ballroom can accommodate banquets or receptions for up to 250 guests.

• The 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach is that city's convention center headquarter hotel, connected to same by a covered walkway and adjacent to all the shopping and dining at Rosemary Square. For dining, the property includes the Galley grill house/bar, La Playa poolside bar and grill, the signature Manor restaurant for breakfast and lunch, and the Provisions grab-and-go marketplace. Also on-site is a resort-style pool with poolside cabanas. Among the 31,066 square feet of total event space are 10 meeting rooms, the largest of which spans 13,366 square feet.

• Amenities such as a private beach, four oceanfront pools and 10 on-site restaurants help make The Breakers in Palm Beach a prime go-to spot for high-end meetings. The 540-room resort has a total of 48,387 square feet for gatherings spread among 20 meeting rooms, the largest of which spans 15,000 square feet. Here too is Florida's oldest golf course, the fabled Ocean Course at The Breakers, whose original outlines date from 1897 and which received its latest update (by Rees Jones) in 2018.
 
The 352-room West Palm Beach Marriott has 20,361 square feet of meeting space, a 24/7 fitness center, dining at the American-style Bistro Ten Zero One, a posh swimming pool and a great location — directly across from the Palm Beach Convention Center and just steps from vibrant Square (see "Things to Do" section below).

When the agenda requires a strong element of fun, Museum 66 in Boynton Beach has all the fixings. This muscle-car museum/classic pinball arcade has 7,000 square feet of event space and an open-warehouse vibe for up to 200 guests. 

Things to Do in The Palm Beaches

Getting Active & Outdoors

Given all the sun, sand and water, there are lots of ways to enjoy being outdoors in Palm Beach County.

In West Palm Beach, Shark Wake Park 561 is a popular recreation destination where visitors who want to kneeboard, wakeboard, water ski, wake skate or foil-board around a lake are pulled by a high-tech cable system instead of a boat. Also on-site is Obstacle Island, ideal for team-building exercises, where guests navigate a floating obstacle course loaded with slides, climbing towers and more. 

The Palm Beaches’ year-round lineup of festivals comprises a wide variety of fun gatherings for attendees, including free July outdoor performances at Shakespeare by the Sea; Flavor Palm Beach in September, when the area’s top restaurants offer prix fixe menus; and the annual Oktoberfest celebration, which includes German music, art and crafts, carnivals and games, folk dancing and more.
 
Attendees can spend a pleasant afternoon or evening exploring The Square in West Palm Beach, an eclectic, walkable warren of Mediterranean and Venetian architecture housing some 60 restaurants and stores. Attractions include the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, RH: The Gallery, the Palm Beach Improv and more. Here too is the 400-room Hilton West Palm Beach, directly connected to the convention center.
 
Focused on ocean and sea-turtle conservation, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach offers an ongoing series of exhibits, classes and habitat walks, along with an on-site turtle hospital. The facility remains open while undergoing a major renovation and has added a number of new event spaces, including:

  • The Ocean Discovery Wing, a 5,000-square-foot multifunction space
  • The 3,700-square-foot Ocean Deck
  • The 1,960-square-foot Café Deck
  • A new 99-seat theater

For a wild time outside the conference room, head to Jupiter and the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, dedicated to the protection and conservation of Florida’s wildlife and natural resources since 1983. Here attendees might spot Florida panthers, bobcats, black bears and other native denizens. Florida flora such as pine flatwoods, oak hammocks and cypress wetlands are in abundance. Available for private events, the sanctuary also can arrange a variety of educational programs.