Visit Tampa Bay Launches Hybrid Meeting Grant

Campaign designed to support convention and meeting business in short-term

TAMPA, FL (Nov. 10, 2020) – Specifically designed to boost short-term meetings and retain convention business in Hillsborough County in the wake of COVID-19, Visit Tampa Bay has launched a special grant that will offset the unanticipated expenses due to technology needs that have become so important for attendees and meeting planners.

The lifeblood of many associations is the ability to host an annual or major meeting.  Moving to virtual or hybrid meetings can be costly not only in terms of attendee fees, but also for the technology that now has to be integral to the program.  

The new Hybrid Meeting Grant will be determined based upon key criteria, including estimated economic impact and anticipated event attendance.  The event must be held at partner facilities within Hillsborough County and include overnight accommodations prior to December 31, 2021. 

“Hillsborough County’s tourism recovery is largely dependent on bringing back the business sector,” says Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “Convention and meetings business are essential to the economic wellbeing of the community.  Visit Tampa Bay’s sales and services teams helped secure 2.4 million visitors in 2019. Working closely with hotel partners and the Tampa Convention Center, we have rebooked over 70% of conventions that were postponed in 2020. This new grant program will allow meeting planners to keep meeting participants connected and allow us to secure more meetings.”

Visit Tampa Bay also developed a customizable sponsorship marketing package for event organizers including but not limited to custom landing pages hosted on VisitTampaBay.com, exclusive partner offers, event collateral, and assistance with event promotion and attendance building strategies.

ABOUT VISIT TAMPA BAY

The heart of Florida’s Gulf Coast beats in Tampa Bay. Visit Tampa Bay encourages adventurous travelers to unlock sun, fun and culture in Florida’s most diverse travel destination. As a not-for-profit corporation certified by Destinations International’s Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), we work with hundreds of partners to tell the world the story of Tampa Bay. Treasure awaits.