The popularity of domestic destinations is on the rise for meetings and incentive travel as many companies and their employees feel more comfortable staying slightly closer to home while pandemic-related travel restrictions continue to ease and borders begin to open. Trips to Europe, the Caribbean and beyond will return —and we can’t be more excited. For now our focus turns to attractive venues and opportunities found within the U.S., starting with Florida.
World-class beaches, year-round championship golf, entertainment-packed destinations, luxurious hotels and easy travel have long made the sunshine state a favorite destination for meetings, events and incentive travel. As the event industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida has been prominent as one of the first states to reintroduce events and meetings through comprehensive and innovative preventative protocols, with successes celebrated recently by the Orange County Convention Center and other venues around the state.
Bienvenidos a Miami!
World-class restaurants, sunshine, famous beaches and salty air, Miami delivers everything a destination should. Three international airports make arrivals for guests easy, and Miami Beach offers resorts and hotels that fit a range of budgets, styles and group sizes. The iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club, The Ritz-Carlton South Beach, Loews Hotel Miami Beach and Faena Hotel Miami Beach all hit the mark for business meetings and incentive travel, among many others lining the coast. With amazing dining options, gorgeous recreation and pools right on the beach, their luxurious comfort offer an unforgettable destination for guests. Home to the renowned art fair Art Basel Miami Beach, the city is also a destination for art and culture. Museums, galleries and unique experiences let visitors enjoy an attractive balance of creative culture, urban energy, indulgence and relaxation.
Palm Beach – Florida’s Golf Coast
For golf lovers, fewer destinations are more loved than Palm Beach. With year-round play, Palm Beach isn’t just where some of the best golfers play – it’s where they live. World-renowned golf courses, luxury resorts and sprawling beachfront properties make Palm Beach the perfect location for executive meetings, leadership summits and sales gatherings. Eau Palm Beach, The Breakers, Boca Raton Resort & Club, Amrit Ocean Resort, and Four Seasons Palm Beach headline the many popular destinations. The PGA National Resort & Spa, anchored by five championship golf courses and home to an incredible spa and state-of-the-art sports & racquet club, means guests can work hard and play hard. Elegant and glamorous, the luxury resorts across Palm Beach deliver the easygoing pace of life by the water and offer an authentic Palm Beach island experience.
Slow Down and Stay Focused on Island Time
Florida offers countless destinations for smaller groups to gather and focus. Want to keep the group close – try an island destination – from Amelia to Marco to Sanibel-Captiva, and so many more – the islands dotting the coast of Florida deliver unforgettable experiences for groups of any size.
Marco Island sits at the southern tip of Florida’s “Paradise Coast” – just north of the Gulf Coast entrance to Everglades National Park and 15 miles south of Naples, which offers its own share of enticing luxury resorts, including the La Playa Beach & Golf Resort and The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. Surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and pristine mangrove estuaries on the other, this island paradise offers an ideal environment to get away and get focused. With over 100,000 square feet of oceanfront event space, the JW Marriot Marco Island provide attendees with the room, activities and inspiration they need to connect. In addition, two championship golf courses, a spa and a wide-variety of dining options – including a unique gastro-pub and gaming emporium with bowling, arcade and indoor mini-golf – deliver luxury, comfort and fun.
For some old world Floridian charm, The Gasparilla Inn & Club is a unique venue for an executive gathering. Gasparilla Island – located near Fort Meyers – is a sleepy island known for gorgeous beaches, nesting sea turtles, peaceful streets and travel by golf cart or bicycle. The Gasparilla is accessible by air, automobile or boat. With beaches, gold courses, tennis and fishing, there is something for everyone in the group to enjoy. Additionally, the Inn offers cutting edge leadership and team development curriculum through Inn Adventures. 
With thousands of potential venues and destinations, domestic travel and easy access from anywhere in the world, Florida is a great option for a meeting, event or incentive trip. SDI’s long-standing relationships with both big brands and unique properties and years of delivering successful programs around the state ensure your choice and your event are flawless now and even after the world opens back up. We’re here to help you return to travel far and near – because experience matters.
About Us: SDI Meetings & Incentives is the global-yet-boutique meetings, incentives and special events partner driven by the basic truth that Experience Matters. Creating custom experiences to reward performance and fuel growth, SDI taps decades of expertise to deliver solutions managed from concept through execution by one tenured point of contact. We’ve produced programs around the world, for groups from 10 to thousands, combining the exact right elements to support our clients’ goals and to motivate and inspire their attendees. Find out more and contact us at ExperienceSDI.com.
