On the Waterfront: Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Convention Center Gets an Impressive Update

A Sponsored Message by Visit Lauderdale.


With the serene blue waters of the Intracoastal Waterway on one side and the bustling city of Fort Lauderdale on the other, the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center has plenty going for it. And now with phase one of the highly anticipated renovation and expansion complete, you can expect it to shine even more.

A Successful Start
The newly updated 800,000-square-foot center with its expanded 350,000-square-foot exhibit hall opened on October 27, 2021, and has already hosted the indoor portion of the 62nd annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the first event held at the center since construction began back in 2020.

The venue has also been awarded Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Gold certification from The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), a first for any convention center in Florida. It’s now one of only three convention centers in the nation to achieve LEED Gold certification for an Existing Building. The entire venue expansion—including the soon-to-be-built Omni headquarters hotel—are also expected to be Gold certified.

Exciting Things to Come
The state-of-the-art exhibit hall is giving planners plenty of space to work with, but there’s even more in store for this sunny meeting destination. Work on the rest of the $1 billion expansion continues, which includes a new building featuring a stunning 65,000-square-foot waterfront ballroom in addition to an expansive five-acre outdoor plaza complete with restaurants, a concert venue and a lush parklike atmosphere that looks out onto picturesque views of the water. Also in the works? A new 29-story, 800-room headquarters hotel connected directly to the convention center, making accommodations planning a breeze.

Do the sunny shores of Greater Fort Lauderdale sound the like the perfect place to host your next meeting or convention? The team at Visit Lauderdale can help you bring your vision to life, whether it’s at the convention center or beyond.

Become a Member

Get premium access to provocative executive-level education, face-to-face networking and business intelligence.

Join PCMA