Why should I go through the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor Bureau?

The Bradenton Area CVB offers a wide range of complementary services to assist in planning meetings and group events. We’ll connect you with first-class companies and community resources to make your dream meeting a reality. We’ll develop a customized list of local vendors and suppliers you can contact at your leisure.

Let the Bradenton Area CVB be your liaison to local businesses and get proposals on your behalf. Whatever your needs, from the biggest group to the small board retreats, let us show you our hometown hospitality with professional personalized attention from our CVB to make your next meeting or event a great success — an event the attendees will talk about for years to come.

What kinds of free services can the CVB offer?

The CVB can provide an array of free services to help you make your next event in the Bradenton area a big success. We offer extensive pre-event planning resources and can contact lodging properties, venues, attractions and service providers. We can provide sample itineraries or tours with a wide range of options for your guests. We have first-time event incentive programs to help you stay within your budget. We offer complementary welcome bags, visitor guides, maps and other brochures. Other complementary services include:

• Pre-Event Planning
  Bradenton Area CVB offers a variety of services to assist you in making your next event in the Bradenton area a success. With extensive knowledge of the area, consider our sales staff as your personal concierge that will assist you with all your meeting details. We will contact lodging properties, attractions and/or reception sites, prepare and send out sales leads and coordinate site inspections. Our sales staff can also provide sample itineraries on a variety of entertainment options for your guests or their travel companions. Together we can create an event just for you.
• Lodging/Venue Selection
  The Sales Department has long-standing relationships with the Bradenton area hotels and meeting venues. Our team will reduce the time-consuming work for you and will gladly send out leads or RFPs to each qualifying property. We can assist with over-flow hotel availability and with city-wide event planning. Our meeting planners guide has a complete listing of area hotels.
• Welcome Bags
  We offer complementary welcome bags for your group. The general rule is one bag per room night plus ten bags per group. Accompanying the bags, we offer Bradenton area information and brochures and may also include a few souvenirs for your guests to take with them.
• Brochures
  The Bradenton Area CVB will gladly provide your attendees with visitor guides, locator maps, and various brochures, all thoughtfully selected based on your groups needs and interests. The Visitor Guide contains a list of attractions, restaurants, entertainment options and general information about the area.
• Guest Activities & Tours
  There’s a wide variety of entertainment opportunities for your accompanying guests. Our sales staff can help you plan scheduled activities by providing customized itineraries and even arrange visits to local attractions. We offer free trolley service on Anna Maria Island which can take your group to offsite venues such as beachside restaurants to the historical city pier (as well as beautiful) attractions along the way.
• Funding Opportunities
  We understand the needs of meeting/event planners, so we gladly offer first-time event incentive program that can assist you with your ultimate goal of providing a dynamic program for your attendees while staying within your budget.
• Media
  The Bradenton Area CVB will provide you with a variety of high-resolution digital images for invitations, newsletters, conference brochures or other needs.
• Site Inspection & Personalized Buyers Educational Tours
  The Bradenton Area CVB will be happy to set up a site inspection for you. We would be delighted to take you around the city and show you the unique venues and hotels we have to offer.  Email our sales office to get information on our next BET in our destination.

How can the CVB assist me to boost attendance at my events?

The Bradenton Area CVB sales staff can help the meeting planner find added value from our destination hotels, restaurants and attractions.

What is the biggest group event that has been hosted in the Bradenton area?

With many unique venues and over 6,000 rooms, the Bradenton area has hosted numerous big events:

• Skills USA:  Over 16,000 room nights over a four-day period, with over 400 attendees, hosting events in venues throughout the Bradenton area.
• The State Bridge Tournament:  This competition has made Bradenton its home for over ten years, bringing in over 2,500 room nights and around 2,000 people for an average of five nights.
• It Works! Green Carpet:  The conference brings several thousand attendees for a day of education, inspiration and recognition. TRENDZWest , the reoccurring and largest wholesale fashion market in the state of Florida attracts many buyers from around the state three times each year.
• Gymnastics and cheerleading tournaments abound!  Currently, we host on average 5 tournaments per year including state level matches. 
• Numerous government meetings for local cities, counties, and regional municipalities regularly take place. 
• Tradeshows with thousands of attendees and over 100 booths regularly take place including boat shows, RV shows and Chamber of Commerce business showcases.
• Continuing education seminars for HOA’s, medical training and more work seamlessly in the Bradenton Area Convention Center with numerous  breakout sessions in the Conference Center and space for a tradeshow or main event in our Center Hall.   

How can the CVB assist me to boost attendance at my events?

The Bradenton Area CVB sales staff can help the meeting planner find added value from our destination hotels, restaurants and attractions.

What is the biggest group event that has been hosted in the Bradenton area?

With several great, unique venues and 6,000 rooms, the Bradenton area has hosted several big events:

• Skills USA:  Over 16,000 room nights over a four-day period, with over 400 attendees, hosting events in venuesthroughout the Bradenton area.
• The State Bridge Tournament:  This tournament has made its home here for the past six years, bringing in over 2,500 room nights and around 2,000 people for an average of five nights.

Don’t forget the Bradenton Area Convention Center has 32,400 square feet in Center Hall and a conference wing with seven breakout rooms and a pre-function area. A half mile away, the Courtyard by Marriott Riverfront offers 153 rooms and a riverfront setting in downtown Bradenton, the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Historic District offers 114 rooms in the vibrant heart of Bradenton, and the SpringHill Suites Bradenton Downtown/Riverfront offers 131 rooms overlooking the Twin Dolphin Marina.