What’s New For Meetings And Conventions In Jacksonville, Florida For 2021 And Beyond

September 16, 2020

image001

With 22 miles of pristine Atlantic coastline, year-round temperate weather, competitive rates and some of the most unique meeting spaces in Florida, Jacksonville is ideally suited to host drive-to meetings and smaller regional gatherings. The coastal city also offers visitors the opportunity to discover new budget-friendly passions that go beyond the meeting room.

NEW JAX VIRTUAL TOUR

You can now discover why Jacksonville is the perfect place for your next meeting by taking a virtual tour of the destination’s venues, hotels, and attractions before you get here! Visit Jacksonville developed virtual and 360-degree video tours that show all the details you need to know to plan your next event.

NEW HOTELS

From global lifestyle brands and upscale full service hotels to easy-to-access accommodations near Jacksonville International Airport and urban builds in the heart of downtown, the city has more than 3,250 new hotel rooms planned or proposed for a total of  35 new projects in the works for 2021 and beyond.

Right now, under construction is a growing assortment of carefully curated accommodations and venue spaces at 10 hotels, resulting in more options than ever before for meeting planners to choose from.

Jacksonville Beach

  • Margaritaville Beach Hotel will give visiting groups the ultimate license to chill come spring 2021. Synonymous with the global lifestyle brand’s fun and escapism concepts, the hotel will feature 202 guestrooms, a fitness center, indoor and outdoor meeting and venue spaces, a beachside pool and a two-story LandShark Bar & Grill with a “LandShark Lookout” observation deck.
  • Also opening summer 2021, a three-story, 80-room Element by Westin hotel will offer extended stay accommodations with kitchen-type amenities, traditional guestrooms, a swimming pool and outdoor seating and meeting space.

Downtown Jacksonville 

  • Downtown Hyatt Place is slated to open a 128-room hotel in April 2021. The new property will feature a lobby lounge, meeting and dining space, pool and rooftop patio and event space.
  • Residence Inn by Marriott is on the rise in the Brooklyn neighborhood, which will bring 136 guest rooms, a pool and more in July 2021.

Jacksonville International Airport

  • The new Home2 Suites by Hilton Jacksonville Airport opened its doors in December 2019, resulting in 105 beautifully appointed suites and 625 square-feet of meeting space less than three miles from Jacksonville International Airport.

NEW VENUES AND MEETING SPACES

  • Designed to resemble an old Ford plant that once stood in the city, the newly opened Brumos Collection Museum features 35,000 square-feet of space dedicated to more than three dozen rare and historically acclaimed race and collector cars. The elegant museum also offers multiple meeting spaces, indoor-outdoor event space and a 22-seat movie theater, research archive and working car shop.
  • Located in the Rail Yard District, Jacksonville’s premier industrial and historic event space The Glass Factory will undergo renovations to install heating and air conditioning to allow the 24,000-square-foot venue to be open year-round.

TEAM-BUILDING EXPERIENCES

  • Ideal for an introduction into the Jax Ale Trail, Pedal Pub is wheeling its way through the city with a 16-passenger ride as a mobile bar during one of its three different tours of bars and breweries in downtown.
  • For a new and unique take on the pedal experience, Kraken CycleBoats allows guests to take in the incredible sights of downtown from the water on a one-of-a-kind boat with 10 pedal stations and a large central bar.
  • Groups can also move beyond the walls of world-class museums and explore public art throughout Jacksonville’s urban core with the Go Tuk’n Certified Public Art Tour. The new in-depth experience is a first-of-its-kind collaboration with ArtRepublic Global and allows guests to see an extensive public art collection and learn about the artists and inspiration behind each piece.
  • Bringing arts into the kitchen, JAX Cooking Studio offers groups a customized and locally-inspired menu that can be enjoyed by a hands-on cooking lesson, chef demonstration or Top Chef type of challenge.

LOCAL DINING EXPERIENCES

Rooftop dining has reached new heights in Jacksonville with new concepts by local award-winning chefs.

  • At the beaches, groups can enjoy the ocean breeze and a polished twist on modern Southern cuisine at Coop 303’s upstairs patio and new rooftop dining area.
  • Housed in the historic Bostwick Building, which opened as a bank in 1902 after the Great Fire,  Cowford Chophouse offers a classic steakhouse menu with southern influences. The three-level, art deco style restaurant features two private dining rooms and a rooftop bar with phenomenal views of downtown.
  • Across the St. Johns River from downtown, the 450-seat restaurant River & Post offers locally-sourced menu selections from land and sea and a rooftop lounge with some of the city’s best views.
  • Nearby, Black Sheep Restaurant features a thoughtfully-curated menu of modern American fare and handcrafted cocktails, as well as rooftop views in the historic Five Points district.
  • Hoptinger Bier Garden & Sausage House offers a modern rooftop “Baverican” bier garden with more than 60 taps, full liquor bar and unique menu of loosely Bavarian-inspired gastro pub food.
  • Coming soon to Downtown Jacksonville, a rooftop deck and restaurant at the Vystar tower will feature a 4,720-square-foot exterior patio and an additional 3,096 square feet of interior space. The 200 seat restaurant concept is yet to be announced but it is slated to be completed by early 2021.  

COVID SAFETY

Jacksonville’s hotels and attractions are reopening with enhanced safety, cleanliness and social distancing procedures in compliance with the state and CDC recommendations. As of 06/29/2020, the City of Jacksonville is requiring people wear masks in public, that includes indoor and outdoor locations where social distancing is not possible.

Jacksonville hosts more than 400 meetings and conventions each year. To learn more about hosting your meeting in Jacksonville, go to www.visitjacksonville.com/meetings.

 

Back To Top