After a month long success of baseball and softball Spring Training Showcase in 2008, the National Club Baseball Association/National Club Softball Association has once again named Tampa as their main host location for their 2009 Spring Training Showcase.

Mike Sansone Park in Plant City will be the physical location for this year’s showcase with the Red Rose Inn & Suites, less than 2 minutes away, as the official host hotel and sponsor.  Last year this showcase brought in revenue of over one million dollars along with 1,000 plus players and spectators during players spring break.  This year’s showcase will look to replicate and surpass 2008’s numbers as they are expecting over 60 clubs to be in attendance. 

NCBA and NCSA have confidence in Tampa and their baseball and softball events, as over the last 3 years there has been a steady 10% increase each year in their tournaments held in the Tampa area!

I don't know about you guys but I like saving money and am a sucker for a good deal! So before you take that family vacation and start to book a hotel be sure to check out the Hot Deals section of our website. 
As we get closer to the end of the football season and approach events like the ACC Football Championship, Outback Bowl, and that small little event known as the Super Bowl (insert sarcasm here), you might want to get an early start on making sure you got a place to lay your head! 

Lately we seem to have more hotel deals than we know what to do with! Properties like the Intercontinental Tampa, Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, and the Doubletree Hotel Tampa Westshore Airport just to name a few. 

Of course we got you covered on the dining and nightlife front from free drinks, early seating coupons, to free beignets! We add to this list on a regular basis so be sure to check it out save some cash! 

That’s right!  After months of effort and planning, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has chosen to host the 2015 Women’s Final Four Championship in Tampa Bay!  The Women’s Final Four rolled through Tampa Bay this past April, and to say it was a success wouldn’t do it justice. 

No matter who you are, or where you worked, this past April you absolutely KNEW that the NCAA Women’s Final Four was here.  This one single tournament has an estimated Direct Economic Impact of more than $19 MILLION. 

That means, whether it’s an attraction, a restaurant, or a hotel…or even if you were just having your meeting or convention in the area, then this event had an impact on you. 

From the Westshore District to Ybor City and throughout Tampa Bay, there were Women’s Final Four activities going on everywhere.  As far as things to do in Tampa Bay were concerned, this topped the list.  And now we can look forward to its return in 2015. 

The NCAA also chose host cities for 2012-16, which were: 2012 – Denver, Colo.; 2013 – New Orleans, La.; 2014 – Nashville, Tenn.; 2015 – Tampa Bay, Fla.; 2016 – Indianapolis, Ind. 

Check out some more information here – Women’s Final Four in Tampa Bay.

Were you here for the last Women’s Final Four, or have you attended the event elsewhere?  Drop a line and tell us about it.  

Until next time, keep checking back here for the latest on Tampa Bay area events.  From attractions to hotel updates and even Tampa Bay emergency information, we’ll have it ready for you. 

Are you ready for some USL SoccerFest!  November 20-25^th marks this year’s third annual USL Soccer Fest in Tampa.  This annual event is hosted together by USL and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.  This year’s annual event consists of a five day Super Y-League North American Finals, a five-a-side frenzy, a three day USL Annual General Meeting and various festivities throughout. 

Soccer matches will be played at Ed Radice Sports Complex along with the Land O’Lakes Recreation Center.  Watch as over 130 youth soccer teams from North America battle it out for their chance at a league championship. 

The USL Annual General Meeting is a three day meeting which will be held at the host hotel in the Grand Hyatt.  This meeting consists of over 300 plus soccer coaches, franchises, and team owners discussing important issues facing the USL community.  During the AGM, there will also be numerous seminars and expos on how to improve and build up individual USL organizations.

Another great example of a  great sports event here in the bay area!  Be sure to check out all the games and  enjoy Tampa Bay in your downtime!

Can I get a Whoop Whoop for Green hotels?!
One more of our stunning Tampa Bay hotels has dedicated their time and money to going Green. The InterContinental Tampa, Tampa's newest luxury hotel, was awarded the Florida Green Lodging Program designation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for its admirable approach to being an environmentally-conscious hotel property. 

The Green Lodging Program requires facilities to meet environmentally-friendly guidelines by increasing recycling programs, energy efficiency, water conservation, clean air practices and waste reduction. As part of this effort, all guest rooms and suites at the InterContinental are cleaned with all natural green products that are non-toxic and biodegradable, which is the best way to clean the rooms without hurting the environment.


The Green thing is really catching on, and with everyone's help, we can make a difference in the health of our environment. Keep up the good work Tampa Bay!! I want to see every hotel property go Green by the end of 2010! :)

Let's go OutBack tonight! Hola internet peoples, Jerm here with a partner website update for ya! As we draw ever so near to the end of the college football season, and the numerous New year's day bowl games, fans of the SEC and Big Ten, should pay close attention to www.OutBackBowl.com to see if their respective hometown teams will be making plane trips to Tampa Bay. 
The Outback Bowl is Tampa Bay's New Year's Day college football game matching teams from the SEC and Big Ten Conference (3rd pick from each).  If the season were to end today, it looks like we would see an Ohio State vs Georgia matchup which would be an awesome matchup and sure to draw a sellout crowd. You never know though, as this college football season has provided one surprise upset after another so you can never be to sure!

If you are wondering if your team will make it to Tampa for the game then I suggest bookmarking this site, as the team announcement is most likely to break at this website first!

In addition to team announcements as far as who will be playing in the game, you can expect to find information on fan housing, tailgate parties, hotels, things to do, and schedules of game week events!

Be sure to log on and check it out!

So when I was out in San Francisco last month one of the sessions that we were at, was about this new start-up company based out of San Francisco called Off Beat Guides. I really do hate it when people come up with brilliant yet simple concepts that I couldnt think of first! 
Off Beat Guides is a really cool concept where you basically can build your own comprehensive guide book of the destination you are getting ready to visit. 

Very easy concept as all you really have to do is tell it where you are leaving from, where you are going to, hotel info, and the dates you travel. Once it populates your guide you have the option to sift through and decided which info is most importatnt to you regarding your trip. 

I took the liberty of creating one for my sister, as she has always wanted to come down for the annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival in January, and it turned out great! 


This is just another great tool to use in support of some of the maps and tools that you can use at the VisitTampaBay.com website. 

If you don't believe me as far as the simplicty goes, then visit the site and check it out for yourself! First person that responds to this post I will even build one for you and pay for it myself! If you happen to be visiting Tampa (hint hint), I would even be willing to give you the one I created for my sister!

Wondering where to eat? Have you heard of Pelagia Trattoria? This innovative, Mediterranean-inspired gem is located in the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza and the people who run it are creating quite a buzz in the Tampa Bay dining circuit.

Fabrizio Schenardi, executive chef of Pelagia Trattoria, and Jim Bartholomay, general manager of the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza have been respectively named Executive Chef of the Year and General Manager of the Year for 2007 by Renaissance Hotels&Resorts.

The Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza is rated with 4 AAA Diamonds and is self-described as reminiscent of “a Mediterranean villa, a Spanish square, or even a Cuban plaza.”

Pelagia Trattoria and its celebrity chef have received awards, notoriety and rave reviews from local media like the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Tribune, Discover Tampa Bay Newcomers Guide and national media like Southern Living Magazine, the Link Magazine, Zagat Survey and Restaurant Forum Magazine.

Award-winning celebrity chef, innovative and sophisticated cuisine, first-class Latin-style hotel in Tampa’s chíc Westshore business district… sounds like my kind of place. Drop me a comment if you’ve been to either Pelagia Trattoria or the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza and let me know if you thought it was as fabulous as everyone is saying it is.

Its the start of a new month here in Tampa Bay and you know what that means! Yup you guess it, its E-Newsletter time here in Tampa Bay. I just sent out this month's edition on Friday and man was it loaded with stuff to do in November. I thought Thankgiving would be the highlight of my month, but I was wrong. 
Click here to view the latest edition so hurry up and book your flight and hotel info here, as this is the most beautiful time of year here in Florida with the sunny warm weather. Pay particular note to the calendar of events as we got a lot going on this month. 

Also, a big congrats goes out to the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays for an awesome season!

On Monday, the weather dipped to a crisp 70 something degrees and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect for a day on the green, so that’s exactly where we went for another fabulous Tampa Bay&Company event.

Our 15th Annual Golf Tournament, Tee Off for Tourism was the best way to kill a few hours in the middle of the day. This year’s tournament attracted 68 golfers from all over the Bay area to the lush Emerald Greens Golf Resort & Country Club. We also hosted an online auction of donated hotel stays and attraction tickets among other vacation getaway packages that raised about $10,000.

The proceeds from both the tournament and auction are being used to fund five college scholarships for local Hillsborough County high school students completing the Academy of Travel & Tourism program. Not only was the tournament a blast, it was for a good cause!

All in all, the tournament was a success. If you’re coming to visit Tampa Bay and want to get a few games of golf in, make sure you check out our list of partner golf resorts. If you’ve been to any of our local golf resorts, drop a comment and let me know how your Tampa Bay golf experience went.

One of the perks of my job is that I get to experience different restaurants and attractions first-hand in order to know the product that we promote in our community and also write about it in our sales blog and quarterly newsletter. Yesterday I got to experience something that was completely different than anything I had done with the company so far... I went on a water adventure ride!

Tampa Bay&Company staff members were invited to get an exclusive look at a brand new attraction that is now being offered to individuals and groups alike. I was one of the 15 staff members that was brave enough to face this powerful creature on the water. And I was happy that I did.

White Lightning, a new thrill ride in the form of a 1200-horse-power jet boat, is docked at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel in downtown. This boat can seat up to 42 people and is also available for charters. It would be perfect to charter a boat for a small group of attendees that want to get a unique view of the city. You get a fantastic view of downtown Tampa, the Bay, Harbour Island, the St. Pete Times Forum and much more. And it wouldn't be right to not mention how they blasted AC/DC and Bob Marley to set the mood on the way out to the open water.

I can definitely say without a doubt that this attraction is one that you cannot miss. I'm glad I took one for the team, now it's YOUR turn!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. Make sure to ask questions or make comments as you see fit. And make sure to keep coming back for more Tampa Bay meetings info!

It’s time to start checking days off on your calendar. Only 100 more days until game time with the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay! There is going to be so much happening!

Just last week, the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, was in town for the Super Bowl Host Committee Luncheon. Everyone is expecting about 100,000 to come to Tampa Bay to cheer on their favorite team. Raymond James Stadium holds about 72,500 people, but everyone in Tampa Bay will be watching this game.

Don’t stay home and watch the game by yourself! Come on down, and join us for the party (make sure you grab a seat at a sports bar early). Also, don’t wait until the last minute to book your flight and hotel. There are a ton of hotels in Tampa Bay but if you start planning your Super Bowl party early, all you’ll have to worry about come February 1 is getting a new jersey, a cold beer and some spicy wings.

Also, keep checking back to the host committee website for the latest Super Bowl XLIII updates and things to do in Tampa Bay while you're down here.

Welcome back Phillies Phans!  I hear you like to be called Phans so I will be accommodating cause while we are excited to have you guys here, but hopefully by the time you leave we will be up 2-0!  HAHAHA, you know I had to say it, but its all in the sport of competition.

If you are scrambling now and trying to make those last minute arrangements, let ol Jerm help you out in that department.  Come to our website and check out the Phillies Phans, or just visit www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldSeries page I created just for my northern peeps!  Here you can get all the info you need with regards to "Phanning" it up here in the Bay area with everything that there is to do. 

Before you even get here check out the site anyhow and take care of your airfare, hotel, and downtown when your not at the game or one of our numerous bars checking out the game!

Keep checking the blogs here as we will keep posting about places to watch the game as well as the beautiful weather and how you can take time out to enjoy our many attractions! 

As usual if you want to ask me a question or or make a game prediction, then I am game, but until then safe travels down and good luck!

So you may have heard about a certain Bay Area professional sports team last night taking care of business in the ALCS. Darn skippy as the the Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series last night for the first time in franchise history, with a great pitching performance by Matt Garza.

So for all of you local Rays fans as well as the non local Rays fans I suggest you hop onto the Rays website and start getting your merchandise, game times tickets, and whatever else you need!

If you are like me and can't get enough of the imagery, and video, then check out the game clinching ground out to seal the game and send the stadium wild!!!  GO RAYS!!!

Stay tuned throughout the rest of the day as we will be posting more info about hotels, hot spots to watch the game, things to do, and local parties and celebrations.

As always, TAmpa Bay&Company is your official visitor source for local info before and after the game so log onto www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldSeries

I was recently forwarded a link to this travel website someone wanted me to look at, and low and behold who was on the home page...?  You guessed it people...TAMPA/ST.PETE!!!  I swear it just seems like we are all over the place here lately with new updates and accolades.

Travel Muse is a fairly new and very engaging travel planning site.  While still in its early beta stages, I found a lot of useful tools for planning a trip to Tampa for your family getaway, or that girlfriend getaway you've been planning for so long. The Travel Muse Inspiration Finder was a nifty little tool to help you define where is the best suited place for you to visit by defining your budget, preferred flight time, departing airport, and time of year to help you find that perfect trip. If you don't want to take my word for it, here are a few other things on the site that will peak your interests:

• Invite friends to connect and collaborate on Trips in the TravelMuse Planner.
• Organize schedules and build day-day plans for each trip.
• Create Trips for all the places you want to visit and save research-stop e-mailing links and manage all your cool travel pages in the TravelMuse Planner.
• Participate in the TravelMuse community: rate and comment on articles, hotels, restaurants and points of interest.

They did an awesome write up on Tampa/St.Pete so check it out when you get a chance.  All in all this site gets a thumbs up from Jerm, and no that is not because I am biased... (okay maybe a little), but you should still go and check this one out and let me know what you think!

Find the most comfortable pair of shoes you own because you are not going to want to stop this weekend. Our partners have brought you a rainstorm of activities going on this weekend so you don't have to wonder what to do. So get ready for things to do in Tampa Bay!

All weekend long, the Rock, Rib and Ride Festival will be at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The festival will have all of the necessities of a day at the Fairgrounds: food, midway rides, games, music, entertainment, commercial vendors. Don’t miss Blue Oyster Cult performing Friday at 7 p.m. on the main stage. Saturday, the Kansas City Barbeque Society will host a Charity Rib Tasting, so bring a napkin (or a roll of paper towels) and come on out!

Also, on select dates during the month of October, the Henry B. Plant Museum is challenging you to find out if ghosts really live in Plant Hall. There is no charge other than admission to join in on the “We Are The Ghosts” scavenger hunt. When you arrive, you will be given a guide filled with riddles and clues. You can solve the mystery of the final day of the 1906 Tampa Bay Hotel guests by visiting the different exhibits and piecing the clues together.

Friday through Monday, support your favorite Tampa Bay sports team and bring some Rays love to MOSI for $10 admission. All you have to do is sport your favorite Tampa Bay Rays ensemble or even a Rays hawk and come on down to MOSI to see The Diplodocus Dinosaurs exhibit or the Disasterville exhibit at a price you can’t beat.

Sunday, take a day to relax and head for the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and enjoy some of the Tampa Bay weather. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the hotel & casino are hosting a Caribbean Experience by the pool. Sunday’s are also Swipe & Score day in the casino. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. just swipe your Players Club card in the “Swipe and Score” promotion for a chance to win cash, free play or complimentary food & beverage prizes.

I bet you can’t wait, so don’t. Go have fun this weekend! Check out our Calendar of Events for even more things to do this weekend in Tampa Bay. Come back and leave me a comment about how things went next week!

It’s official…downtown Tampa is becoming the place to be.  Not just for the restaurants, hotels, nightlife, arts and culture, and fun things to do in Tampa Bay, but now for family-friend (and healthy) options too!  The Tampa Downtown Market is going to open on October 24, and operate on Fridays from 10am-2pm. 

If you are like me and go to Ybor City for the Fresh Market every Saturday, then you are already getting very excited about this.  And, if you have never visited the Fresh Market, then you need to make your way to downtown Tampa on the 24th! 

There’s going to be fresh produce, cut flowers, homemade baking goods, organic products and much more.  Local accomplished organic caterer and executive chef Tiffany Ferrecchia will be running the market, so you can bet there’s going to be some great stuff!  If you make it out on special days, there may even be local radio stations and entertainment…maybe! 

It all happens at Lykes Gaslight Square in downtown, so there’ll be parking all around.  Head over to the Market’s website, www.TampaDowntownMarket.com, to find out more. 

Until next time, we’ll see you at the downtown market.  And don’t forget to check back and let us know what you thought about the Market. 

Also, remember to  keep checking the VisitTampaBay.com website for more info on area updates and events. 

At long last its here!  Tampa bay & Company along with the St. Pete Clearwater CVB launched the beta version of its long awaited Travelocity Experience Finder.  Now in addition to our wonderful website, you the visitor can use this interactive tool to plan your vacation down to the "T"!

Plan your trip to the best beaches in America, a shop till you drop adventure, golfing  or plan a fun filled day at one of Tampa Bay's many fun filled attractions  with interactive photos and mapping technology built into the interface!

Choose from four themes from: Adventure, Family, Culture, and Beach to narrow down your choices of things to do before you get here! Select your hotel and choose from 20 different fun and engaging activities for you and your family & friends.

So visit the site and check it out! Feel free to drop me a line and lwet me know what you think!

So I’ve been to a ton of partner events since I started here 18 months ago, and I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of them, but the event that I went to on Tuesday, Oct. 7 was one for the memory banks. The TPepin’s Hospitality Centre, located in North Tampa, has joined forces with Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to present an out-of-this-world event center.

Members of our staff were invited to a special preview event at this stunning facility, and we were all treated to a fantastic evening full of champagne and full open bar, delectable food stations, live entertainment and personal tours of the centre. I must say that this event was extremely well-planned and executed. Props to all of you at the Centre and at Busch Gardens for a job well done!

This 18,863 square foot, state-of-the-art venue features cutting edge lighting, sound, video and one-of-a-kind architecture. It really is a sight to see. The front entrance features a large brick fountain with a wall of water cascading behind it, and I can’t forget to mention the torch flames that accent the water so well. Don’t ask me how it’s done… but it is spectacular! And the ballroom reminds me of a 1920s 5-star hotel, all dark cherry wood and beautiful ceiling accents. There’s also a Show Kitchen with an open-fire pizza oven… which by the way was very tasty.

This would be the perfect place to hold any type of event. From weddings to luncheons, receptions and general sessions, the massive space would fit any occasion. Make sure to visit the facility’s Web site to get all the information you need about capacities and catering options. This is a place that you just can’t miss when you’re looking to host your event or meeting in Tampa Bay.

Just in case you missed it, it was lights, camera and action yesterday with Tampa Bay & Company at the Tampa Convention Center. About 550 people took time out of their day to celebrate arts and culture in Tampa Bay, area events, Tampa Bay conventions and meetings, and 23 years of success with the Company – and when I say celebrate, I mean CELEBRATE!

Everywhere you looked were vibrant colors, the lights were dimmed down just enough so that the reds, yellows, greens and purples really popped. This year, the entertainment was out of this world! Dressed in bright, sparkly costumes reminiscent of Mardi Gras, dancers on stilts, performers holding up 10-foot costumes and tumblers with guitar props kicked off the event while emcee Gayle Sierens, TV news anchor for WFLA News Channel 8, made her entrance.

As the crowd enjoyed lunch, they heard from Tampa City Councilman Rev. Thomas Scott, Chairman of Tampa Bay & Company’s Board of Directors Sandy MacKinnon, Tampa Bay & Company President and CEO Paul Catoe, and even Salvador Dalí (or at least actor Michael Norton’s impersonation of Dalí).

Throughout the event, each speaker touched on the importance of thinking outside the box, as well as the importance of tourism in Tampa Bay.  And for more of the who’s who, the new Tampa Bay & Company executive officers include Maryann Ferenc, owner and proprietor of Mise En Place, as vice chair and Steve Haley, general manger of The Quorum Hotel – Tampa, as secretary.

All in all, what we can take from this is that Tampa Bay & Company really knows how to celebrate 23 Years of Success! 

If you attended, let us know what you thought about the program (entertainment and all)…or if you have some ideas for next year, feel free to drop a line.