Boca Raton named among top 50 meeting destinations in North America
BOCA RATON — The county's southernmost city was named a top meeting destination in North America by a company that provides technology for conferences, conventions and business meetings throughout the world.
The Virginia-based software company, Cvent, ranks cities by their success in engaging event planners and drawing business events to their towns, based on activity within its network. In that annual ranking, Boca Raton was the only Palm Beach County city to make the list, landing at No. 50.
"This recognition underscores Boca Raton’s growth and popularity as a tourism destination," said Milton Segarra, president and CEO of Discover the Palm Beaches. "The investments in the local hotel industry, strong community support, regional growth and prominent events have contributed to this tremendous achievement.
"This accolade emphasizes what we’ve known all along — that Boca Raton shines as a premier destination for meetings and conventions in North America."
Where are most business conventions held in Florida?
Florida is a popular meeting destination with six cities on the list of 50, including Orlando which topped Cvent's rankings for all of North America. The city cleans up thanks to multiple theme parks, 200 hotels and more than 120,000 guest rooms, according to Cvent.
Other Florida cities that made the cut: Miami, at No. 13; Fort Lauderdale, No. 20; Kissimmee, No. 24; Tampa, at No. 26; and Boca Raton, at No. 50.
Other cities in the Southeast that made the list included Nashville, Atlanta and New Orleans.
Of course, business conventions are global affairs, and Cvent also ranks meeting destinations in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East and Africa.
The full list of 2024 destinations can be found here.
Where does Boca Raton rank among top business meeting destinations?
Boca Raton was ranked 50th among Cvent's top meeting destinations in North America. The city is one of 39 cities and towns that make up South Florida's Palm Beaches.
"This prestigious accolade is a testament to Boca Raton’s commitment to partnering with hoteliers and event planners alike to orchestrate exceptional events," said Bharet Malhotra, Cvent's senior vice president of sales.
"Given the tremendous value that meetings and events bring to local economies, it’s more important than ever that convention and visitors bureaus and destination management companies embrace their role as destination advocates to attract group business to their locales."
Landing on this list is more than a nice bragging point, the distinction highlights Boca Raton to Cvent's global network of event planners and partners looking for places to host events and bring their visions to life, Malhotra said. The company, founded 25 years ago, serves as a technology provider for meetings, events and hospitality management.
Boca Raton hotels at a glance
Boca Raton has 24 hotels to choose from within the city limits when it comes to planning for meetings and events. according to Cvent.
Among those two dozen hotels, there's 3,986 rooms. The city's largest hotel, The Boca Raton, has more than 1,000 guest rooms.
According to Cvent, on average, a hotel room in Boca Raton costs $132, and a meal costs $59.
Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton ranks among top 50 meeting destinations in North America