For decades, Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront told a familiar story. Sailboats drifted along the Intracoastal, cruise ships glided out of Port Everglades and visitors arrived mostly for the sunshine and beaches. The city had charm, beauty and one of the country’s most enviable coastlines. What it didn’t always have was the infrastructure to compete with major convention destinations.
That equation has now changed dramatically. The newly expanded Broward County Convention Center has transformed a once modest facility into a sprawling waterfront campus that signals a bold new era for Fort Lauderdale. The scale alone is staggering. What once measured roughly 600,000 square feet has grown to more than 1.2 million square feet, making it one of Florida’s largest convention facilities and instantly repositioning the city on the national meetings map.
The most striking feature inside the building today may be the sense of light. Massive glass walls frame sweeping views of the Intracoastal Waterway, with boats and yachts passing by like moving scenery beyond the event floor. It is a subtle but powerful reminder that this is not a convention center tucked inside a landlocked city. This is Fort Lauderdale, where the water is always part of the experience.
The expansion’s centerpiece is the 65,000-square-foot waterfront ballroom, a dramatic space designed to host everything from international conferences to large-scale galas. Above, an intricate installation of colorful LED lighting stretches across the ceiling like a modern art piece. During events, the lights shift through vibrant hues, giving the ballroom a dynamic energy rarely found in traditional convention venues.
Beyond the ballroom, the center now includes 350,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, capable of accommodating nearly 1,900 exhibit booths at once. The facility can host more than 23,000 people in a theater-style configuration or over 18,000 for banquet events, offering organizers flexibility for gatherings of almost any size.
The scale extends across the campus. There are now five ballrooms, 50 meeting rooms and multiple boardrooms designed for corporate gatherings and private events. More than 80 digital signage displays throughout the building allow brands and conferences to create immersive environments that guide visitors through the massive facility.
Yet what truly makes the convention center unique is not just its size, but its setting. Step outside and find yourself in the epicenter of what will soon become one of South Florida’s most impressive public waterfront spaces. A 6.5-acre tropical plaza is taking shape along the Intracoastal, designed to function as both an event venue and a gathering place. Landscaped lawns, walking paths and palm-lined promenades will lead to a waterfront amphitheater capable of hosting concerts and outdoor events.
The plaza will eventually connect to a Water Taxi dock, enabling visitors to arrive by boat and easily travel between the convention district, Las Olas Boulevard and other parts of the city. This feature feels perfectly tailored to Fort Lauderdale’s identity as the Venice of America.
And while the convention center is the heart of the transformation, it does not stand alone.
Connected directly to the facility is the 801-room Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel, a towering presence along the waterfront that serves as the convention center’s headquarters hotel. The property provides the large-scale accommodations that event planners require, but it also introduces a new layer of dining and entertainment to the district.
Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, says the hotel was designed to reflect the essence of the destination.
“What makes Omni Fort Lauderdale special is that it really reflects the spirit of Greater Fort Lauderdale. It’s a luxury property, but it’s also deeply connected to our destination — sitting right on the Intracoastal Waterway, next to the Broward County Convention Center and just steps from Port Everglades, one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.
It’s designed to feel like a waterfront resort while still serving the meetings and conventions market. Guests can attend a conference during the day and then look out over the water, enjoy incredible dining or head to the beach just minutes away. That combination of luxury, waterfront views and connectivity to the convention center and port is something you don’t find in many places.”
Inside the hotel and along the waterfront, several restaurants are already becoming popular gathering spots for visitors and locals alike.
Hidden Key serves as the hotel’s waterfront bar, where indoor and outdoor seating allow guests to take in sweeping views of the Intracoastal. It’s the kind of spot that captures the city’s rhythm. Afternoon drinks roll into sunset gatherings, and suddenly the evening has begun.
For a more playful experience, Fair Ketch brings sports and entertainment together with a Topgolf Swing Suite that lets guests test their swing indoors while enjoying drinks and casual dining.
Then there is IBIS Sky Lounge, perched high above the waterfront with panoramic views stretching toward the Atlantic Ocean. At sunset, the lounge becomes one of the district’s most striking vantage points, offering a perspective that reminds visitors just how dramatically Fort Lauderdale’s skyline has evolved.
Taken together, the convention center and surrounding development represent more than just a building project. They reflect a larger transformation happening across Fort Lauderdale.
“The Convention Center District expansion is a game-changer for Greater Fort Lauderdale. For years, we’ve had the location, the beaches and the lifestyle that visitors love — but this project gives us the infrastructure to compete for larger conventions and events that drive significant economic impact.
With the expansion and the addition of the Omni as a connected headquarters hotel, we’re creating a true convention campus right on the water. That allows us to attract bigger groups, host international events and keep attendees in the destination longer, benefiting local businesses, restaurants, hotels and our community overall,” Ritter explains.
The impact goes far beyond the buildings themselves. For many years, Fort Lauderdale’s identity was closely tied to leisure tourism and cruise travel. While those industries remain central to the region, the expansion positions the city as something more ambitious.
“What sets Greater Fort Lauderdale apart is that we can now offer the same level of convention infrastructure as larger destinations, but with a much more relaxed and authentic experience. Meeting planners can host a major event here and give their attendees something unique — a waterfront convention center, a headquarters hotel like the Omni, proximity to Port Everglades and easy access to our beaches and neighborhoods.
So while destinations like Miami and Orlando are well-known for conventions, what we offer is something different: a world-class meeting experience that still feels like a coastal getaway. And that’s a powerful draw for planners today.”
What the city now offers is a true waterfront district designed to welcome the world.
Conferences can unfold inside vast exhibition halls while attendees step outside to see yachts gliding across the Intracoastal. Evening receptions can spill onto terraces overlooking the water. Visitors can walk from their hotel rooms directly into convention spaces without ever leaving the campus.
It is a setting that blends business with the easy coastal lifestyle that has always defined Fort Lauderdale.
For residents, the transformation also signals something deeper. It shows how far the city has progressed. What was once a quiet stretch of waterfront has become a gateway for global events, international visitors and new regional opportunities.
And perhaps most importantly, it does so without losing the sense of place that makes Fort Lauderdale unique. Even inside the massive new convention center, the water is never far. Boats drift past the glass walls, sunlight reflects off the Intracoastal and palm trees sway in the plaza. In Fort Lauderdale, even the biggest stage in the city still belongs to the waterfront.
