In Case You Missed It: FRLA Boosts Tourism in Northwest Florida

In October, FRLA proudly sponsored two festivals featuring celebrated musicians in Northwest Florida: Blast on the Bay in Florida’s Forgotten Coast, and the Panama City Beach Seafood and Music Festival. Thank you for making these events successful every year!

FRLA Boosts Area Tourism by Sponsoring October Events in NWFL

FRLA is proud to sponsor two festivals featuring celebrated musicians in Northwest Florida: Blast on the Bay in Florida’s Forgotten Coast, and the Panama City Beach Seafood and Music Festival. Both events are scheduled on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18 with Blast on the Bay continuing through Sunday, October 19, 2014.

VISIT FLORIDA Announces Hospitality Training Program Created by FRLA

The tourism projections for 2020 are staggering: 127 million visitors and another 315,000 hospitality industry jobs. To manage that exponential growth and reinforce the Sunshine State’s DNA for great guest service, VISIT FLORIDA announced a new training and certification program for industry employees.

Thousands of Industry Professionals Attend FR&L Show

Thousands of restaurant and foodservice industry professionals enjoyed three days of tasting new products, meeting with new vendors and attending educational programs offering new concepts at the 43rd annual Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando September 7-9, 2014. The event was sponsored FRLA.

2014 Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show is Next Week!

Sept. 7-9, FR&L Show
Sept. 8, The Big Party
Sept. 10, NRA/FRLA Bob Leonard Golf Classic

The 2014 Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show is next week! Are you registered? The tradeshow and conference will be held Sunday, September 7th through Tuesday, September 9th at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. You don’t want to miss ‘The BIG Party’ on Monday night, and stay over for our annual NRA/FRLA Bob Leonard Golf Classic – a sold out event every year! For more information on exhibiting or attending, visit the official Show website here. For all other information, including details on when celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse will be demonstrating his culinary talents during the show, please click here. To register for the event click here. To register for the golf tournament, contact Marjorie Stone at [email protected] or 850-224-2250 ext. 258.

Florida Tourism on Pace for Another Record Year

This week, Governor Rick Scott announced that according to VISIT FLORIDA’s preliminary estimates, 24 million visitors came to Florida in the second quarter of 2014 (April-June), an increase of 3% over the same period in 2013. This represents the largest second quarter for visitation Florida has ever experienced, exceeding the previous high of 23.3 million in Q2 2013. Visitor spending is up 7.4% in January through May 2014, at $35.7 billion, which is more than the same time period in 2013.

Public Investment in Tourism Paying Off!
(Source: Tampa Bay Times)

The state spends tens of millions in public dollars each year to promote tourism, and a Florida TaxWatch report released Monday showed that investment is generating new visitors, new jobs and new spending. The business-backed institute in Tallahassee also said that the state is “well on its way” to fulfilling Gov. Rick Scott’s goal of 100 million annual visitors by 2015.

FRLA’s Marketing and Operations Summit is Next Week!

FRLA is honored to showcase world-class hospitality industry executives at its annual Marketing/Operations Summit scheduled for Tuesday, July 29 through Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. During the event that is designed to explore new business trends, an executive panel of leaders from fast-growing concepts will share their secrets of success and steer an interactive discussion that will provide valuable insight to attendees. Additionally, the event will be headlined by nationally renowned television personalities Chef Robert Irvine, Host of the Food Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible,” and Anthony Melchiorri, Host of the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible.”

Hospitality Execs Share Insight at FRLA’s Marketing/Operations Summit

FRLA is honored to showcase world-class hospitality industry executives at its annual Marketing/Operations Summit scheduled for Tuesday, July 29 through Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. During the event that is designed to explore new business trends, an executive panel of leaders from fast-growing concepts will share their secrets of success and steer an interactive discussion that will provide valuable insight to attendees.

Gulf’s Governors Asked to Support Access to Locally Sourced Seafood

The National Restaurant Association has asked the governors in five Gulf States to support local restaurants in maintaining year-round access to seafood fished in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In a letter sent June 24 to governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Scott of Florida, Robert Bentley of Alabama, Mississippi’s Phil Bryant and Rick Perry of Texas, the NRA asked the leaders to “stand with us and support the commercial fishing sector that supplies restaurants in your state[s] and throughout the country