Bradenton Area Convention Center cuts ribbon on $54M renovation project

Following a $54 million renovation project, the newly expanded Bradenton Area Convention Center is officially open for business.

The complex in Palmetto now features 95,000 square feet of meeting space, making it the largest indoor event venue between St. Petersburg and Naples, according to a statement.

A 32,000-square-foot exhibit hall; 14,000-square-foot grand ballroom that can seat up to 800 people; and two outdoor gathering plazas are among the offerings. 

The convention center first opened in 1985 and was known as the Manatee Civic Center, Keenan Singleton, spokesperson for the Bradenton Area Convention Center, said at the updated venue's Nov. 13 ribbon-cutting. Singleton called the renovations a “legacy investment into the future of Manatee County, supporting economic growth and opening new opportunities.”

Through meetings and conventions as well as event attendees extending their stays for leisure, the Bradenton Area Convention Center is projected to have a $30 million to $40 million annual impact on the local economy, according to the statement.

Renovations were funded by the tourist development tax in Manatee County. Manhattan Construction, DuCon and Fawley Bryant Architecture developed the project, according to Singleton, who noted the center remained open for events in its exhibit hall through the expansion and renovation.

The first official event in the new grand ballroom will be the Florida Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement dinner on Nov. 19, Singleton says in an email.

Photo by Jeremy Piper

The renovation project has been years in the making. Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. CEO and President Sharon Hillstrom said one of her organization’s goals from its 2015 strategic plan was to expand the convention center and co-locate a full-service flag hotel there, according to her 2024 column in the Business Observer. The 252-room Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa, which opened in 2024, is now connected to the convention center by a climate-controlled corridor.

Manatee County hosted 3.8 million visitors in 2023, Hillstrom said, with corporate travelers accounting for 5% of them, a number that Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione hoped to increase to 10% to 12% with the expansion of the convention center.

“The convention center will diversify our visitation, welcoming conventions and meetings to support our local hotels, restaurants and small businesses," Manatee County Commissioner Amanda Ballard says in the statement. "This project begins a new era for the Bradenton area."