Tampa Convention Center Wins Smart Stars Award 2026

The Tampa Convention Center earned the 2026 Smart Stars Award in the Best Convention Center category, marking back-to-back recognition from the industry publication Smart Meetings.

Meeting planners and corporate event organizers voted for the award, now in its 14th year. The center competed against 17 other North American venues. Voters cited the facility's ability to deliver strong attendee experiences for conferences, corporate events and trade shows.

The waterfront downtown facility also is pursuing its fourth consecutive Stella Award for Best Convention Center in the Southeast from Northstar Meetings Group. ConventionSouth named it Best of the Best Convention Center and gave it a Readers' Choice Award in 2025. Exhibitor Magazine designated it a Center of Excellence.

The center offers 600,000 square feet of event space, state-of-the-art technology and LEED Silver Certification for building operations and maintenance.