Greater Fort Lauderdale & Broward County Convention Center

We came to this convention center on March 26^th 2016 for the Fort Lauderdale Auto Show, and lets just say we were disappointed.
«2016 (March 24 – 27) promises to be our biggest show yet»… as stated on their website.
Error, I think they mean the smallest and most boring show ever.
What brands/​manufactures went? Ford, Lexus, Acura, Scion, Honda (+ off-​roading and motorcycles), GMC, Chevrolet, Maserati, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Toyota, Jeep, Lamborghini (they only had two cars), BMW (they only had two cars), Dodge, and a few others.
What brands/​manufactures did not go? Well lets see, Ferrari, Nissan, Audi, BMW (they only had two cars), Porsche, Lamborghini (they only had two cars), Land Rover, Aston Martin, and many others… mostly all the European car brands didn’t go to this Auto Show.
What type of new cars/​trucks did they had? The show had the new Ford RS (sadly the doors were locked), Ford Super Duty, Lamborghini Aventador, Lamborghini Huracan, Cadillac ATS, Acura NSX (it was sectioned off), Chevrolet Camaro RS (hard top and convertible, convertible version was sectioned off), Corvette Stingray Z06 (hard top and convertible), Dodge Challenger Hellcat, Dodge Viper, Mercedes G Wagon, and many more.
What type of new cars/​trucks did they not have? Well the brands/​manufactures that went and didn’t bring their new vehicles are the Ford GT, Ford Raptor, BMW M series cars, and not one concept vehicle was on the show floor.
Sadly, I was excepting to see the BMW M2 Coupe, and with a BMW dealership literally 5 minutes away I thought they were going to attend. Sadly I was wrong.
For both the admission to get in and the parking cost all together its literally the same price for a meal of 4 at Steak ‘n Shake. You will need to pay for tickets and parking (I think parking should be free but its not). The parking garage has no lights at all at night (on the website it states its «well illuminated»), so be careful when you get out or walk to the car by yourself. Parking is $ 3 for 0 — 1 hour and $ 6 for 1 — 5 hours (as stated on their website).
Overall the convention center was clean and great, but was it worth it? No, I don’t think so. For me as a car enthusiast, if I had to tell new comers, I would personally tell them to wait for the Miami International Auto Show and keep away from the Fort Lauderdale Auto Show.

Very nice venue, went there for business to the annual Seatrade convention. Everywhere I went was clean and they had a lot of staff that was friendly, even security.
I liked the huge Marlin sculpture they had in front and the open feel of it. I believe the convention is going to be here for the next two years so I think it was a good choice.

Conveniently located in Port Everglades use the 17^th Street Causeway entrance closest to this location. Great parking garage with a walkway that connects you to the convention center. Beautifully maintained building that looks like it is brand new. Carpeted with a custom made theme from the sea with shades of blue. Been to many trade shows here and it is very well organized. Spacious to accommodate very large venues. Beautifully maintained bathroom facilities as well. Depending on the event they sell refreshments.

I attended an international cruise ship convention today, which was invaluable to me as a lawyer that sues cruise lines.
The facility has plenty of parking and lots of people on hand to direct attendees to the different events.
The venue is very clean and well lit. Lots of bathrooms and meetings spaces.
Ideal for a large convention.

2÷13÷16 — Publix Health & Fitness Expo
This event was very well put together. We came here to pick up our packets for our race. I was running the A1A Half Marathon and my sister, the Susan G. Komen Run for the Pink 6k. They had all the packet pickups in the back by alphabetical order. All the shirts on one side. I love this year’s shirts, great material.
The expo was smaller than I expected but they did have plenty of stores and products being represented. One of my favorites was the Badass Power Cookie, it looked «suspicious» but man! was it good. They had plenty of samples, especially food and drinks. Thank goodness for the Publix backpack! Great pricing on running gear, shoes and recovery pre– and post snacks.
Parking was $ 12 for the event. We did not have a problem finding parking or getting in.

Second visit to this grand facility. The parking in the multilevel garage is great, safe and secure. We are here again today to watch «Volleyball». The place is clean, bathrooms are clean and it is awesome for an event of this type. No complaints! It would be great to have a nap room to sleep in between matches (LOL). Good place.

unfortunate for this convention center but due to security reasons, direct access from 575 to and from it is now forbidden. Police will take your driver’s license and force you to u turn and then retrieve it. Even south bound traffic is forced to go north to 17 street causeway and spend an hour trying to get to U.S.1 and head south to 575, or direct west for miles to reach I95. All of which even in a slow speed zone, use to take you five minutes. It is expensive to park in their garage, $ 15.00 and you are then stuck sitting there an hour at 3:30 pm trying to get to an expressway. Planners for this debacle should be fired. It is too bad. Easy access to 575 use to make driving there a pleasure.
Pretty center, good amenities, nice rooms but not worth the nightmare to go there. If you are stuck for an hour on a road for an hour off traffic hours, imagine during traffic hours. I feel sorry for the businesses on 17 street causeway. No one can get in to them or out. If you have to be stuck going and coming to a convention center in South Florida, it would be better if you are heading to Miami Beach. At least the view is worth admiring while you are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. I plan to complain to the company that had their annual convention there and strongly suggest they move the venue. Just not worth the trouble.

I came here to see my sister get her Bachelors from Broward College. Traffic was backed up all the way from Federal Highway to the actual parking spot. Once I finally turned into Eisenhower, which is where the place is located, I thought things would go a lot quicker. Nope. Myself along with God knows how many people sat in sit and go traffic for another 30 minutes in 2 lanes.
When I got to the area where parking would be located, I was told it was full and everyone would have to park farther down at the Port. I asked the guy (the only nice and professional one may I add) if there was handicapped parking as I use a cane to walk. I especially needed this feature due to sitting in the car for so long and the pain that had been building up. He told me they might be able to help me out and to just ask one of the managers further up.
Well, when I finally got there I was told handicapped spots are first come first serve (understandable) but there weren’t any where I was parking. I told him I am handicap and I use a cane and walking, especially in pain, is next to impossible. He said he couldn’t help. I also, asked a security guy in a golf cart if he could please just drive me to the front entrance due to my pain and his answer was plainly «No». I was obviously quite upset at this and point and I actually started to cry because of the pain, stress and how I was treated. I have never in my life been treated like this before.
I wish I could say that a single part of this was exaggerated but it isn’t. These people should be ashamed of how they treat people. There is no excuse for their behavior.

Here for another conference and their staff did an amazing job supporting the event provider. it is pretty well-​maintained and the bathrooms are always clean throughout a long event.
The only fault I’ve ever seen, is that there is sound bleed between the smaller conferences rooms. The speaker or presenter in one room, can be overheard at the other one. Which makes things pretty distracting. Better insulation between the rooms would be very helpful.

Nice place however bland food, mixed with Nazi like servers who overly protect food even drinks minutes before a scheduled lunch. No managers or supervisors in sight.

It’s a beautiful convention. It’s very organized and the security is top notch. It is very easy to get to from my hotel. There was always air condition. It’s best to bring a sweater. I was there for AAU TAE kwon do tournament and it was fun. The concession stand had fresh food that was moderately priced. I enjoyed the lemonade.

I came here for the auto show. Like most other reviewers have mentioned, you are required to show ID before entering (probably has something to do with the center being located on the grounds of Port Everglades), but this is no big deal. There is a decent amount of parking available in the parking structure which overlooks the docks.
As for the convention center itself, it is very large, open and seemed generally clean. Easily able to comfortably accommodate large crowds. They have concessions available for sale which I am sure are overpriced, though I didn’t buy any food. For those whom it is important, there are plenty of restrooms around. Staff and security presence is noticeable which is great.

What a nice but completely out of the way spot for a convention center.
I’m not an expert in city planning, but I have always thought convention centers were near downtown areas. The location of this center does nothing for me. In the middle of Port Everglades is where you will find this gem, but alas, you can’t get in without showing your ID.
The convention center is nice, bright 70’s or 80’s décor. It’s held up well, although the bathroom I had gone in looked like it had seen better days.
The place is pretty massive. I’m sure you could get easily lost there.
They have a ton of (unhealthy) snacks for you to eat so if you’re heart healthy or just plain healthy you may want to eat before you get there.
I love it there and would go see any convention there, but I’ve noticed that many conventions don’t do well there. Is it the location? Is it marketing? Is it all of the above?

Great place for an event or a convention. *TO BE ABLE TO ENTER THE PARKING STRUCTURE EVERYONE HAS TO SHOW THEIR IDENTIFICATION* It’s close to many hotels and also a short cab ride to the beach and restaurants are located close to here.

Parking is expensive and the staff is rude and lazy. You also cannot park if you have a firearm in your vehicle. I would avoid this place like the plague unless you enjoy confusing directions, extreme congestion and staff that is belligerent and completely unhelpful. Also, not being able to park on premises with a firearm in your vehicle is very inconvenient if you are coming from out of town and do not know this ahead of time.

Make sure you have your driver’s license on you before you attempt to go here AND no WEAPONS (yep) either. as you have to go through a Port Security checkpoint before you enter. Another thing I don’t understand. poorly designed if you ask me.
Man I really feel like they are letting this place go. Every time I go for another event I feel like it’s more run down then the time before. It needs paint, there’s mold, there’s mildew stains, the garage is leaking water, and that’s just to name a few.
They do host a lot of events, which is nice but it always seems dead inside. The Parking is another sticking point for me. The rates change and sometimes it’s astronomical to park there, like during the home show, but other times, like during the Biz2Biz Networking event it only cost me $ 6 to park.
Finding a bottle of water in this place for purchase is like hunting for one in the Vegas desert, trust me it ain’t pretty.

It’s a pain to get in when a lot of people are arriving, but it is a great and huge location for conventions. I love the sailfish fountain, it’s one of the most unique fountains I’ve seen. There’s ample enough parking and it wasn’t too busy when I went to the Home Remodeling Show so it was alright. I don’t want to imagine this place swamped with tons of people though.

You know those dates where you go in with huge expectations, where the girl lives in a pretty house, she’s cute but nothing happens? That was what a certain «dating related» event at the Broward Convention Center felt like.
First of all, let’s talk about the extreme military-​base like security to get in. Since it’s located inside the port with its attendant fuel depot, cruise ships and occasional visiting Navy ships you have to show ID and occasionally answer questions from a security guard just to drive up. There was adequate parking, although the lights at one of the rows appeared to be out of service.
The building itself is a beautiful example of public space architecture, with a huge curtain wall looking toward the ocean. I imagine the sunrise there must look beautiful. Flooring and carpets were clean and the double height spaces and escalators have a cool futuristic feel. Although I didn’t partake, concession stands looked to offer a decent variety of food.
As far as the event, I feel it’s gone downhill from previous incarnations. For one the VIP didn’t seem to have any value added. The sales pitch made it seem like autographs and pictures would be included with the talent, but you still had to pay extra (the same fee as general admission.) Also, a certain girl from Texas named Alexis left on the dot right at 9pm despite there being a line of fans out. Oh, and said vip booth where you’d get a tshirt and swag bag was off in the corner you had to look for, instead of near the entrance. I won’t stop going (unless I get married or run for Congress) but I certainly won’t spring for VIP again.

Not much different than the other convention centers that I’ve visited across the country. One thing that does stand out is that the port authority security check your ID before you enter the fenced outside premises. Not sure what the purpose is or if it’s related to homeland security.
Parking is reportedly very expensive (~$ 15/​day) but I always walked here to greet the port authority.

On three separate occasions I witnessed bosses chewing out subordinates in the food service area.
Very painful to watch.
Can’t we all just get along?
I think the humidity makes everyone a little cranky.

The Broward County Convention center is massive! I was there for the Fort Lauderdale Home Design & Remodeling Show and I am reviewing this as someone who participated at an event there.
I was there for three days and the first two days were a breeze. The last day the «port authority» and I use that term very loosely was extremely rude and refused to let me park where I had the two days prior. I explained I was simply packing up my stuff — he refused to let me in.
Once I finally got in, the woman security guard was SO RUDE. I had met her the day before and I could tell this was just her personality. She wasn’t having a bad day… shes just ALWAYS bitter, angry and nasty. I even gave her a bag of pretzels… didn’t get a thank you, not even a smile. Anyways, as I was taking stuff out, there was another security (female as well) who was the complete opposite! She was so friendly, so nice, and just 100 0000x more pleasant than the other one. I mentioned to her how much nicer she was than the other girl and she just laughed and nodded, as if to say «You don’t have to tell me!». The older lady in the back parking lot was also such a nice person. Always smiling, and saying hello/​goodbye as vendors came and went. I gave her some trinkets I had and she lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July!
Now…the main convention room is MASSIVE. Great for anyone throwing a large scale event. They have concession stands (pricey, of course) and it was always super cold… which I loved. They charge you for WiFi so if you are a vendor, you will have to pay for usage. Load in /​drop off in the back is great with a lot of doors to come in through but once the event starts there is only one entrance. That means if you are in the very last row, you have to walk all the way to the entrance, to then walk all the way back to your aisle (guess who this happened to!) I get keeping a tight ship, but would two entrances with two separate guards checking name tags kill ya?
Overall, a great venue to host large scale conventions.

What a bizarre convention center!
Driving up from any direction (even walking), there are security checkpoints. A security guard checks my ID and asks «Why are you here?» I told her I wanted to go to the convention center and she responded «Are you carrying any weapons?» They screen EVERYONE this way, with nearby sheriff deputies nearby to keep out any riff raff. I didn’t know until I left the convention center, that this «security» is due to the nearby oil tanks.
The convention center is large and features plenty of escalators and elevators to make sure you can get to where you need to be. There are several nearby hotels and stunning views of the marina, but what is severely lacking are nearby dining options…
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Notes:
* They don’t pat you down or anything, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing a weapon to the site.
* Coffee is only available on the 1^st floor… the proudly serve Starbucks Coffee. Looking for food, I asked the girl what was good. She was honest and said «Nothing.»

I give it one star and one star only because of the security problem now necessitated by its close connection to Port Everglades and proximity to the Port Everglades Tank Farm.
It was what I would have rated as a four star, maybe even a five star convention facility prior to America’s events of ⁹⁄₁₁. That was, however, when access was simple, easy and there were other nearby accessible, enjoyable facilities (read Burt & Jack’s Restaurant) along with a nice little grassland type of park. However, that and those days are no more. Now it is a convention center wherein you will be stopped, possibly caught up in a traffic jam and made to run a gauntlet of security procedures. In going here you clearly subject yourself to the whims of what ever may happen to you once in the hands of an ill trained, ignorant Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Secuirty Agency. Indeed, they can make going here an event every bit as bad as boarding an airplane, so best you have your papers with you and have them in order.