Four in a Row: Tampa Convention Center Wins Gold for Best Convention Center in the Southeast U.S. for 4th Consecutive Year
Four years, four Gold medals! The Tampa Convention Center (TCC) has officially earned the Gold Medal for Best Convention Center (Regional – Southeast U.S.) in the 10th Annual Stella Awards, presented by Northstar Meetings Group. This marks the fourth consecutive year the venue has secured the top industry honor.
The Stella Awards represent the highest benchmark of excellence in the meetings, trade show, and events industry, celebrating convention centers, hotels, and suppliers that consistently deliver exemplary service, innovation, and operational excellence to event managers and meeting planners.
"Winning the Stella Award Gold Medal for four consecutive years is all because of the Center’s dedicated staff, our trusted service partners, and our city," said David Ingram, Executive Director of the Tampa Convention Center. "This recognition reinforces our position as a world-class venue where meeting planners can bring their vision to life with complete confidence. We remain committed to elevating the event experience for every planner, exhibitor, and attendee who walks through our doors."
The Tampa Convention Center is wrapping up a banner year in 2026, hosting more than 320,000 attendees and generating an estimated $149 million in local economic impact.
A Proven Leader for Florida Conventions & Global Events
The 2026 Stella Award winners were determined through a competitive evaluation process starting with over 1,100 global nominations and thousands of votes cast by verified event professionals. Following the public voting round, a distinguished panel of industry judges selected TCC for the top regional honor based on:
- Overall Excellence & Venue Design: 600,000 square feet of transformable, state-of-the-art event space along the Downtown Tampa waterfront.
- Integrated Service Model: Seamless execution across elite service partners including Aramark (exclusive food and beverage), Edlen (exclusive utilities), Encore (audio-visual and rigging), FedEx (shipping and printing), Sentry Event Services (security), Smart City (exclusive internet and telecommunications), and Xpodigital (digital signage).
- Sustainability & Green Initiatives: Environmental leadership highlighted by the venue’s LEED Silver Certification for Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M).
- Staff Professionalism & Logistics Support: Detailed client service supporting major corporate conferences, national trade shows, sports competitions, and multi-day conventions.
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About the Tampa Convention Center
Located in the heart of a vibrant, walkable downtown district in Tampa, Florida, the Tampa Convention Center offers beautiful waterfront views, 600,000 square feet of flexible, transformable event spaces, and state-of-the-art technology infrastructure for meeting professionals.
Recognized globally for industry leadership, the venue has earned top honors including a 2026 International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Venue Excellence Award, a Smart Stars Award from Smart Meetings, and inclusion in Exhibitor Magazine’s Centers of Excellence.
Learn more about Tampa Convention Center
About Northstar Meetings Group
Northstar Meetings Group is the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving the business meetings, events, sports, and incentives market, reaching over 500,000 active planners globally across brands such as Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meetings, Association Meetings International, and Meeting News.
For more information on Northstar Meetings Group, please visit www.NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com.