Project Will Expand Convention Center and Add Headquarters Hotel

Since its opening in 1991, the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center has played host to more than 6,000 events of all types and sizes, with more than 5 million guests booking thousands of hotel rooms, filling local restaurants, keeping retailers and transportation companies busy, and engaging the services of a host of local vendors, from food and beverage purveyors to electricians and other trades.

Now, the Broward County Commission has embarked on a landmark project to expand the existing facility and add an on-site headquarters hotel.

Broward County will partner with Matthews Southwest Holdings, Inc. (MSW) to implement the County’s vision, goals and objectives for the Convention Center Expansion and Headquarters Hotel project. Work will be completed in accordance with requirements set forth in the Design Criteria Report.

MSW will lead the delivery for the design and construction of the Convention Center Expansion, and Broward County will provide funding, primarily from Tourist Development Taxes. Broward County will operate and maintain the Convention Center.

The MSW team will lead the design; build, finance, operate and maintain the Headquarters Hotel. Any County funding for the hotel project will be determined based on the results of negotiations with MSW, including a room block agreement. Tourist Development Taxes are not an eligible source of funding for the hotel.​ ​​​​