Tampa
W located on the east bank of the
Hillsborough River. “It’s difficult to
get lost,” said Paul Bilyeu, the
center’s director of public relations.
“There is only one place to
come in.”
The facility, which also has
boutiques and an on-site restaurant,
has a staff that works just
with groups.
“It’s a huge selling point,” said
Shari Bailey, national sales managwith
groups,” said Bailey.
A new addition to the center,
the Patel Conservatory, has 20
studios and other technical areas
to handle the center’s extensive
education programs.
“It gives groups a whole other
option,” said Bailey, “anything
from acting to music classes to
dance studios. Doing those type
classes is just fun and enjoyable.
One of my favorites is a rock-band
school. And you don’t have to have
musical experience.”
www.tbpac.com
Artsonthebay er for the Tampa Bay Convention
and Visitors Bureau.
The center is the venue for
symphony and other concerts,
nationally known grand opera and a
top-notch Broadway series in its
2,600-seat Carol Morsanti Hall, the
largest on Florida’s west coast .
The 2007-2008 season, which
begins Nov. 6, will feature All
Shook Up, the Radio City
Christmas Spectacular, The Drowsy
Chaperone, Avenue Q and Disney’s
The Lion King.
“One theater has cabaret-style
shows, which tend to be popular
Courtesy St. petersburg/Clearwater Area CVB
With 290,000 square
feet and five theaters,
the Tampa Bay
Performing Arts Center is one of
the 10 largest performing-arts centers
in the United States and the
largest complex of its kind in the
Southeast, according to the
Performing Arts Center
Consortium.
However, it’s easy to find your
way around the center, which is
By Herb Sparrow
arch is a busy month in
the Tampa Bay area; it is
when major-league baseball
teams are preparing for the
upcoming season in that ritual
known as spring training.
“The whole month of March,
with spring training, tons of groups
come in for that,” said Shari Bailey,
national sales manager for the
Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors
Bureau. “We are a place to hub-andspoke
out to other areas where
teams are training, and with the
Yankees here, it is a big time for us.”
When the major-league players
head north for the regular season,
Tampa still has plenty to attract
groups to its pleasant, subtropical
climate. A leading cruise port,
Tampa has museums, shopping,
entertainment, dining and fascinating
Spanish heritage.
“Our attractions are a big selling
point,” said Bailey. “Our attractions
are wonderful with groups.”
And groups will have a wonderful
time in Tampa.
Major-league baseball spring training is a
major spring draw to the Tampa Bay area.
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