The Tampa Convention Center has been named one of five venues worldwide to receive the 2026 Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM).
The award is highly competitive and recognizes excellence among a diverse group of venues, including convention centers, sports stadiums, arenas and performing arts venues.
"Earning the IAVM Venue Excellence Award is an extraordinary validation of our team's relentless dedication and hard work," Tampa Convention Center Executive Director David Ingram said in a press release. "To stand alongside the world's best sports venues and convention centers proves that we are setting the standard for excellence in the global meetings industry."
IAVM Awards and Recognition Committee selects venues using this weighted criteria:
40% Operational excellence
20% Team building and professional development
20% Safety and security
20% Service to the community
The Tampa Convention Center joins the Baird Center, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Levi's Stadium and the Seattle Convention Center as this year's recipients.
The center will be recognized during IAVM's VenueConnect 2026 conference in August.
This award is the latest in a series of national recognitions for the Tampa Convention Center. The facility is a first-time nominee for Best U.S. Convention Center in the Prevue Visionary Awards, a 2026 finalist for Best Convention Center in the Stella Awards presented by Northstar Meetings Group, and earned Gold Medal honors in the Stella Awards from 2023 through 2025. It also received the 2026 Smart Star Award for the second consecutive year, was named a 2025 Best of the Best by ConventionSouth magazine and has been designated an Elite Center of Excellence by EXHIBITOR Magazine.
The City of Tampa said the Tampa Convention Center is hosting hundreds of events in 2026, generating an estimated $147 million in economic impact.