VISIT FLORIDA[1] recently hosted a two-day travel trade show in London to help draw up tourism to the Sunshine State.
More than 150 people attended the Florida Huddle event last month, which featured 20 destination partners and helped British and Irish tourist agents learn more about Florida’s offerings. Florida Huddle[2] is Florida’s official travel trade show.
“Florida is proud to lead the way as the first state to host a dedicated, multi-day trade show for the UK & Ireland markets,” VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO Bryan Griffin[3] said in a statement. “This innovative conference will shape the future of our industry. By hosting our own show, we’ve been able to bring together tour operators, travel agents, and media to fully focus on Florida.”
A promotional video about the Florida Huddle event highlighted many popular spots in Florida, such as Anna Maria Island, Universal Orlando Resort, Sarasota, Kennedy Space Center, Martin County, and others.
“It’s just bringing a bit of Florida to London,” VISIT FLORIDA Chief Marketing Officer Brett Laiken[4] said in the video. “Our new campaign, it’s anchored in ‘the new and the known.’ So you know what you think you know, and you experience it, and that keeps you coming back. But every time you come back, there’s something new, and we want our partners to walk away saying, ‘I didn’t even know that.’”
What made the event stand out was it gave the Europeans lots of time to dig deeper and learn more about the latest in Florida, Griffin said.
“Longer meeting blocks and a dedicated space also meant that British and Irish travel agents and tour operators had time to truly specialize in Florida destinations to produce unmatched Florida travel products,” Griffin said in a statement.
Tourism plays a major role in Florida’s economy. About 34.4 million people visited the state[5] in the second quarter of 2025, the state disclosed in August.
“Florida continues to lead the way as the nation’s top travel destination,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement.[6]
References
- ^ VISIT FLORIDA (www.visitflorida.com)
- ^ Florida Huddle (www.visitflorida.org)
- ^ Bryan Griffin (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Brett Laiken (theorg.com)
- ^ visited the state (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Ron DeSantis (floridapolitics.com)