Photo: Omni Amelia Island Resort
Amelia Island, Florida, is an ideal backdrop for meetings, conferences, incentive programs, and special events. Few destinations are better suited for groups to come together and allow their surroundings to inspire their business vision and strategies. It’s the best of both worlds all on one island. Our unique combination of natural attributes paired with business and leisure amenities is unmatched. The
natural wonders are, well, a wonder for attendees in need of a breath of fresh air. You’ve never experienced a luxurious destination quite like this.
Simply put, meeting and event planners—to say nothing of the attendees they serve—can have it all here on Amelia Island. The charm and convenience ensure that visitors in town for a few days of meetings feel like they’re practically in paradise. Read on to learn how you and your attendees can have fun in the sun while meeting on Amelia Island.
Outdoor Adventures
Photo: Kelly Seahorse Ranch
Breathe new life into your event by taking attendees outdoors for remarkable
team-building opportunities. Top-notch options include:
Group Tours
Photo: Omni Amelia Island Resort
After some fun competition, the bonding continues with even more shared experiences. Finding a group tour isn’t hard, but narrowing all the great choices down to one could be a challenge. Some of the options include:
- Give attendees’ feet a rest with a scenic Segway Tour. Omni Amelia Island Resort offers an excursion led by a naturalist who will point out the flora and fauna adorning the grounds.
- There is a full menu of options for sampling local restaurants and/or pairing them with favorite bars and breweries. One fun idea is to pair a group dinner with a greenhouse tour devised by The Sprouting Project onsite at the Omni.
- Attendees can be on the lookout for dolphins, sea turtles, egrets, herons, spoonbills, and more during a sunset cruise around the island. Boats can accommodate up to 84 guests. Captains share stories of the region’s unique history.
- Fishing excursions are natural bonding experiences. There is no shortage of charters to send your group out for a “reely” good time.
Easily Accessible
Photo: Jacksonville International Airport
One of the beauties of Amelia Island is that its unique attractions are easier to get to than you can imagine. Meeting attendees, incentive winners, and executives traveling for a corporate retreat can fly into
Jacksonville International Airport. From there, it’s a scenic half-hour drive to downtown Fernandina Beach. Our location just off Interstate 95 also makes driving here convenient from many major southern cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Birmingham. Once attendees arrive in town, our best restaurants, retail spaces, and event venues are no more than 15 minutes away regardless of which hotel is your home base.
Downtown Charm
Photo: Historic Downtown Fernandina Beach
The
historic downtown is best enjoyed by shopping and exploring the many locally owned businesses. The 50-block area is easily navigable and offers plenty of options without feeling overwhelming.
- Planners can book one of the restaurants in this historic seaport village for a group meal with unbeatable views and atmosphere. Beyond fresh seafood, cuisine options also include Asian, Italian, Southern, Cuban, and more. And be sure to save room for the ice creameries and candy shops. Happy hours are a blast at the breweries, too.
- Any beach trip—leisure or business—is improved with a treasure hunt. For that, we encourage exploring the eclectic and independent shops that stretch from the harbor-front to down and around Centre Street.
Downtown is a great option for building in downtime for attendees or planning a group outing. You can’t go wrong either way.
Premium Hotel Properties
Photo: The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Very little can compete with our natural beauty, but the
luxurious resorts with meeting space give it a good go. They are breathtaking in their own right, providing terrific scenery, outstanding meeting space, and unbeatable service. The southern hospitality on Amelia Island ensures that a visit here is one that will never be forgotten.
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island sets the standard for luxury, making the most of its gorgeous outside space and impressive interior. The amenities are ideal for corporate events, VIP retreats, and incentive programs for top performers. The 446-room hotel has 48,000 square feet of conference space, including a ballroom that comfortably holds 1,430 conference guests. A luxury spa and 18 holes of championship golf are stellar on-site activities for team building and relaxation. The concierge and hotel staff are available to assist with corporate social responsibility (CSR) opportunities that support the local community and environment. Yoga and meditation are among the most popular wellness options.
Omni Amelia Island Resort is another crown jewel. There are 402 oceanfront rooms and more than 300 villas and homes on the property. Planners have 80,000 square feet of function space to create engaging experiences. Venues include ballrooms, boardrooms, restaurants, lawns, terraces, and of course, the beach. An 18-hole championship golf course and a new 10-hole short course make the Omni an ideal site for charity events, fundraisers, and interoffice competition and team building.
Planners have several other great lodging options, including:
Get away from the daily grind to enjoy the beauty, built-in fun, and other amenities that will inspire your team to new heights when they return to work. Amelia Island is a treasure chest of opportunities. See for yourself why this is the place for your next meeting.