Two days on one city record
The Food Expo 2027 sits at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602. The City of Tampa record books the building from 7 a.m. Wednesday 3 March 2027 to 11:59 p.m. Thursday 4 March. Two operating days, one overnight.
That record no longer serves a reader. The city page at /events/gourmet-food-international-food-expo-2027/195036 returned a 404 on 21 October 2026. The indexed record carries the street address, Event Status Scheduled, and a Registration required line under Event Website. Confirm both dates with the venue sales desk on (813) 274-7762 before a room is held.
Gourmet Foods International runs the show. Its own events page lists no Tampa date on 21 October 2026. That page carries the GFI Atlanta Food Expo on 29 September 2026, the GFI Charity Golf Tournament on 27 October 2026, and three national bookings: the NGA Show at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas on 1-2 February 2027, IDDBA at the Georgia World Congress Center on 6-8 June 2027, and the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center on 25-27 July 2027.
Ask GFI two questions before the team travels: which days the hall opens to buyers, and whether the 7 a.m. entry covers move-in, breakfast or the floor.
The floor and the badge count
The venue publishes 600,000 square feet over four floors, a guest capacity of 17,000, 100+ local attractions and 16 minutes from Tampa International Airport. Exhibition space sits on the third floor, in East, West and Central Halls. Free wifi runs in the public areas and meeting rooms, and exhibitor internet in the halls carries a daily fee through SmartCity.
The city record publishes no ticket price, no badge count and no hall hours inside the two-day block. Buyer registration is the first line item to close. Send names to GFI before the room request, because a late badge count changes who travels.
The garage band that surprises a finance team
The Convention Center garage is at 141 E Brorein St. It holds 454 spaces, 11 ADA spaces and 2 EV chargers. The event rate runs $5.00 to $50.00, subject to the event. The non-event rate is $3 an hour with an $18 daily maximum. Maximum vehicle height is 6 feet 6 inches.
A $5 floor and a $50 ceiling inside one band is a tenfold spread. Two vans at one entry each cost $10 at the floor and $100 at the ceiling. Pre-clear the ceiling in the travel policy, so the gate receipt matches the approved amount.
The garage carries no long-term parking. An overnight vehicle moves to Pam Iorio at 301 Channelside Drive or Fort Brooke at 107 N Franklin St. Fort Brooke clears 6 feet 8 inches. A tall van goes there.
The doors the team uses
The Franklin Street main entrance sits across the street from the garage. The administrative entrance sits on the same side, just before it. Front Drive, off Franklin Street, is the city's published drop-off for anyone with a disability. The rideshare and taxi spot sits just beyond the Front Drive entrance at 333 S Franklin St, across from Water Street.
One night at 0.2 miles
The venue hotel table puts two properties at 0.2 miles: Tampa Marriott Water Street at 700 S Florida Ave and JW Marriott Tampa Water Street at 505 Water Street. Embassy Suites by Hilton at 513 S Florida Ave connects to the building by sky bridge. The table publishes phone numbers and distances, and no nightly rate.
A four-person buying team sits below the 10-room floor that bookMyTeam builds requests for. bookMyTeam states that it serves the United States excluding CA, FL, HI, IA and WA, so a Tampa block goes to the property direct. Quote two rooms for the Wednesday night at the rate the property returns, or four single rooms at the same rate. Parking adds $10 to $100 for two vehicles. Airfare and meals sit outside both figures.
The order of work
Confirm the operating days with the venue sales desk and with GFI. Register the buyers. Hold two rooms at 0.2 miles for the Wednesday night. Set the parking ceiling at $50 a vehicle entry. Send the team to the Franklin Street entrance.
