The 2027 SFMA Conference and Exhibition runs at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St. The association dates it 1 to 4 February 2027, and its schedule opens with a volunteer field rebuild on Sunday 31 January from noon to 5 p.m. The City of Tampa event record lists Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 February, the two exhibition days.
The Sports Field Management Association formed in 1981, holds 2,500 members and keeps its office in Lawrence, Kansas.
Five days on the organiser's grid
Sunday 31 January carries the volunteer field rebuild from noon to 5 p.m.
Monday 1 February starts at 6:45 a.m. with a half-day seminar on wheels off site until noon, alongside a golf tournament at Tampa Palms Country Club from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Three education sessions run in rooms 120/121, with outdoor demonstrations at the University of South Florida from 1 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday 2 February carries a general session in Ballroom BC at 8 a.m. and four blocks of concurrent sessions through to 4:30 p.m., with the Women's Forum Luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. in rooms 301-304.
Wednesday 3 February runs three education blocks from 8 a.m. and opens the exhibition at 1:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. A welcome reception runs 7 to 9 p.m.
Thursday 4 February opens with an MLB panel at 8 a.m. and an NFL panel at 9:15 a.m. in Ballroom BC. The trade show runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The afternoon sits open.
An open Thursday afternoon lets a team leave after the show closes. A team that stays for the Sunday rebuild is in town five days and four nights.
One vehicle, four nights
Nothing in the week requires a second move. The venue publishes that there is no long-term parking at the Convention Center garage, and that long-term parking is available at Pam Iorio and Fort Brooke. A five-day stay starts at one of those two.
Fort Brooke Garage at 107 N Franklin Street holds 556 hourly spaces and clears 6 feet 8 inches. Pam Iorio Garage at 301 Channelside Drive holds 790 spaces, 41 of them ADA, with two EV chargers. Both allow visitor hourly parking overnight up to 6:00 a.m., and both carry the $5.00 to $50.00 event rate.
Fort Brooke to 333 S Franklin Street measures 0.3 miles, about 6 minutes on foot. Pam Iorio to the same door measures 0.14 miles, about 3 minutes.
The clearance number that picks the garage
The Convention Center garage at 141 E Brorein Street clears 6 feet 6 inches, holds 454 spaces, 11 ADA spaces and two chargers. Fort Brooke clears 6 feet 8 inches. Two inches separate the two structures, and a loaded van with a roof box or a ladder mast is the vehicle that meets the lower limit. Measure the loaded height before the trip.
What four nights of parking costs
The event rate is set per event and runs $5.00 to $50.00. Four entries inside that band total between $20.00 and $200.00. The non-event rate is $3 an hour with an $18 daily maximum, which caps at $72.00 across four days.
The City also sells monthly permits at Fort Brooke at $170 unrestricted with seven-day, 24-hour access and $280 reserved, and at Pam Iorio at $150 unrestricted and $95 restricted. A four-day stay sits below the unrestricted Fort Brooke permit.
Gasparilla sits on the Saturday before
The venue calendar lists the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the convention center on Saturday 30 January 2027, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A crew that arrives on the Saturday shares downtown with the brunch. The organiser's first session is the Sunday rebuild at noon.
Beds and the block
The association publishes room blocks at several Tampa hotels from $249 to $339 a night plus taxes and fees, and releases booking links only after a delegate completes conference registration.
The convention center publishes its property distances. Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center at 513 S Florida Ave connects by sky bridge. Tampa Marriott Water Street at 700 S Florida Ave and JW Marriott Tampa Water Street at 505 Water Street sit 0.2 miles out. The Westin Tampa Waterside at 725 S Harbour Island Blvd sits 0.3 miles. The Tampa EDITION at 500 Channelside Drive, Hilton Tampa Downtown at 211 N Tampa Street and Hyatt Place/Hyatt House at 325 N Florida Ave sit 0.5 miles.
bookMyTeam publishes group savings of 15% to 40% off rack rates and sends one request to 50+ hotels, with replies in 24 to 72 hours and no markup. Six rooms for four nights is 24 room-nights. At the association's published floor of $249 that is $5,976 before tax, and at the ceiling of $339 it is $8,136. The group rate calculator runs the same comparison.
What to send the hotel
Three items belong in the request. The loaded vehicle height, so the property can name a garage or lot that takes it. A Saturday 30 January or Sunday 31 January arrival rate quoted apart from the midweek nights. A Thursday 4 February departure.
The airport figures come from the association's travel page. Tampa International sits 6 to 8 miles from downtown, about 16 minutes. A rideshare from TPA to downtown runs $25 to $40 plus a $5.00 service fee. The TECO Line Streetcar is free and runs every 15 minutes to 11 stations.
Send the dates through the bookMyTeam RFP.
