The Great American Franchise Expo holds the Tampa Convention Center on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February 2027. The City of Tampa record prints the event window as 7am Saturday to 11:59pm Sunday. That window is the listing's span on the city calendar. The record names no door time inside it.
The venue address is 333 S Franklin Street, Tampa FL 33602. The record was updated on 20 October 2026.
One travel day ahead of the doors
A Friday 26 February arrival puts the team in the city the night before the record opens. The convention center's facility page quotes 16 minutes from the airport. Book the vehicle transfer against the Friday evening landing and a Saturday morning at the venue.
Eight rooms for Friday and Saturday is 16 room-nights. A Monday 1 March return needs the Sunday night. Three nights for eight rooms is 24 room-nights.
The Sunday end sets the return flight
The record ends at 11:59pm on Sunday 28 February. A Sunday evening flight leaves before that clock. A Monday return costs one more night and removes the same-day connection.
Hold the Sunday night on a cancellation term you have read. The property's release date decides whether the third night can come off the invoice.
What the city record carries
Attendance is free for everyone who registers online. The seminar topics are franchise law, growing absentee businesses and franchise financing. The record names no hall for the show and no seminar grid.
The organiser site lists 12 shows for 2026. Its Tampa page carries the 2026 edition at 21-22 March 2026, with Saturday 11am to 5pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm. No 2027 door time appears on the organiser site.
The ground side at $5 to $50
The Convention Center garage at 141 E Brorein Street prices event parking in a $5.00 to $50.00 band. The city publishes no billing unit for that band. Three vehicles across two show days come to a band of $30 to $300.
The same garage publishes a non-event rate of $3 an hour with an $18 daily maximum. It holds 454 spaces, 11 ADA spaces and 2 electric vehicle chargers, and it clears 6 ft 6 in.
The city lists no long-term parking at the Convention Center garage. Pam Iorio at 301 Channelside Drive holds 790 spaces and Fort Brooke at 107 N Franklin Street holds 556. Both allow overnight visitor parking to 6:00 a.m.
Front Drive at 333 S Franklin Street takes drop-offs. It has 36 metered spaces at $4 an hour from 8 a.m. to midnight, with no overnight parking.
The second event that weekend
The venue calendar also lists the Molten Florida Pre-Qualifier on 27 and 28 February, 8am to 7pm, in the exhibit hall and meeting rooms. Two events share the building and the garage. A Friday arrival puts the room block and the parking decision ahead of the Saturday queue.
Rooms on the venue's own list
Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center at 513 S Florida Ave connects to the building by sky bridge. Tampa Marriott Water Street at 700 S Florida Ave and JW Marriott Tampa Water Street at 505 Water Street both sit 0.2 miles out. The Westin Tampa Waterside is 0.3 miles. The Tampa EDITION, Hilton Tampa Downtown, Hyatt Place/Hyatt House and ROOST Tampa sit at 0.5 miles.
No row on that list carries a rate for expo weekend. Ask each property for the nightly rate and the cancellation deadline in writing before the block goes firm.
bookMyTeam defines a group rate as a block of 10 or more rooms a night. Its seller-of-travel page lists Florida among four states where it cannot process booking requests. Submit the room block through a route that can serve the state.
Order of work
Register the team online first. Hold Friday and Saturday rooms, and put the Sunday night on a release term. Choose the garage or an overnight lot on clearance and the long-term rule. Book the vehicles against a Friday arrival that clears the Saturday opening.
