One day for $325, and what the extra $100 buys
The Sports Field Management Association holds its 2027 Conference and Exhibition at the Tampa Convention Center from 1 to 4 February 2027. The association counts 2,500 members, formed in 1981 and keeps its office in Lawrence, Kansas.
The published rate table carries a One Day Package for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at $325.00. Member and non-member pay the same figure in all three bands. One Day Package plus Trade Show reads $425.00 for early bird and general registration, and $450.00 onsite.
Early bird ends 16 December 2026. General registration runs 17 December 2026 to 22 January 2027. Onsite runs 23 January to 4 February 2027.
A single Wednesday bought as One Day Package plus Trade Show costs $425 against $325 for the package alone. The extra $100 buys the show floor, which opens at 1:30 p.m. that day.
Two show days inside a four-day conference
The exhibition runs Wednesday 3 February and Thursday 4 February. The schedule reads 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.
The City of Tampa event card reads Wed, Feb 3 2027, 7am to Thu, Feb 4 2027, 11:59pm. That card covers the two show days. The organiser starts the conference on Monday 1 February, and its schedule opens with a volunteer field rebuild on Sunday 31 January from noon to 5 p.m.
Wednesday carries the longer floor. A field manager driving in for one day gets 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the floor. Thursday gives three hours and a 1 p.m. finish.
A Wednesday that ends after 6:30 p.m.
No day card on the Dayuse Tampa page opens before 10 a.m. in the read taken on 21 October 2026. Both downtown cards close before 6:30 p.m., so the floor close finds no room to book.
Read the day as three blocks. The morning belongs to the venue. The middle belongs to a room with a door. The evening belongs to the Riverwalk, because the first floor opens onto it.
What the building gives you free
Free Wi-Fi is available in all public areas and meeting rooms, and outside at The Sail Plaza. Exhibitor internet in the Exhibit Halls is a paid daily service from SmartCity.
The WaterView Lounge sits on the second floor beside East and West Registration and the outdoor escalator landing with tables and chairs. The same floor carries the skywalk to the Embassy Suites. The third floor carries a FedEx Business Center and a coffee bar serving Starbucks, next to the East, West and Central Halls.
The building holds 600,000 square feet across four floors, with a listed guest capacity of 17,000.
Downtown day rates on 21 October 2026
Aloft Tampa Downtown, 100 W Kennedy Blvd at 0.6 miles from the venue, prices a day room at $109.00 with a $7.00 booking fee, $116.00 in total, against a $250 nightly. Window: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hotel Flor Tampa Downtown, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, prices a day room at $139.00 with a $9.00 booking fee, $148.00 in total, against a $240 nightly. Window: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The property runs a complimentary shuttle inside a 3-mile radius at about 10 minutes.
The Westin Tampa Waterside, 725 S Harbour Island Blvd at 0.3 miles, prices a day room at $129.00 with a $9.00 booking fee, $138.00 in total, against a $330 nightly. Window: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Dayuse Tampa page returns 13 priced cards. Two carry Downtown. The rest sit in Westshore, Highland Pines, Brandon, near Busch Gardens and on St. Pete Beach.
Parking for a local driver
Front Drive at 333 S Franklin St holds 36 metered spaces at $4 an hour, open Monday to Sunday 8 a.m. to midnight. Overnight parking is not allowed. Thirty-six spaces fill early on a show day.
The Convention Center garage at 141 E Brorein St holds 454 spaces with 11 ADA spaces and 2 EV chargers. The event rate reads $5.00 to $50.00. The non-event rate reads $3 per hour with an $18 daily maximum. Maximum height is 6 feet 6 inches.
The association publishes a hotel block from $249 to $339 per night plus taxes and fees, with booking links released after registration. A one-day attendee within driving distance does not need that block.
If Thursday is the only day
Thursday's floor runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Thursday One Day Package carries the same $325.00, and Thursday plus the trade show carries $425.00 in the early and general bands and $450.00 onsite. One weekday buys three floor hours and a 1 p.m. exit.
The association runs Live Learning Demonstrations in 2027. The outdoor set runs the afternoon of Monday 1 February at the University of South Florida, with transport provided from the convention center. The indoor set runs on the show floor during exhibition hours on 3 and 4 February.
Booking a Florida day room
hotelSlots states 46 states and 103,857+ hotels, then adds the line that applies here. A few states, FL, HI, IA and WA, restrict day-use bookings under state travel laws.
The platform sells four bands: morning 6 a.m. to noon, afternoon noon to 6 p.m., evening 6 p.m. to midnight, overnight midnight to 6 a.m. A 1:30 p.m. floor start falls inside the afternoon band.
Day rates move between reads on the same day. Recheck the card before you book, and read the booking fee separately from the day rate.
