Central east.

Daytona Beach is in the midst of a boom in new meeting and hotel facilities that will enhance its appeal to associations large and small. Ground was broken in December on the $50 million expansion of the Ocean Center Convention and Entertainment Complex, the city's main exposition facility. The expansion, which will nearly triple the size of the current center when completed in 2007, will add 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, 40,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 30,000-square-foot ballroom.

Another new events facility opened in September at Bethune-Cookman College. The $23 million Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center includes 100,000 square feet of space available for private functions, including a banquet center that seats up to 250 people theater style and meeting facilities, such as a large board-room, executive suites, and a superior audiovisual system.

Daytona's hotel room inventory recently has expanded from 13,000 to more than 14,000. Notable recent additions include the opening of a new 122-room Courtyard by Marriott and a new 310-room tower at the 746-room Adam's Mark Daytona Beach Resort. Two new, 250-room oceanfront hotels also are part of the $115 million project now under way to redevelop the city's historic boardwalk. The project will include a beachfront park and 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Things are always on the rise on the Space Coast, where 72-miles of sun-bronzed Atlantic shoreline, space age attractions, and protected wildlife refuges combine to make one of Florida's best-kept meetings secrets. Composed of the communities of Cocoa Beach, Melbourne/Palm Bay, and Titusville, the Space Coast offers 9,500 guest rooms and 160,000 square feet of meeting space.

New event space is featured at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which recently completed a 6,000-square-foot conference facility. The 140,000-square-foot megaplex is a readymade theme party with actual launch pads, spaces shuttles, and a rocket garden boasting an out-of-this-world collection of aerospace originals. Nearby attractions include the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, the U.S. Space Walk Hall of Fame, and the Brevard Community College Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory.

In sweeping contrast, surrounding the Kennedy Space Center is the 220-square-mile Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which serves as home to more federally designated endangered species than any other U.S. refuge.