The exciting debut of rum room and venu at the Miami Beach Convention Center (mbcc) - coming soon
MIAMI BEACH, FL (January 9, 2023) – The Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) had a banner year in 2022, and it's starting off 2023 on a high note by announcing the grand openings of the highly anticipated restaurant and event space: Rum Room and Venu. Jointly managed and operated by hospitality partner Sodexo Live! and leading full-service venue management company OVG360, these exciting Miami hotspots are sure to impress guests and event planners with their historic location, modern twist on Florida and Miami cuisine, custom menus, best-in-class service, and Collins Canal views.
“What a spectacular way to ring in the New Year and honor Miami Beach’s remarkable history,” expressed Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “Memories will be made in this new historic space that will quickly become a favorite destination in our community.”
The prized jewel of MBCC dining, Rum Room is a combined indoor and outdoor 80-seat restaurant with Old World and tropical 1920s Florida decor, and an upscale menu that draws on Florida’s history and Miami’s Haitian, Latin, and Central American influences. Led by Sodexo Live!’s Executive Chef Samantha Cruz – who has 12 years of experience in fine dining and sports entertainment hospitality – dishes are made with indigenous Florida ingredients like local corn, Florida River Gold potatoes, and other produce or spices found in Redlands farms and farmers markets, as well as typical Spanish ingredients like beans and sofrito, a byproduct of Spaniards passing through Miami Beach in the early 20th century. Also drawing on history, cocktails will feature classic rum cocktails with modern tastes, a large selection of local and imported rums, and many other favorite spirits. Guests can pair those rum cocktails with inspired menu highlights like jamón Serrano croquetas and black truffle corn tamales that are cut and plated tableside.
“This next chapter of the MBCC and its amazing campus reimagination will further enhance the guest experience of dining and events in Miami Beach,” says Freddie Peterson, General Manager, of the Miami Beach Convention Center. “This fantastic restaurant and private event spaces will allow flexibility in our food and beverage offerings to the neighborhood, our clients, and the public. We have already built a strong reputation for unique, exquisite, and dynamic food and drink offerings, but matching that to these historic Miami Beach buildings takes us to a whole new level. We are constantly building upon memorable experiences for our guests and clients. Congrats to our teams, but especially our wonderful partner Sodexo Live!.”
Rum Room will be open for lunch and dinner and launch a Sunday brunch in early 2023. It is poised to be the new power lunch restaurant in Miami Beach due to its proximity to the Chamber of Commerce and Central City Official buildings and an excellent spot for a festive happy hour or a romantic date night. Parking and valet are available onsite.
“We’re thrilled to take our longstanding partnership with the Miami Beach Convention Center to new heights with the opening of Rum Room and Venu,” said Danny Medina, Regional Vice President, Sodexo Live!. “As the experts in creating unforgettable moments, we’re looking forward to helping guests make everything from a business lunch to life’s biggest celebrations memorable in a unique new way.”
VENU
Occupying what was formerly the 1916-built Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course Clubhouse, Venu is an intimate event space and bar designed to be a favored destination for elegant private events and upscale VIP events as part of the MBCC’s convention offerings, cocktail parties, business meetings, weddings, bat or bar mitzvahs, and more. Erected just one year after the City of Miami Beach was incorporated, this legendary building is one of the oldest public buildings in Miami Beach. The City of Miami Beach purchased it in 1983, approved an over $3.2 million interior and exterior renovation in 2018, and has now turned the historic landmark into a sophisticated haunt with custom menus that include handcrafted rum cocktails, flavorful tapas and family-style plates of whole fish, steak, chicken and specially-created sides. Able to host a flexible indoor-outdoor configuration of up to 200 guests, Venu was designed in the spirit of the 1920s and 1930s, an ode to the days of Al Capone and speakeasies on Miami Beach. Guests of MBCC events will enjoy world-class cuisine served on vintage plates in dim lighting, with direct views of Collins Canal. When not used by the MBCC, the general public can
indulge in the same at a Sunday brunch on holidays like Mother's Day, Father’s Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, New Year’s Eve, and more.
“When visitors dine at Rum Room or Venu, I want them to know that Miami is the place to be and something to see and taste,” says Cruz, a prior Chef de Cuisine at PLANTA in Miami Beach and leading chef at events like Super Bowl LIV, Miami Open and Art Basel Miami Beach. “There’s so much diversity, influence, and flavor here, and we’ve created menus that allow guests to experience it with every bite.”
The MBCC is located at 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Rum Room is on the northeast corner of the MBCC Campus Center, where Washington Avenue meets Dade Boulevard. Venu is located in the 1916-built former Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course Clubhouse at 2100 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139.
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About Miami Beach Convention Center
Re-imagined following a $620-million-dollar renovation, the expanded MBCC includes a new 60,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom, four junior ballrooms, almost 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, an expanded Grand Lobby, pre-function areas that are bathed in natural light, up to 84 breakout rooms, approximately 800 roof deck parking spaces, almost 2,100 miles of cabling to support all IT communications, 7.1 million dollars worth of art curated by the City of Miami Beach Art in Public Places program and a six-acre (Pride Park) and three-acre (Collins Canal Park) public green spaces that can serve as incremental event space. The MBCC Campus includes two new event spaces: Venu, a space for elegant private events and upscale meetings, and Rum Room, a 1920s restaurant with an enticing tapas-style menu and local South Florida rums. The MBCC is proud to have earned Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ Facility Accreditation and LEED® Silver Certification as part of the venue’s $620-million-dollar expansion project, which includes many environmentally friendly features.
About OVG360
OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides services, resources, and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health, public safety, and more.
About Sodexo Live!
Sodexo Live! manages prestigious conference, cultural, and sporting venues and major events all over the world. With 40,000 employees and 500 sites, Sodexo Live! offers clients a range of bespoke catering, sales, and event management services, helping to transform the consumer experience into unforgettable memories. Sodexo Live! commits to unlocking customers’ full potential while favoring local communities. Sodexo Live! contributes to the success of prestigious events such as Royal Ascot, the Tour de France, the Rugby World Cup, and soon the Paris 2024 Games, and showcases exceptional venues such as the Eiffel Tower Restaurants, Bateaux Parisiens, Yachts de Paris, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Museo del Prado in Madrid, the Hard Rock Stadium, the Scottish National Gallery, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.