The America Business Forum is heading back to Downtown Miami this December, and this time organizers are stretching the global gathering of CEOs, celebrities and heads of state across three days instead of two. The event runs December 15 through 17 at Kaseya Center, with a new private kickoff event added for the business elite before the main stage even opens.
According to the Miami Herald, this year's edition carries the theme “When the World Comes Together” and will begin with the CEO Forum of the Americas, a private gathering for 250 founders and global CEOs at the East Miami Hotel in Brickell. It's the first time the forum has expanded to three full days, and it returns to Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat, where last year's inaugural U.S. edition drew headline names. The 2026 forum is also scheduled during the same week as the G20 Leaders' Summit, set for December 14-15 at Trump National Doral Miami, according to Wikipedia's entry on the summit.
No Speakers Announced Yet, But Last Year Set a High Bar
Last year's lineup gives a sense of the forum's reach. The inaugural November 2025 event featured Jeff Bezos, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, tennis legend Serena Williams and soccer star Lionel Messi, the Herald reported. Bezos received a key to the city of Miami during that edition, while Williams spoke on the second day of the event at Kaseya Center.
Former President Donald Trump delivered an hour-long speech at the 2025 forum, using the appearance to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his re-election, according to the Herald. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin also gave remarks at the 2025 convention, the Herald noted.
From Uruguay to Downtown Miami
The total operational investment behind the inaugural Miami event was reported at roughly $15 million, according to WLRN.
Beyond Bezos, Dimon, Williams and Messi, the 2025 lineup also included Argentine President Javier Milei, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, tennis star Rafael Nadal, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann, PR Newswire reported.
Griffin's Wynwood Campus Looms Over the Return
Griffin's connection to Miami's business scene has only deepened since his 2025 forum appearance. In September, the Citadel CEO announced a $3 billion gift to Carnegie Mellon University that includes $1.1 billion to purchase the 35-acre Mana Wynwood site, establishing a new Miami campus expected to support more than 3,500 students once complete, with graduate enrollment planned for 2028, according to the Herald and CBS News.
Tickets Range From $399 to Nearly $10,000
General tickets for the 2026 conference begin at $399, but the top tier, dubbed Diamond, costs $9,999 each and includes butler service, a sommelier, access to a directory of contacts, a VIP party and 10 business meetings arranged by AI with top professionals, according to the Herald.
The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute has also announced its inaugural I20 Summit and G20 Investment Week in Miami from December 11-15, targeting $5 trillion in institutional capital deployment, according to Canada Newswire.
With the America Business Forum, the G20 summit and the I20 Summit all converging on South Florida within the same December window, the region is set for an unusually dense stretch of international business and political gatherings.
