Broward County is throwing open the doors of its convention center for two full days next week, offering free admission to a trade and cultural expo that organizers expect to draw as many as 3,000 people and delegations from more than 70 countries. The 11th Annual Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo runs Wednesday, November 18, through Thursday, November 19, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Broward County Government announced the event in a social media post, describing it as a chance for attendees to network with heads of state, high-level government officials and delegations representing dozens of countries, national agencies and businesses. The expo is a free, two-day event according to Broward County Government
, which runs the official county account. The event is officially organized as a service of the
Broward County Board of County Commissioners
, according to the county's own event page, which confirms general admission is free and puts estimated attendance at 2,500 to 3,000 people across the two days.
Among the names listed on the county's event page are Honduras Vice President Maria Antoinetta Mejía and Bolivia Vice President Edmand Lara, identified among the foreign dignitaries associated with this year's expo. The page also lists attendance goals of 500 international businesses and 1,500 national and local businesses, alongside the overall estimate of more than 70 countries represented at the gathering.
Tours Built Around Port Everglades and a Tech Hub
Beyond the exhibit floor, the expo includes behind-the-scenes tours of Port Everglades and water taxi tours, according to the original announcement from Broward County Government. Organizers have also built in a visit to the Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation, described on the county's page as South Florida's premier 54,000-square-foot hub for technology, entrepreneurship and economic transformation, with pickup and drop-off arranged directly at the Convention Center.
The push for international trade connections fits squarely within the mission of the county office running the show. The Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development lists international trade and export readiness among its areas of focus, alongside workforce development and small business growth, according to the office's own event listing. That office, too, operates as a service of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.
A Bigger Trade Picture Behind the Networking
The expo arrives against a backdrop of growing trade numbers for the state. Florida's total merchandise trade — exports plus imports — reached $205 billion in 2025, a 4.2% increase over the previous year, according to SelectFlorida figures cited on the county's FITCE page. Port Everglades, the massive shipping and cruise hub that sits at the heart of the expo's tour offerings, generated approximately $48.3 billion in economic activity and supported nearly 300,000 jobs throughout Florida in its fiscal year 2025 analysis, per a study highlighted by Port Everglades. That same report found total economic impact had jumped 72% and statewide jobs supported had risen 44% compared with the port's previous analysis.
This isn't the expo's first run through Fort Lauderdale. Broward County held its 9th Annual Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo on October 23-24, 2024, also free to attend and also at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, according to a 2024 announcement from La Familia de Broward. That year's special sessions centered on manufacturing and tourism themes, and the announcement noted the expo had historically attracted more than 2,000 attendees with representatives from over 70 countries in past years.
For locals looking to rub shoulders with foreign officials or simply explore what Port Everglades and the county's innovation hub have to offer, the price of admission next week is nothing — just a willingness to show up at the Convention Center over the two-day stretch.
