Interview: Brian Kornfeld

Arts and culture Almost 90% of locals know that tourism enhances Hillsborough County’s cultural opportunities according to a survey by Visit Tampa Bay. In a survey last year, WalletHub ranked Tampa as the fifth-best city in the country for recreation. Despite a largely industrial economic boom driven by the cigar industry, Tampa flourished during World War II, when it served as a main base for the Army Air Corps and later Army Air Forces because of its privileged location on the country’s East Coast.

The air bases set up during this time became international airports – now Tampa International Airport and St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport – and brought in busloads of new residents and tourists in the mid-19th century. The city’s business owners were quick to adapt, and steadily captured the attention of more and more visitors with the establishment of attractions such as Busch Gardens and Lowry Park.

Brian Kornfeld President & CEO Synapse

How is Synapse working to help keep quality talent in Tampa Bay?

Talent is one of the most important focus areas of Synapse, as talent attraction and retention in Florida are vital to our future. Synapse helps to tell the top stories of growth and success on a statewide and national level. This helps to ensure people know about all of the great things happening in Tampa Bay. We enable connections between talent, startups, and companies through our Synapse Summit, Synapse Challenges, and the Synapse Connect digital platform.

How is Synapse Connect helping to connect entrepreneurs and bring their ideas to life?

When we first started Synapse, the idea was this platform that has become Synapse Connect. The thought of running a conference was not even on our radar, so it is interesting that our conference is what we are now best known for while Connect is still up and coming. The goal is that in the future Synapse Connect will be at the center of Florida’s innovation community. It will be the logical first step when somebody joins the innovation community, so they can find what they need or share what they have.

What is the key challenge facing the startup and entrepreneurial community in Tampa Bay?

Part of the challenge with the startup community in Tampa Bay is trying to find our identity. We are pretty wide in terms of the dišerent industries that we are trying to service, but we need to focus our ešorts on being great in just a couple areas. This way we can be an inch wide and a mile deep. We have core leading industries such as cybersecurity, digital health, and financial tech. We need to continue to play to our strengths. Startup companies also need to be educated on how to build for a customer’s needs, to solve a problem and learn how to create a product better than their competitors. After these companies have mastered this, then they can learn from there how to grow and scale.

For this reason, tourism very much played a role in the cultural development of the city.

In December, Hillsborough County registered its strongest performance in terms of tourism fund collection, up on the previous year by 27%. During the month of November, occupancy rates were up 4.5% in the Tampa North area around Busch Gardens, demonstrating that arts and culture are a big draw for visitors coming to the area. And business owners are not resting on their laurels. In February 2020, Busch Gardens filed plans with the Southwest Florida Water Management District for a new 1.83-acre project named Project Jethro in a drive to further boost revenues and attract more visitors.

The Florida Aquarium has also been drawing in guests, registering 841,424 guests last year, which is only surpassed by the aquarium’s opening year in 1995. Like Busch Gardens, the administrators at the Florida Aquarium are aware of the need to innovate and adapt and it recently opened its 2,000-gallon Moon Bay exhibit, where guests can touch and learn about Moon Jellies, as well as inaugurating its $4 million sea turtle rehabilitation center in Apollo Beach. Tampa Bay residents appear to be supporting the efforts to bolster

Producers have been making wine in Florida since the early 1500s

the arts in their community. Attendance at Tampa Museum of Art, for example, is expected to continue years of growth. “Since 2005, we had an uptick of about 187% growth in attendance. That is always driven by a very strong lineup of projects that people respond to with enthusiasm, such as the topics and directions in the art. Overall, our attendance is increasing every year. Our goal moving forward is to double our attendance,” said Penny & Jeff Vinik Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art Michael Tomor.

The authorities are also supporting efforts to strengthen the arts and culture in the Tampa Bay area. In December, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman unveiled plans for the Deuces, pledging $7.5 million to redevelop the area in South St. Petersburg. The project is set to feature workforce-owned housing, new parks, commercial and retail spaces, and a new Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. The city is overhauling the 22nd Street South corridor, committing $1 million and 5 acres of land for the new African American museum. “I believe that every community is defined by their cultural background and how they treat and value the culture they grew up with. There is always space for there to be more emphasis on this idea. I know, for example, that elementary schools are not so strong in offering arts and cultural education. We can help on that level. Our programming can accommodate students from elementary school to university. Working with children and with young people is where we see the strength of the museum in the present and the future,” said Zora Carrier, Executive Director of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.

Events and festivals Much of July 2019’s tourism tax revenue boost was attributed to the Church of God in Christ conference that took place over the Fourth of July holiday in Downtown Tampa from July 2-6. That event alone doubled economic impact for the month compared with 2018 figures, raking in an estimated $3.9 million from the more than 10,000 visitors that descended on Hillsborough County.

In April 2020, the Raymond James Stadium will host WrestleMania 36, the must-attend event for wrestling fans globally. Over the past 12 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.2 billion in total economic impact for its host cities, according to organizer WWE. Wrestlemania 35 alone, held in New Jersey, brought in $164 million in economic impact to the New York and New Jersey areas, with a further $27.1 million in state, federal and local taxes generated.

There are thousands of events in Tampa taking place every day and targeted at all demographics, which is one reason why Tampa has managed to attract such a huge influx of tourists. This February, the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa will host the annual Florida State Fair, an event that provides fairground rides, food trucks, exhibitions and other events and competitions. In fall, the conference center will host Tampa Bay Comic Con, an event that draws 50,000 attendees with tickets starting at $30. And Busch Gardens host several events annually, including Howl-O-Scream to celebrate Halloween, the Food and Wine Festival and the Summer Nights celebration.

Gastronomic tourism Along with its many other features, Tampa is quickly turning itself into a foodie haven. An influx of new residents from varying backgrounds means that Tampa is home to great best restaurants, whatever the taste. According to Yelpers, King of the Coop on North Florida Avenue is a fried chicken shop that feels like it has been taken straight out of Nashville and Yah Mon on West Platt Street makes visitors feel like they’re eating lunch on a Caribbean beach.

Armature Works is a mixed-restaurant venue with a variety of food stands including sushi, ramen and Cuban food, but it also includes another of Tampa’s staples: beer. According to a study by ( )