Filming a conference in South Florida (2026): venue rules, sound, insurance, drones and permits

Five questions to ask your venue before you book video

1. Who runs AV here, and can our videographer bring their own cameras? Ask whether camera work counts as union work at this venue.
2. Can our videographer take a feed from the house sound, and what does it cost?
3. What insurance do vendors need? Ask for the exact names to put on the certificate and the date it’s due.
4. Are drones allowed, indoors or outside? Ask what approval is needed and how far ahead.
5. Is there a vendor fee, vendor registration, or fixed load-in time?

Get the answers in writing. They change the price and the plan more than anything else on the day.

Broward County Convention Center (Fort Lauderdale)

The Center has a collective bargaining agreement with IATSE Local 500, and IATSE is its exclusive technical services crew. That crew handles all AV load-in, setup, the show itself and load-out. Outside staging and AV companies “may provide supervision only.”

• Camera work is in the union’s scope. The Center’s planning guide lists video and camera operations among the technical services duties. Its 2026–27 rate sheet prices a camera operator at $98 an hour, with a 4-hour minimum on every call, an 8-hour minimum for operators, and 7% Florida sales tax on top. Crew is booked through the Operations Department at least 48 hours ahead.
• What the rules don’t say. Nothing published says whether a videographer the client hires only to record the talks must be a union camera operator. Ask your Event Manager before you book anyone.
• House sound. Every room has an in-house sound system. If you bring an outside AV supplier, tell the Event Manager: “additional charges for use of house sound will be incurred.” The 2025 guide listed $125 a day per room at 2024–25 rates. The Center’s own documents disagree on whether its crew or Everlast connects outside gear to house sound, so ask.
• Rigging and internet. Everlast Productions is the exclusive provider of motors, truss and rigging. Internet is in-house only, and personal hotspots and routers are not allowed, which matters if you plan to livestream.
• Insurance. Sub-contractors need $5,000,000 general liability plus workers’ comp. The certificate is due 30 days before the first move-in day.
• Drones indoors. These need written approval from ASM Global, pre-approved dates and hours, the pilot’s name and experience, a license addendum and extra insurance. Only one drone may fly at a time; it must weigh 10 lb or less and fly inside a foam hull. It may not film people where they expect privacy.

Miami Beach Convention Center

The City of Miami Beach owns the building and Oak View Group (OVG) runs it. Since October 1, 2025, Encore has been its preferred on-site provider for AV, rigging and digital branding.

• Outside AV. A show’s own AV contractor may work at MBCC “with prior notification” and must follow the Center’s contractor rules. Theatrical and AV labor is IATSE Local 500, and outside staging or AV companies “may provide supervision only.”
• Sound. The in-house audio system in the halls, ballrooms and meeting rooms is Encore’s exclusive right. Audio patch fees “are applied for commercial recording of any session(s),” charged per room by the in-house AV provider. The amounts are not published, so ask for a quote when you order AV.
• Drones. These need MBCC approval for flights inside or outside, and no drone may fly inside while attendees are in the space. Filming an event by drone also needs Show Management’s approval. The pilot needs an FAA certificate and must send an insurance certificate naming MBCC at least 14 days before. Flights are limited to 1 hour a day, at least 15 ft from people and structures, with a drone under 10 lb.
• Insurance. $1M per occurrence general liability, with the City of Miami Beach and OVG named as additional insured. The certificate is due 30 days before the lease starts, and contractors hired by exhibitors are held to the same limits.
• The venue may film you too. MBCC asks events to approve its own marketing team capturing load-in, the opening, the show floor and load-out.

Hotel ballrooms

The big conference hotels don’t publish rules for outside video crews, so treat everything here as “ask first.”

None of the four publishes an outside-vendor fee, a sound-feed fee or the wording it wants on an insurance certificate. Ask the hotel’s event manager for all three in writing before you sign with a video crew. The Knight Center’s rules for audiences at ticketed shows ban professional cameras; they’re written for the audience, but confirm your crew is on the approved list.

Getting clean sound

The biggest quality difference in conference video is the audio. The best sound comes straight from the venue’s mixing desk: the same feed the room hears, without the echo of a ballroom. In South Florida venues that means a request to whoever runs AV (the union crew, Encore or the hotel’s team) and often a fee. Put the feed in your AV order when you book the room, not on the day. A good crew still records a backup at the lectern in case the feed drops.

For the rest of the day’s planning, see our conference video checklist and what it costs to film a conference in South Florida.

Boat shows: FLIBS at Bahia Mar

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs October 28 to November 1, 2026. If you’re an exhibitor planning to film your boat or booth, read the exhibitor terms first:

• Get permission to film. “All unauthorized filming, sound recording, and photography of the Event” by an exhibitor or its staff is prohibited, and the organizer can demand the footage be handed over or destroyed. Get the organizer’s permission in writing before your shoot.
• The organizer films too. It may film and photograph the show, including exhibitor staff, and it owns that footage.
• Your videographer needs your insurance limits. Exhibitors must make sure any contractor they hire carries the same coverage: $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate general liability on an occurrence basis, plus workers’ comp, and auto if bringing vehicles.
• Credentials. Order them by October 23 to avoid a $49 late fee per credential. Additional credentials cost $66 each.

More on planning a booth shoot: FLIBS for exhibitors and boat show video.

Insurance: what venues ask for

The pattern: $1M per occurrence with the venue named on the certificate is normal, and the Broward County Convention Center is the big exception at $5M. Ask for the exact wording early. A certificate with one wrong name gets sent back.

Our own cover: VIDEO DEPT. is insured and matches each venue's requirements, including higher limits where a venue asks for them. If your venue needs a certificate of insurance, we send it before the event.

Drones at South Florida events

Indoors

Indoor flights need the venue’s written approval. The Broward County Convention Center allows them under the conditions above, and the Miami Beach Convention Center does not allow them while attendees are in the space.

Outdoors: the airspace

Most big event venues in Broward and Miami-Dade sit in controlled airspace around these airports:

Flying in Class B, C or D airspace needs FAA authorization. Through LAANC, the FAA’s app-based system, requests at or below the altitude on the FAA’s facility map are approved in near real time. Higher requests, up to 400 ft, must be filed at least 72 hours ahead.

On the facility maps in effect from October 1, 2026, the Broward County Convention Center sits on a 200 ft grid and Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood on a 100 ft grid. The downtown Miami hotels (JW Marriott Marquis, Hyatt Regency / Knight Center) sit on 400 ft grids. The Miami Beach Convention Center and the Diplomat have no grid at their addresses. Grids change between map cycles, so check in a LAANC app on the day.

Rules on every commercial flight

• The pilot holds an FAA remote pilot certificate (Part 107), and the drone is registered and broadcasts Remote ID.
• Flights stay at or below 400 ft and within the pilot’s visual line of sight.
• Flying over people is allowed only in limited cases. Sustained flight over open-air crowds (hovering, circling or going back and forth above them) is restricted.
• Night flights are allowed with anti-collision lights visible for 3 miles, but still need airspace authorization in controlled airspace.

Florida and local rules

• Seaports. Florida law bans flying over critical infrastructure, which includes Port Everglades and PortMiami, unless the flight is commercial and authorized by and in compliance with FAA rules. A violation is a third-degree felony. Port Everglades says drones are restricted there because it’s near a major airport.
• Privacy. A drone may not record private property, or the people on it, with intent to conduct surveillance without written consent.
• Miami Beach. Every drone flight for filming needs a city “Miami Beach Aerials” permit. Flights are daylight only, never over the general public, and need at least one off-duty police or Ocean Rescue officer. File at least 5 business days ahead.
• Miami-Dade airports. Drones are prohibited within 1 mile of any county airport. Within 5 miles, contact the airport and the FAA tower before flying.
• Broward. The county’s film permit portal has a drone information form. It asks for the FAA registration, the Part 107 certificate, any airspace authorization, and the flight dates, times and maximum altitude.

On our shoots, drone work is flown by a licensed Part 107 pilot.

Do you need a film permit to film an event at a private venue?

• Miami Beach. No, if the production is “completely contained within private commercial property” (hotels, restaurants, stores, clubs), or if you rent directly from an enclosed, managed venue such as the Convention Center. You need one only for things that happen outside on public property. Permits are free.
• Miami-Dade County. The county “does not require a film permit for shoots on private property” unless the scene uses faux weapons or pyrotechnics. Some cities, including the City of Miami, issue their own permits.
• City of Miami. Permits are issued per date and location, and filming on private property needs the owner’s approval. The city doesn’t say whether filming an event inside a private venue needs a permit, so ask its film office. Allow 3 business days.
• Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and the other cities). All film permits go through Film Lauderdale, which notes that most cities require permits on private property as well as public. There are no permit fees (only cost recovery, such as police details). Allow at least 3 business days.

Common questions

Can I bring my own videographer to the Broward County Convention Center?

The Center's AV and technical work is done by its own union crew (IATSE Local 500), and outside AV contractors may supervise only. Camera operation is listed in the union's scope, and the Center's 2026–27 rate sheet prices a camera operator at $98 an hour with a 4-hour minimum. The published rules don't say whether a videographer the client hires only to record the talks must be union, so ask your Event Manager before you book anyone.

How do I get clean audio for conference video at the Miami Beach Convention Center?

Ask for a feed from the in-house audio system. At MBCC that system is Encore's exclusive right, and commercial recording of sessions triggers an audio patch fee, charged per room. The amount isn't published, so request a quote when you book your AV.

What insurance does a videographer need for a South Florida venue?

The most common published minimum is $1M per occurrence general liability with the venue named as additional insured. The Broward County Convention Center asks sub-contractors for $5M. The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show asks exhibitors and their contractors for $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate on an occurrence basis.

Can you fly a drone at a conference in Fort Lauderdale or Miami?

Indoors, only with the venue's written approval. The Broward County Convention Center allows it under strict conditions, and the Miami Beach Convention Center does not allow flights while attendees are in the space. Outdoors, most big venues sit in controlled airspace around FLL or MIA, which needs FAA authorization (usually through LAANC), and Miami Beach also requires its own city drone permit.

Do I need a film permit to film an event inside a hotel in Miami or Miami Beach?

In Miami Beach, no, if everything happens inside private commercial property such as a hotel, or inside a venue you rent directly, such as the Convention Center. Miami-Dade County does not require a film permit for private property unless there are faux weapons or pyrotechnics. The City of Miami's pages don't say either way for events inside private venues, so ask its film office.

Sources

Every rule above comes from the venue’s or agency’s own published documents, read on October 14, 2026. This guide is for planning, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm with your venue and the permitting office before your event.

• Broward County Convention Center: event planning services
• Broward County Convention Center: AV services
• Broward County Convention Center: Event Planning Guide (2025)
• Broward County Convention Center: production rates 2026–2027
• Broward County Convention Center: exhibitor and vendor rules
• Miami Beach Convention Center: Encore announcement (Oct 1, 2025)
• Miami Beach Convention Center: FAQ
• Miami Beach Convention Center: 2026 Event Planning Guide
• Encore on-site locations: Diplomat, JW Marriott Marquis Miami, Hyatt Regency Miami
• Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood: meetings and events
• James L. Knight Center: FAQ
• FLIBS exhibitor resource guide
• FLIBS sponsorship and exhibition terms (Jan 2025)
• FAA: Part 107 airspace authorizations (LAANC)
• FAA: UAS facility maps
• FAA: operations over people
• FAA: Remote ID
• 14 CFR Part 107
• Florida Statutes 330.41 (drones and critical infrastructure)
• Florida Statutes 934.50 (drone privacy)
• Port Everglades media guide (drones)
• Miami-Dade Aviation Department: drones
• Miami Beach: film and print guidelines
• Miami Beach: drone permits
• Miami Beach: film permit FAQ
• Miami-Dade County Film and Entertainment Office: FAQ
• City of Miami: get a film permit
• City of Fort Lauderdale: film permitting
• Film Lauderdale (Broward County) permit portal
• University of Miami: vendor insurance
• Flamingo Gardens: 2026 rental pricing
• Vizcaya: photography and filming