Greater Miami Festivals and Events Association

What Greater Miami Festivals and Events Association does

Greater Miami Festivals and Events Association (GMFEA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association founded in 1985 that supports the professional development, success, and year-round promotion of festivals and events across South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties). It positions itself as the nation's largest local festivals and events association and serves three primary member segments: festival and event organizers, event vendors and suppliers, and public agencies and institutions, with a secondary student tier for those pursuing event-management careers. Total annual attendance at member events is reported to exceed 3.5 million participants.

The association's core offerings are membership-centric rather than technology-centric. Members gain unlimited uploads to a regional event calendar (gmfea.org), listing in a searchable event vendor directory, year-round promotional amplification via the website, weekly "Where To Go This Weekend" email newsletter, and social media channels, free workshops delivered in partnership with the Miami Arts Marketing Project, advocacy on legislative and permitting issues, and access to the annual GMFEA Derby conference plus awards program. The underlying platform is a standard WordPress-based calendar with iCal/Google/Outlook subscription feeds, not a proprietary technology product.

GMFEA monetizes through four flat-rate annual membership tiers — Student ($25), Vendor ($100), Nonprofit ($150), and For-Profit ($300) — supplemented by revenue from the annual conference, vendor directory visibility, and institutional support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Tourist Development Council, the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Mayor's office. The organization operates with approximately 5 employees from a North Miami headquarters (12555 Biscayne Blvd. #821) and is currently led by Executive Director Amanda MacMaster, who succeeded long-tenured founder Roberta DiPietro in February 2022.

Name

Greater Miami Festivals and Events Association

Legal name

Greater Miami Festivals & Events Association, Inc.

Website

https://gmfea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GMFEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association serving South Florida's festival and event industry through tiered annual memberships, a regional event calendar, a vendor directory, and an annual conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from four tiers: Students ($25), Vendors ($100), Nonprofits ($150), and For-Profit organizations ($300). Revenue supports association operations, professional development programs, networking events, and promotional activities for member festivals and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GMFEA is a 501c(3) nonprofit membership association that supports professional development, networking, and year-round promotion of festivals and events in South Florida. It sells tiered annual memberships (Student, Vendor, Nonprofit, For-Profit) and delivers associated services including an event calendar, vendor directory, annual conference, and industry awards program.

Product overview

Greater Miami Festivals & Events Association (GMFEA) is a 501c(3) nonprofit membership organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of membership services centered around event promotion, networking, and professional development for South Florida's festival and events industry. The core offerings include an event calendar platform for member event listings, an event vendor directory connecting planners with service providers, tiered membership programs (Student, Vendor, Nonprofit, For Profit), an annual conference and exhibition, and an industry awards program. Total annual attendance at member events exceeds 3.5 million participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GMFEA Event Calendar A South Florida-wide event calendar that lists festivals and events, allowing members to upload unlimited events and gain promotion through the GMFEA website and weekly email newsletters.
• Event Vendor Directory A searchable directory of event vendors including event planners, production companies, equipment rentals, catering services, and other service providers for festivals and events in South Florida.
• GMFEA Membership Tiers Four annual membership tiers offering networking, event promotion, educational workshops, webinars, and annual conference access: Student ($25/year), Vendor ($100/year), Nonprofit ($150/year), and For-Profit ($300/year).
• Annual Conference & Exhibition (GMFEA Derby) An annual professional conference featuring networking opportunities, expert speakers, vendor trade show, and entertainment showcase for festival and event industry professionals.
• GMFEA Awards Program Recognition program celebrating individuals and organizations demonstrating innovation, strategy, and creativity in the festival and events industry.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural AffairscoreOthersGovernment cultural affairs department providing support and funding for South Florida festivals and events. Part of the Tourist Development Council, Cultural Affairs Council, and Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners support structure.
• Miami-Dade County Tourist Development CouncilcoreOthersGovernment council supporting tourism through festival and event promotion in Miami-Dade County.
• Miami Arts Marketing ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides free workshops to GMFEA members as a membership benefit. Educational partnership offering marketing training for arts and cultural organizations.
• Miami Hispanic Ballet Company / International Ballet Festival of MiamicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for the International Ballet Festival of Miami, one of the most successful ballet festivals in the US. Brings over 100 Principal Dancers from more than 20 ballet companies annually.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Association of Destination Management Executives International (ADMEI): International association for destination management companies serving the meetings and events industry — comparable membership-association structure serving a narrower, more specialized segment.

Broad incumbents

• Event Industry Council (EIC): National umbrella organization for the events industry representing multiple associations and offering professional credentials — comparable in mission but operating as a federation rather than a single local chapter.
• International Live Events Association (ILEA): Global association for live-event professionals with chapter-based structure providing education, networking, and certification — a comparable membership-based model serving the same festival/events industry.
• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): Global membership association for the business events industry offering education, networking, and advocacy — comparable in model and value proposition but focused on conventions/meetings rather than festivals.
• Meeting Professionals International (MPI): Global association for meeting and event professionals with tiered membership and education programs — comparable business model serving an overlapping audience of event industry professionals.
• International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA): Global industry association for festival and event professionals offering education, awards, and networking — directly comparable to GMFEA's mission but operating at international rather than regional scale.
• Visit Florida: State-level tourism marketing organization with government backing promoting Florida as a destination — comparable as a publicly-supported events and tourism promoter though operating statewide rather than locally.

Others

• National Association of Counties (NACo): National association representing county governments, including those that fund tourism/cultural affairs — comparable as a government-affiliated membership organization though not specifically events-focused.

Regional players

• Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB): Regional destination marketing organization for Greater Miami sharing GMFEA's geographic focus and government/cultural-affairs backing — operates as a DMO rather than a member association but addresses overlapping stakeholders.

Direct peers

• Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA): Trade association specifically for event service professionals offering networking, education, and certification — directly comparable to GMFEA's vendor and supplier membership focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gmfea_miami
• YouTubeyoutube.com/GMFEA
• Facebookfacebook.com/GMFEA
• Instagraminstagram.com/gmfea_miami
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greater-miami-festivals-and-events-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greater Miami Festivals and Events Association