The Tampa Steel Conference started over 36 years ago as Port Tampa Bay's Steel Customer Appreciation Night. The conference has grown in significance and stature over the years as has the conference orginiator, Port Tampa Bay. 

Port Tampa Bay is by far Florida’s largest port (by size and tonnage), handling over 35 million tons of cargo per year and located in the heart of the fastest growing region in the fastest growing state. The port is also Florida’s largest port in terms of physical size (and one of the largest in the country) encompassing over 5,000 acres.

Perhaps even more important than its size is the diversity of the port's portfolio. While most ports around the country only handle one or two types of cargo, Port Tampa Bay is the most diversified port in Florida (and one of the most diversified in the nation) handling ALL major cargo categories, including:

• Liquid bulk (incl. petroleum, sulfur, ammonia, orange juice, etc.)
• Dry bulk (incl. fertilizer, limestone, granite, cement, coal, etc.)
• Break-bulk (we are Florida’s largest steel handling port with a cluster of related activities involving manufacturing, fabrication, processing and distribution with a focus on exports)
• Containers (imports and exports of food and beverage products, consumer goods such as furniture, lubricants, agricultural products, etc.)
• Automobiles (a target growth area for short sea given plant expansion in Mexico and Southeast US)
• Cruise (over 1 million passengers/year)
• Shipbuilding & Repair (one of the largest shipbuilding and repair ports in the southeast)