Looking Ahead
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Chamber began to take a futuristic look at its work in the Daytona Beach area. Knowing that it would need to broaden its tourist outreach, the Triple City Chamber opened offices outside of the state of Florida, planting roots in Birmingham in 1929 and Atlanta in 1930, in order to drum up business for Daytona Beach.

The Airport Finds its Permanent Home
In 1930, the City of Daytona Beach moved its airport from Bethune Point to its present location in the heart of Daytona Beach. The rough construction of the day included coquina runways and a sign made of an old wooden surfboard, which is now located in the airport terminal on the second level.

Racing’s Organizer Arrives in Daytona
In 1935, seeking to escape the Great Depression, William “Bill” France moved his family from Washington, D.C., to Daytona Beach. With little to his name, Big Bill set up a car repair shop at 316 Main Street, now home to the Main Street Station. By 1937, Bill France became the primary promoter for the recently established stock car races on the Daytona Beach Road Course, and by 1938, he was running the course himself. Some might say that the rest is history.

Fun and Games at the Boardwalk
Throughout the 1930s, as Daytona Beach’s economy continued to develop, so too did the area’s tourism. In 1938, amusement park rides made their first appearance on the Boardwalk, which now featured the world’s largest bandshell, built as a WPA project in 1937.

Looking Ahead
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Chamber began to take a futuristic look at its work in the Daytona Beach area. Knowing that it would need to broaden its tourist outreach, the Triple City Chamber opened offices outside of the state of Florida, planting roots in Birmingham in 1929 and Atlanta in 1930, in order to drum up business for Daytona Beach.

The Airport Finds its Permanent Home
In 1930, the City of Daytona Beach moved its airport from Bethune Point to its present location in the heart of Daytona Beach. The rough construction of the day included coquina runways and a sign made of an old wooden surfboard, which is now located in the airport terminal on the second level.

Racing’s Organizer Arrives in Daytona
In 1935, seeking to escape the Great Depression, William “Bill” France moved his family from Washington, D.C., to Daytona Beach. With little to his name, Big Bill set up a car repair shop at 316 Main Street, now home to the Main Street Station. By 1937, Bill France became the primary promoter for the recently established stock car races on the Daytona Beach Road Course, and by 1938, he was running the course himself. Some might say that the rest is history.

Fun and Games at the Boardwalk
Throughout the 1930s, as Daytona Beach’s economy continued to develop, so too did the area’s tourism. In 1938, amusement park rides made their first appearance on the Boardwalk, which now featured the world’s largest bandshell, built as a WPA project in 1937.

The Chamber Turns to Retirees
In 1953, the Chamber began to focus heavily on converting tourists to residents, specifically targeting retirees. During this time, the Chamber ran ads promoting not only the local churches, schools, and entertainment options, but also the air quality and climate of Daytona Beach, which allowed for better respiratory health. Ads informed tourists, “You’ll live 10 years longer in Daytona” and “Those who live here get more out of life!”

Enter, the Daytona 500
On February 22, 1959, Daytona Beach witnessed the Inaugural Daytona 500, the first race held at the brand new Daytona International Speedway. After 17 hours of racing—and three days of deliberations and newsreel reviews—Bill France declared Lee Petty the winner.

The Chamber Receives Accreditation
In July of 1964, the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce received accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, becoming one of the first in the nation to do so.

Embry-Riddle Moves to Daytona Beach
In 1963, shortly after taking up his post as President of Embry-Riddle, Jack Hunt was informed that the base of the school’s flight operations, the Tamiami Airport in South Florida, would soon close. Hunt elected to temporarily relocate operations to Daytona Beach, a location with WWII-era barracks and classrooms that provided space for both the institute’s flight operations and campus. In April 1965, Operation Bootstrap commenced, and everything the institute owned was trucked or flown to Daytona Beach. Within weeks of the move, due to the hospitality of Daytona Beach civic and community leaders, including the Chamber, Hunt and the institute’s board decided to make the move permanent. 

Volusia Mall Opens
In 1974, Daytona Beach welcomed its first contemporary shopping mall. In its early years, the Volusia Mall was anchored by four stores: Ivey's, May-Cohens, Sears, and JCPenney.

Spring Break on the World’s Most Famous Beach
By the late-80s, Daytona Beach had overtaken Fort Lauderdale as the top destination in the country for college students on Spring Break, drawing in over 350,000 breakers annually. During this time, MTV began televising high-profile concerts and Spring Break specials from the Bandshell, which saw the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., and Heart take its stage. The springtime flood of students and MTV into Daytona Beach continued until the turn of the century, when city officials discovered that the costs of spring break outweighed the revenue generation.

The Chamber Takes on Bike Week
This history of one of Daytona’s most iconic traditions, Bike Week, dates back to 1937 with the inaugural running of the Daytona 200. The event took a hiatus during WWII, and when it returned, began to develop a rugged edge. In 1986, tensions heightened; locals feared the visitors, and law enforcement and city officials were likewise displeased with the environment. Thus, city officials and the Chamber established a special task force aimed at improving relations between locals and visitors, expanding the magnitude of the event, and bringing some formal organization to Bike Week. Since 1988, the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce has been the official sponsor of Bike Week.

LPGA Finds a Home in Daytona Beach
By the late 1980s, in an effort to increase the Chamber’s relevancy in a changing community, George Maribel led the organization through a redevelopment of its vision. The new enterprise, known as the Directions 21 Initiative, centered on the philosophy that new ideas for community development would come from the community, not just the Chamber.

Out of the Directions 21 Initiative came the historic move of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) headquarters to Daytona Beach in 1989. Armed with the slogan “We Want You,” the Chamber campaigned to bring LPGA from Texas to Daytona. The efforts of Maribel and the Chamber paid off, and LPGA has called Daytona Beach home for 30 years.

Hollywood Hits Daytona Beach
The 1990 film Days of Thunder, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, was set and partially filmed in Daytona Beach. Days of Thunder follows Cruise’s character, Cole Trickle, as he tries to make it big in the world of NASCAR. After sustaining an injury in the Firecracker 400, Trickle spends his recovery time in Daytona Beach where he falls for Dr. Claire Lewicki (Kidman), a neurosurgeon at Halifax Hospital, and eventually wins the Daytona 500. Scenes from the movie capture the Daytona International Speedway, A1A, the sandy shores of Daytona Beach, and even the halls of Halifax Hospital.

Tennis Time
In 2000, the Chamber—then called The Chamber, Daytona/Halifax Area—was instrumental in establishing a U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) presence in Daytona Beach. The collaborative effort between the City of Daytona Beach, County of Volusia, Central Florida Sports Commission, Consolidated-Tomoka Land Company, Convention and Visitors Bureau, and The Chamber led to the development of the state-of-the-art Florida Tennis Center, located adjacent to LPGA. To this day, the 24-court stadium is home to the Greater Volusia Tennis League and hosts numerous USTA tournaments every year.

The Best Class of All Time
In 2018, the Chamber recruited community members to participate in the 38^th class of Leadership Daytona. Class XXXVIII was posed with one of the Chamber’s greatest challenges: Putting together a stellar celebration for the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Centennial year in 2019. From both the Chamber and Leadership Daytona Class XXXVIII, thank you for celebrating 100 years with us!