Meaghan Keeler - SOF Week 2026

Tampa hosts Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week starting Monday, May 18th at Tampa's Convention Center downtown, as well as other nearby locations. We speak with Meaghan Keeler of the Global SOF Foundation about the event and what it means for special operators and for Tampa's economy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here Beyond the News once again. Tampa is
welcoming the Special Operations Forces Military Conference and SOF Week
starting Monday May eighteenth and running through Friday May twenty second.
That means several streets are going to be closed at
various times in downtown Tampa. For example, Franklin Street and
the Harbor Island Bridge will be shut down from nine

(00:20):
am to four thirty Monday through Thursday, as well as
eight am to four pm Friday. There will also be
some closures affecting the Bridge. That bridge will reopen at
one pm on Friday. There's also the SOCOM Capability Demonstration,
which happens every year. One of the number of events
and kind of the most prominent public event we have.

(00:41):
Megan Keeler. She is Chief operating officer for the Global
Special Operations Forces Foundation based in Tampa. Welcome to Beyond
the News.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Thanks Gordon, glad to be here.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Well. Now, this event has been part of Tampa for
several years, but of course most of our listeners haven't
been to it. It seems to have the hallmarks of
a trade expo, but more than that, how many people attend,
who are they and what gets done during this week.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yes, we will have probably over twenty three thousand attendees
this year.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
We expect it to be our largest ever.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
And it is both an expo and a conference, so
there are large defense industry boots and displays.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
There's also demonstrations that happen.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
But at the same time, there is a substantive conference
that also occurs with speakers, palund discussions, breakout sessions on
national security topics and things that affect special operations forces.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
You mentioned the number of people you're expecting to attend.
What is the economic impact in Tampa in previous years
for hosting SOF Week.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's been increasing every year due to the size increasing.
We expect it will be over nineteen million dollars if
economic impacts in Tampa, and that's because, of course, so
many people come from out of town. We have attendees
staying at over fifty hotels, for example, in the area,
and there are they're coming here to to Tampa, They're

(02:18):
going to be eating out, they're going to know networking receptions,
et cetera.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
And all this activity, of course is going to be
centered around the Tampa Convention Center where it's taking place.
We mentioned the annual Military demonstration by SOCOM US Special
Operations Command based down at McDill Air Force Base, and
I'm sure one of the reasons why the event is
held here. And there's something that that is something that
people can see on the outside, and you know, it's

(02:45):
usually a pretty dramatic event with a lot of booms
and bangs and water splashing usually takes place in the
channel there, So tell us about that.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yes, it will happen on Wednesday, May twentieth at twelve noon.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
And it is visible, Like you said, it happens.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
Right outside the Tampa Convention Center in the waterway there,
so it's visible kind of all around the water basin,
even across you know, from where Tampa General Hospital is,
for example, And you don't need a conference path to
view the demonstration. It is outdoors and open to the public.
So we do expect even more attendees really the view

(03:27):
the demo that day. And then on one thing I
wanted to add about the facility and the venue this event.
They take over all of downtown Tampa, So the conference itself,
in the addition of the convention Center, will.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Be in the JW.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
Marriot to Marriott Water Street, the Embassy site, the West
End and this year new this year we've expanded them.
We're having demonstrations of aviation and unmanned aerial systems at
Peter o'knight Airport on Davis Side Island as well.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
That's an interesting point too. Of course, petero. Knight is
at the south end of Davis Islands and it's uh,
you know, the opposite end from Tampa General Hospital. So
I'm guessing there will be some extra traffic involved on
the bridge that goes over there as well. So something
for people to keep in mind. Are there specific times
for the events tied to Petero Night or is that

(04:23):
just something you can expect during the whole four day period.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
Really Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the week. I would
expect there is activity happening at Petero Knights and for
those attendees registered attendees to get there, they'll be egilizing.
The water taxi will be pirate water taxi was taking
people from the convention center to the airport throughout the

(04:47):
throughout those three days.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
So a lot going on during this week in Tampa.
I would imagine that with technology advancing and with everything
that you know on all fronts from drones to aires
that this event is continuing to really showcase the cutting
edge and that it's only going to grow in importance

(05:12):
as these new technologies develop them.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yes, absolutely, And I think what also makes this event
unique in the defense industry space is that it really
attracts a lot of small businesses, so a lot of
startup with new interesting technology that Special Operations Forces can
utilize to maintain that, as we would say, you know,

(05:38):
tactical edge, their competitive advantage over our enemies and adversaries.
And so you'll see the companies that come to this
run the gamut from the largest defense companies you've ever
heard of with their large platforms, to a small business
of you know, a free person, veteran owned business that

(05:59):
just had a really great ideas and they're putting it
into practice because they know special lots.

Speaker 2 (06:05):
Of people can use this.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Megan Keeler, chief operating officer for the Global Special Operations
Forces Foundation based in Tampa, talking to us about SOF Weekend,
the military conference that starts Monday the eighteenth and runs
through Friday the twenty second. Megan Keeller, thank you very
much for joining us on Beyond the News.

Speaker 2 (06:25):
Thanks so much,