Orlando blends business and leisure better than most cities. Known for world-class theme parks, warm weather year-round, and a lively arts and culture scene, the city also offers an extensive meetings infrastructure. With 141 hotels that provide meeting facilities totaling roughly 4.5 million square feet and more than 118,000 hotel rooms across the destination, Orlando accommodates events of nearly every size and format.
Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek fireworks © WYNDHAM GRAND ORLANDO RESORT BONNET CREEK
Central to Orlando’s convention offerings is the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), which provides 2.1 million square feet of exhibit space plus 480,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The OCCC continues to invest in amenities to support meetings, including a 7,000-square-foot Destination Lounge that opened in the South Building. The lounge supports branding and presentations with a video wall, LED systems and advanced lighting, and is available for corporate functions and special events.
Complementing the convention center’s meeting facilities, the OCCC also launched a 2,000-square-foot Center-to-Table Gardens aeroponic installation—the largest aeroponic garden in a public U.S. space at the time of its debut. The garden produces about 783 plants weekly, such as greens, chard, bok choy, celery, herbs and microgreens, which the center’s catering team incorporates into on-site menus.
Many hotels across Orlando have upgraded or expanded their meeting spaces to meet growing demand. In 2016, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort opened on Universal Orlando Resort property as the fifth on-site hotel. The resort offers 1,000 guest rooms and 114,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 41,000-square-foot ballroom divisible into 12 sections, a 31,000-square-foot hall, 16 breakout rooms and 27,000 square feet of pre-function space. An additional 16,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor space supports alfresco events. For larger conventions, Loews Sapphire Falls connects with Loews Royal Pacific Resort to form the Loews Meeting Complex, providing a combined 2,000 guest rooms and more than 247,000 square feet of meeting space.
Also in 2016, the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa rebranded as the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace and unveiled a major remodel. The property refreshed its guestroom design, updated 92,000 square feet of meeting space, introduced a signature restaurant called Letterpress and added Citrus 28, a grab-and-go market. New leisure amenities such as a Float Lagoon, pools and cabanas enhance the guest experience for delegates and leisure travelers alike.
Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek meeting room © WYNDHAM GRAND ORLANDO RESORT BONNET CREEK
Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek invested $5 million in renovations that included the addition of a 2,155-square-foot meeting room and a new 3,500-square-foot ballroom capable of seating up to 360 people. The upgrades expand the property’s ability to host corporate meetings, social events and banquets.
Orlando’s convention hotel landscape is also evolving with large-scale renovation projects. The Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort embarked on a multiyear, $125 million redesign of all 2,267 guestrooms, with completion expected in 2017. DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld is investing in multimillion-dollar upgrades that add 40,000 square feet of new meeting and event space, including a 20,000-square-foot ballroom and expanded indoor and outdoor function areas, on top of its existing 60,000 square feet of meeting space.
Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa completed $20 million in renovations that added 20,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, bringing the resort’s total to 36,000 square feet. Its meeting rooms offer views toward the Orange County Convention Center, and evening event attendees can enjoy nightly theme-park fireworks visible on the horizon.
Improved access is part of the destination’s appeal. Orlando International Airport, the second-busiest airport in Florida, is undertaking more than $3.1 billion in capital improvements and has approved design work for a new South Terminal to handle growing visitor demand.
For convenience around the destination, visitors can download the Visit Orlando app (currently in beta) to help navigate hotels, restaurants, attractions and meeting venues across the city.
UNIQUE VENUES
Orlando offers a wide selection of unique venues that let meeting planners combine productive work with memorable entertainment and team-building experiences.
Theme parks continually add attractions that can serve as incentives or offsite activity options. Universal Orlando opened Volcano Bay Water Theme Park, featuring water rides and a tranquil lagoon area for groups seeking a relaxed setting. The park also adds immersive attractions that enhance guest experiences on and off the convention floor.
At Walt Disney World, Pandora – The World of AVATAR represented a major expansion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and seasonal additions at parks like Typhoon Lagoon provide family-friendly options for conference attendees and their companions.
For corporate entertainment and experiential hospitality, a new 65,000-square-foot Topgolf facility on Convention Way and Universal Boulevard brings upscale dining, full-service bars and game-driven events well suited for receptions, team-building sessions or incentive gatherings.
For a change of pace, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is about a 45-minute drive from Orlando via the Beachline. The visitor complex showcases rockets, a returned space shuttle, interactive exhibits and attractions such as Heroes & Legends with the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. The center accommodates corporate events and private functions for groups interested in an inspiring offsite program.
Whether planners seek large-scale exhibit halls, flexible breakout rooms, outdoor function spaces or unique offsite venues, Orlando’s mix of convention infrastructure, hotels and attractions makes it an ideal place to blend business with pleasure.