Courtesy of Visit Orlando

Orlando may be globally renowned for the magic and fantasy it conjures up to an almost unimaginable scale. But its true forte is providing an unequivocally serious business destination for meetings and conventions. Of course, there’s still magic — this is Orlando after all — but it takes the form of ROI-igniting options and a superior level of support and services to make a planner’s job easier.

Visit Orlando President & CEO Casandra Matej is seeing many positives for meetings and conventions coming down the pike in Orlando. “We are already seeing a strong start to the year with the group segment hotel as bookings for the first quarter of 2023 are 61% ahead of the first quarter of 2022. Additionally, 2022 citywide attendance reached 101% of 2019.”

According to research trends, Matej says that lead volume is up and clients are looking short term for their meetings, which, in turn, helps shape business for 2023. She thinks planners have a lot to count on in Orlando in 2023. “Continuously ranked as Cvent’s No. 1 meeting destination in the country, Orlando offers everything meeting planners need to create memorable and productive meetings and keep them coming back,” she says. “Here, planners will discover a state-of-the-art convention center, an abundance of hotel rooms, ease of accessibility, award-winning dining and world-class entertainment.”

She notes that several new hotels are expected in 2023, including the Conrad Orlando, part of the expansive Evermore Orlando Resort, and points to the increased accessibility for meeting attendees with the addition of the high-speed rail connecting Miami and Orlando. “Orlando also continues to evolve as a dining destination with 33 restaurants recognized by the MICHELIN Guide to Florida, including four one-star restaurants. Many of these MICHELIN-rated establishments offer private dining options for groups of varying sizes,” Matej says.

Finally, she says, “A partnership between Visit Orlando and Orlando Health will provide event planners customizable health solutions for their conference and attendees through an Orlando Health Virtual Care Center, which will open later this year at the Orange County Convention Center. Here, medical providers will be available via virtual visit 24 hours a day. During major conventions, the clinic will be staffed by Orlando Health clinicians.”

Clinton Harris, national conventions meetings & travel manager with Ace Hardware Corp., has brought groups multiple times to Orlando. Attendance for the company’s semi-annual convention ranges from 13,000 to 15,000 attendees. Most recently, the convention was set in Orlando in the fall of 2021, and it will be returning in fall 2023.  Harris says Orlando is the right destination for the group for multiple reasons.

“It goes without saying that the weather is a big plus,” Harris says. “Beyond that, Orlando has ample lift, so ease of getting there is a definite advantage. And many of our guests extend their stay beyond our convention to take advantage of the many options to enjoy some family fun. We typically see a pick up in registration for the reasons mentioned above.  For our last several trips to Orlando, we have booked Universal Studios for our Ace After Hours event, which is always a great time for all of our attendees.”

The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) provides the bulk of the space and service. “One of the clear advantages of OCCC is space,” Harris says. “We require a lot of square footage to host our conventions. The OCCC’s proximity to most of our hotel blocks cannot be understated as a positive.”

Another aspect that makes OCCC a nice fit for Harris’ group is the catering. “Orlando was our first show back after the pandemic,” he says. “Obviously, there was some angst with some of our attendees.  The OCCC catering team were so great at accommodating our requests with special setups for food service, which helped allay some of our attendees’ fears.”

As for hotels, Harris says, “When we bring our convention to Orlando, we have designated either the Hilton or the Hyatt as our headquarter hotel.  We do this for several reasons.  Their proximity to the OCCC is chief among them.  Additionally, we typically get larger blocks of rooms, thereby offering that proximity convenience advantage to a larger number of our attendees.  I don’t discount that both of those properties are also very well run, look beautiful and offer a number of meeting spaces where we conduct some off-site meetings.  Their staffs are attentive and provide excellent service to our attendees and staff.”

But, with a group of this size, they need hotels  beyond the headquarters hotel.  “I don’t want to isolate the praise to just those two properties, though,” Harris says. “We also partner with 21 other hotel properties in Orlando, which offer different price points and amenities that appeal to the varied tastes and budgets of our guests, vendors and suppliers.”

To meeting planners looking for a destination for their company or clients, Harris says, “Orlando has to be on your list of cities to visit and consider.  You can’t beat the sunshine.”

Contracts Protect for Certain Challenges

A representative from a South Carolina-based building products company brought a group of 1,350 to Universal Orlando in February. Loews Royal Pacific Resort served as the group’s headquarters hotel. The representative says the group is fully back in person and, in fact, this meeting — the first in-person event since the pandemic — had record-breaking attendance.

That said, the pandemic is still impacting contracts. “One major change is that we are much more careful about the language in contracts to protect us against cancelled events due to things that we cannot control,” the rep says. “We take a whole lot of hand sanitizer and also bring masks and testing kits to have just in case.”

In terms of the destination, Florida’s weather is a major draw. “We have a large attendance from the Midwest and for them to get out of that winter weather in February is a huge plus,” the rep says. “In addition, the draw of being on the Universal property is also a huge plus, as this is turning into more of a family-friendly event.”

Added to the destination itself, the representative says another big selling point was the free Universal Express Unlimited from the hotel, which allows guests to skip the regular lines at participating rides and attractions at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. “As a planner,” the rep notes, “being able to be so close to the Universal property and host fantastic events was terrific.”

Loews Royal Pacific Resort worked well for the group in multiple ways. First, the hotel’s meeting space was a good fit.  “The resort has great space options with a good mix for what we need as far as trade show space, general session space and also small breakout rooms,” the rep says. “We were very satisfied. The Wi-Fi was terrific, and as this event was very digitally focused, it was important that it performed well.  We worked with Encore and the AV support was great.”

Additionally, the rep says, “The proximity to Universal Orlando’s theme parks was a big selling point and gave attendees a lot of options for additional entertainment. Our group also hit all of the hotel dining outlets very hard, and I only heard great things about them. The same with the staff, which was amazing. This was the first time hosting our event at this property so there is always some trepidation about that. But, they did a fantastic job.”

As is true for real estate, often a successful meeting destination is all about location, location, location. “The Loews Royal Pacific Resort location is wonderful,” the rep adds. “Being at Universal makes attendees happy.  Also, the free Universal Express Unlimited is a great perk. In addition, we needed last-minute overflow rooms, so having Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and even Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort so close made it better for those last-minute needs.”

Erin Cook, president and general manager at Florida-based e2Destination and Event Management, says group travel to Florida is busy. And while there’s much to keep groups engaged in Orlando, she points out that there’s a lot just outside the city to consider.

“Just outside of the Orlando area are many smaller communities that maintain the Florida charm without the same numbers of tourists as Orlando,” she says. “Winter Garden is a very walkable city filled with local shops; it’s known for Plant Street Market, an indoor artisan market with a diverse assortment of vendors featuring natural, organic foods and handmade products. Crooked Can Brewing, a local and national favorite, rounds out the market.” She notes that Winter Park, just north of Orlando, and Clermont, west of Orlando, are both excellent locations for teambuilding, private tours and offsite dinners.

More Than Just Magic

Of course, Orlando itself has plenty of riches when it comes to what it offers groups — and it’s not all about fantasy and magic. Security, for example, is an important element of many corporate meetings and conferences, whether VIPs or high-level executives are in attendance, or whether content includes sensitive proprietary information. Cook, whose company is part of the Hosts Global network, notes that Four Seasons Resort Orlando is located within a gated community. Additionally, she says, “any of the hotels on Disney property have a guard gate that all visitors must pass through.”

Planners looking for that wow element to elevate their conference have a lot to choose. For an upscale venue that will introduce visitors to the cultural side of Orlando, Cook suggests the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and its new acoustically perfect Steinmetz Hall. “The performing arts center is centrally located in downtown Orlando and offers one-of-a-kind skyline views,” she says. “Orlando also has many facilities able to accommodate large groups for receptions, such as Mango’s Tropical Café, which will entertain your group all night long.”

She adds that Topgolf and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games can be part of a block party to create an impressive opening reception. “This block-party concept is great because it can accommodate 3,500 guests and is walkable from the Orange County Convention Center.”

As much of a draw as Orlando’s ever innovative theme parks are, they are by no means the only excitement in town. Like most of the rest of Florida, Orlando has plenty of natural spaces to engage and thrill attendees as well. Some of it ideal for teambuilding and offsites, but it’s another option for attendees who want to combine their business conferences with a family vacation before or after the event. “We encourage planners to check out Florida’s natural areas,” Cook says. And there’s a lot for groups to choose from.

Wekiwa Springs State Park, for example, is just 30 minutes away. “Kayaking there will take groups past many bird species, beautiful old oak trees and other wildlife,” she says. “And in Kissimmee, close to many of the convention hotels, there’s kayaking on Shingle Creek, the headwaters of the Everglades.”  Cook suggests Blue Springs and Silver Springs state parks as great places to spot manatees, just 45 and 90 minutes away, respectively. “There’s also off-roading nearby,” she adds, “and in Clermont, you can ride a monster truck through an active citrus grove. Where else can you do that but in Florida?”

What’s New in Orlando

Orlando is always inventing new ways to entertain guests, as well as bring substantial ROI to meetings, such as through increased attendance. Experiencing what’s new in a favorite destination is a proven enticement to attendees. Here’s some of what is new in Orlando:

Grande Lakes Orlando unveiled the completion of its newly reconfigured and expanded Grande Lakes Water Park at JW Marriott Orlando, including a lazy river, multiple waterslides, the AquaVenture obstacle course and new poolside dining. The Ritz-Carlton Orlando also recently debuted new amenities, among them poolside cabanas with a private butler, Wi-Fi, HDTV and more.

Over in the Disney Springs area, the Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando opened with 604 rooms and 17,000 sf of meeting and event space.  The Drury Plaza is an official Walt Disney World Hotel, and as such offers free shuttle service to all four WDW theme parks, as well as early entry to the parks.

Groups looking for an exclusive venue for its C-suite execs or VIPs should consider Foreigner Restaurant, and interactive culinary concept from Chef Bruno Fonseca. The 10-seat restaurant in the Audubon Park district offers a five-course “trust-the-chef” dinner (the chef chooses the menu), during which attendees can also watch the busy kitchen at work.

Orlando’s globally renowned theme parks “are rolling out a host of new attractions this year,” Cook says, “including Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, and Pipeline: The Surf Coaster at SeaWorld Orlando.”

Cook says that the soon-to-open Brightline rail station is a game changer. It is currently scheduled to open in Orlando International Airport’s new Terminal C in the second quarter of 2023. The train will connect the airport with Miami and two levels of service will be available.

The truth is, no matter how many times a group meets in Orlando, it never gets old. There’s always something new to keep conferences fresh, engaging and, often, magical, with something to ramp up a meeting’s ROI. C&IT