They may be dressed for business, but don’t expect delegates to act their age in Central Florida. There’s just too much fun to be had—from relatively grown-up pursuits like horseback riding and hot-air ballooning to the youthful kick of the theme parks and attractions, followed possibly by some serious decompression, letting a tranquil inland waterway take your kayak or canoe where it wants to go.
But the line between work and play isn’t all that distinct in Central Florida. Even if the theme is business, there are creative ways to pursue it here in the land of unexpected adventures, whose favorite flavor may be fun but whose bottom line is securely anchored in economic success. In fact, while the national economy tanks, and consumers fret over filling their gas tanks, Central Florida’s fortunes continue to rise alongside scores of new developments.
Orlando
Anticipating new hotels and attractions is nothing new in Orlando, and the next few years will be no exception. As the new Simpsons ride settles in at Universal Studios, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to open at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in 2010, while Sea World’s Aquatica just became the first new waterpark to open in Orlando in 12 years. The Disney universe keeps expanding as well, welcoming Toy Story Mania! in May and unveiling a new American Idol attraction later this year.
But the parks can be much more to your Orlando meeting than after-hours fun; they all offer group experiences, including private events set among the rides and shows. At Universal CityWalk, for example, groups can gather at the 1,000-seat Sharp AQUOS Theatre and enjoy a private audience with Blue Man Group, the renowned multimedia theatrical troupe.
“The attractions have always been great partners to all meetings coming into the area, and they truly want to work with the planner from the early planning stages,” says Tammi Runzler, vice president of convention sales and services for the Orlando/Orange County CVB.
While theming may be built in at the theme parks and attractions, it’s also a priority at the CVB, whose new marketing message to planners is “Orlando. Where Creative Minds Meet,” stressing the region’s creative meeting resources over its meeting space and resort amenities.
“All of our sales and service team members are ‘Creative Specialists.’ From the beginning, we discuss creative options with the planners and try to allow them to experience some of it if they come to Orlando for a site inspection,” Runzler says. “We believe that when meetings are different or creative, there is a new energy and enthusiasm that just naturally occurs.”
Not that the CVB isn’t excited about area hotel development, which includes a 480-acre resort complex opening next to the Walt Disney World Resort in September 2009, featuring the Hilton Bonnet Creek—touted as Hilton’s largest mainland U.S. hotel to date—along with the first Waldorf=Astoria property outside New York City.
Of the Waldorf, Runzler says, “It speaks strongly to the diversity of product this destination offers. We can truly say that we have something for everyone.
“There are several segments responding very positively to some of our upper-tier properties,” she adds, “such as the incentive and medical and pharmaceutical markets.”
Meanwhile, other new hotel developments include the 315-room Westin Imagine Orlando, which opened in April near the Orange County Convention Center, and Venturella Resort & Spa, due in November with 155 rooms and 6,500 square feet of meeting space.
Kissimmee
Orlando’s neighbor to the south is right on Disney’s doorstep, yet opens into a panorama of outdoor adventures where the theme is definitely “action.” Lakes and waterways that are home to prize catches like largemouth black bass, catfish and bream also provide the setting for exhilarating airboat rides, boat tours and dinner cruises, while back on dry land, Kissimmee’s golf courses were designed with challenge in mind by the likes of Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman.
“As people look for locations to hold meetings that allow for physical exercise or interludes with nature, Osceola County will become more popular,” notes Tom Lang, the new director of the Kissimmee CVB. “Some planners are starting to look for the ‘Florida experience.’ More will in the future as greening and ecotourism become more relevant.”
In that sense, Kissimmee is like a slice of Old Florida, retaining aspects from its days as a center for agriculture and cattle ranching, such as weekly rodeos at the Kissimmee Sports Arena and the huge Silver Spurs Rodeo, which descends on the Silver Spurs Arena twice a year.
Any cowboys in your group? Saddle ’em up at Forever Florida and the Crescent J Ranch, a working cattle ranch set on 4,700 pristine acres off Kissimmee’s beaten path. One- to three-hour “horseback safaris” are offered daily, along with eco-safaris through a nature preserve, where Florida black bears, whitetail deer and the occasional Florida panther may be glimpsed.
Despite its small-town feel and down-home appeal, Kissimmee offers an array of flexible meeting spaces, including Osceola Heritage Park, which features an 89,500-square-foot Exhibition Building; along with a host of resort-based facilities at properties such as Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Omni Resort at ChampionsGate and Reunion Resort. Newly opened in May, the Mona Lisa Suite Hotel has a small boardroom but partners with Stetson University to offer 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Lakeland
The vintage Florida feeling continues along the picturesque downtown streets of Lakeland, set southwest of Kissimmee across a rolling landscape of pine forests, pristine lakes and fragrant orange groves. They even have a Swan Department to care for more than 200 swans that grace many area lakes.
“Our slogan, ‘Away From it All...Close to Everything,’ epitomizes our combination of being secluded yet offering a central location close to all of Florida’s most popular tourist attractions,” says Jackie Johnson, senior vice president of the Lakeland CVB.
Even if your group doesn’t venture from Lakeland, though, you’ll find plenty of meeting space at venues like the Lakeland Center—with 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and an adjacent Hyatt Place hotel—as well as at properties such as the Courtyard by Marriott Lakeland and the Howard Johnson Executive Center.
Additionally, a wealth of one-of-a-kind attractions showcases Florida’s unique subtropical beauty, including historic Bok Tower Gardens, where daily carillon recitals ring out from a majestic belltower, nature trails crisscross lush gardens, and a variety of conference rooms are available for meetings, training sessions and corporate retreats.
Corporate events may also be set at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park—famed for its daring water-ski shows—and Fantasy of Flight, home to vintage aircraft, hot-air balloon and biplane rides, and more than 100,000 square feet of function space.
Seminole County
Just north of Orlando, but with an eco-backdrop of slow-moving rivers, cool forests and spectacular spring-fed lakes, is Seminole County, which is experiencing its own boom of hotel development to complement properties such as the Hilton/Orlando Altamonte and the Marriott Orlando/Lake Mary, two of the region’s largest meeting venues.
Slated to debut this month is the 128-room Hyatt Place in Lake Mary, featuring 1,600 square feet of function space, while two properties in the Heathrow area, a Westin and a Residence Inn, are due in late 2009 and early 2010, respectively.
“We’re continually hearing about the economy and how it’s affecting our industry, but we’re seeing growth,” says Sharon Sears, executive director of the Seminole County CVB. “I think it’s a positive sign that travelers are still coming to Seminole County and the Central Florida area.”
In addition to the influx of properties, Sears also points to timeless charms that groups can experience, such as canoeing the Wekiva River, strolling by classic Victorian, Queen Anne and Cracker-style architecture in downtown Sanford and catching a moonlight dinner-dance cruise down the St. Johns River aboard the 1940s-style Rivership Romance.
Creative theming opportunities here abound; the Central Florida Zoo, for example, has 3,400 square feet of meeting space for “wild” group events.
“When people talk about wanting something different for their meetings, I also mention our parks,” Sears notes. “We have 23 parks in the county, and they’re beautiful for family reunions, religious groups and team-building groups that want to do something outdoors.”
According to Sears, one group segment in particular is really taking advantage of the parks system in Seminole County: sports groups, whose annual economic impact to the county is $10.7 million.
Ocala
Front and center on Ocala’s tourism scene is the “mane” attraction—horse farms that make up one of the major Thoroughbred breeding and training centers in the world. With several Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Triple Crown champs hailing from these parts, Ocala/Marion County is justly proud of its equine heritage, and if you call ahead, some sites offer group tours.
Your group can also ride the horse trails in scenic Ocala National Forest or trek the Florida Greenway, a 110-mile-long corridor that passes through a variety of landscapes, offering relaxing rides and challenging trails with obstacles, depending on the group’s ability.
Other options include canoeing on Rainbow River or stopping at Silver Springs, a 350-acre nature park where attendees can take glass-bottom boat tours along the Silver River past centuries-old cypress trees.
It’s tranquility personified, notes Ann Sternal, executive director of the Ocala/Marion County VCB. “Attendees can get away from the hustle and bustle of big-city life and enjoy our beautiful scenery,” she says.
It isn’t so far away, though, that groups can’t also enjoy state-of-the-art facilities at properties like the Hilton Ocala, the Holiday Inn Conference Center Ocala and the Ramada Conference Center Ocala.
Gainesville
North of Ocala and equidistant from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean is Gainesville, perhaps best known for its University of Florida Gators but loved by visitors for wilderness preserves like Paynes Prairie; crystal clear natural springs that invite diving, snorkeling and rafting; and treasures from the past like the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, home of the Cross Creek farm where the prize-winning author wrote The Yearling.
With preservation and the environment topping the list of priorities—Gainesville will be hosting the first Florida Green Lodging Conference this November—the area also hopes to attract more group business through its annual conference grant, previously offered annually but now increased to twice a year (spring and fall).
The biannual amount available to meeting groups will be in the $50,000 range, says Nancy Fischer, CMP, director of sales for the Gainesville/Alachua County VCB. Now in its eighth cycle, the program has awarded approximately 91 grants totaling more than $628,000. Individual grants cap at $10,000 and are available to corporate, association or nonprofit, public or privately funded planners.
“We want groups to discover what we have in Gainesville,” Fischer says. “They’ll have a great time, but because of our educational atmosphere, they’ll be more focused and productive.”
Things definitely start feeling educational when you meet on campus at the University of Florida, where rental facilities include the Stephen C. O’Connell Center and the picturesque Emerson Alumni Hall. Surrounding the campus or within a few miles are a number of hotels with meeting facilities, such as the 245-room Hilton University of Florida Conference Center Gainesville, with 25,000 square feet of conference space, and the Clarion Inn and Conference Center, offering 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Heading in another direction, though, will be the new Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Gainesville, set to open by May 2009. The new property will have 120 rooms, a 1,200-square-foot meeting room and a 500-square-foot boardroom.
Because of its downtown setting, it will reach a whole new market for Gainesville, according to Fischer.
“Most of our hotels are around the university,” Fischer says. “If planners are going to have a reception or dinner, there are a variety of historic places that will be within steps of the new property.”
For More Info
Gainesville/Alachua County CVB 352.374.5260 www.visitgainesville.com
Kissimmee CVB 407.944.2443 www.meetings.floridakiss.com
Lakeland CVB 863.688.8551 www.lakelandchamber.com
Ocala/Marion VCB 352.291.9169 www.ocalamarion.com
Orlando/Orange County CVB 407.363.5872 www.orlandoconventions.com
Seminole County CVB 407.665.2900 www.visitseminole.com
