It’s been said that in order to succeed at something, you have to have fun doing it.
Central Florida tests that idea on a daily basis as meeting and convention groups pour in with, yes, work to do and goals to accomplish, but at the same time looking forward to the theme parks, the attractions, the activities and the overall excitement the destination offers.
Best of all, in today’s economy, it probably costs less to come here than a place where "fun" might be much further down on the list of priorities.
According to travel research agency STR Global, the average daily room rate in Orlando was $89.53 for the month of July, while the year-to-date figure was $101.39 at press time. "There are a lot of deals out there," notes Tom Lang, director of the Kissimmee CVB. "Hotels and motels are cutting rates and making deals."
One example: Taking a tip from Priceline.com, Rosen Hotels & Resorts is putting Orlando meetings on the auction block. A sample three-night meeting package worth $260,000 for 250 people at the Rosen Shingle Creek, including 150 rooms and most meals, was offered at a starting bid of $85,000.
"We’ve definitely got some awesome deals, including on our website," seconds Julie Zachar, director of sales and marketing for the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. "My philosophy is, I’d rather see people in the hotel. You have to be a little more occupancy-driven than rate-driven."
You also have to be driven by variety, and Central Florida has plenty of that. "There are a lot of things to do here that don’t cost $75 per person," Lang notes. "The more you can offer within people’s budgets, the better off you’ll be."
Still, whether your budget is strict or unlimited, chances are Central Florida can fit the bill.
Kissimmee
Hiking, kayaking, riding horseback across the wetlands, herding cattle at a working ranch...is this really minutes away from Disney? Definitely—in the "cow town" of Kissimmee and surrounding Osceola County, known as much for their rodeos and airboat rides as for typical tourist diversions like themed dining attractions, golf courses and outlet shopping.
When they’re not literally zipping through the air on a Zipline Safari through the treetops of the Forever Florida wildlife conservation area, attendees may be gliding across Lake Tohopekaliga via pontoon boat or slowing things down on a stroll through historic Downtown St. Cloud.
"We still have a lot of our natural resources in place, to the extent that if people want to get out into the great outdoors, they can," says Tom Lang, pointing to the newest attraction on Kissimmee’s naturescape—Shingle Creek Regional Park—which eventually will include hiking, biking and paddling opportunities.
Indoors is pretty great as well, thanks to state-of-the-art convention facilities at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration, Reunion Resort—featuring an on-site waterpark—and Osceola Heritage Park, home to an 89,500-square-foot exhibition building with divisible, column-free exhibit space.
If smaller and intimate is more your group’s style, try a meeting with a neighborhood feel at the boutique-style Celebration Hotel, where the ballrooms overlook a quiet lake (complete with alligators!) and delegates are within walking distance of the shops and restaurants of picturesque downtown Celebration.
For something a bit more unconventional, the Kissimmee Air Museum has added a 12,500-square-foot hangar for group events, while the versatile Silver Spurs Arena can be configured theater style to seat 3,600.
Orlando
Unexpected activities also await in Kissimmee’s neighbor, Orlando, where Grande Lakes Orlando recently unveiled a new team-building adventure course with 25 traversing and climbing elements, which takes about three hours to complete.
Another new pick for groups is International Heli-Tours, offering helicopter excursions over Orlando and Kissimmee, with itinerary choices including searching for alligators, fireworks viewing and theme park sightings.
For those who prefer their theme parks on solid ground (sort of), SeaWorld has unveiled Manta, a new roller coaster that transitions riders from air to sea, swooping them to underwater animal habitats and reaching speeds of nearly 60 mph. But you don’t have to ride to experience Manta; the attraction’s floor-to-ceiling windows provide jaw-dropping views of more than 300 rays. Meanwhile, groups can gather for receptions in the attraction’s main aquarium.
In fact, all the theme parks and most of the attractions in Greater Orlando accommodate group functions, making it that much easier to enjoy such recent additions as Orlando Harley-Davidson’s new program, the Precision Drill Team, featuring skilled riders showing off difficult maneuvers during a 20-minute show.
Also unexpected in Orlando: continued growth despite a flagging economy. The destination had its second best year on record in 2008, with 48.9 million visitors, according to figures released by the Orlando CVB. In addition, major projects are on track, including the early September opening of the Hilton Orlando Convention Center, which will be connected via open-air walkway to the Orange County Convention Center.
Coming Oct. 1 is the long-awaited opening of Bonnet Creek, a 482-acre resort destination encompassing the Waldorf=Astoria Orlando and the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. Together, the two properties will offer 1,497 rooms and 150,000 square feet of meeting space, including Bonnet Creek Island, a private retreat for group gatherings.
By 2011, though, look for Orlando—already a top spot for medical meetings—to augment its offerings with a 600-acre "medical city" of facilities, including the Burnham Institute of Medical Research, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, the Nemours Children’s Hospital and Research Campus, and several others.
Ocala
Orlando isn’t the only destination expanding its tourism identity. After decades of being known primarily as the state’s center for breeding and training championship thoroughbreds, Ocala/Marion County has expanded its focus to include other sports, hiring a sports sales and marketing specialist, Matt Dunn, a year ago and launching a dedicated website, OcalaSportsEvents.com, earlier this year to help promote the county’s athletic facilities to event organizers.
Although equestrian events are a given in Marion County, the push is more toward youth competitions, including soccer, baseball and softball, Dunn says.
"For the youth events that have been taking place, the families are coming, the siblings, the grandparents, the coaches," he says. "We’ve had some very large events."
Dunn says that in addition to the area’s extensive playing fields and sports complexes, what’s attracting these groups can be boiled down to location and price.
"Between Pensacola and Miami, we’re smack in the middle of the state, and that really helps our efforts," he says. "Also, our cost of living and hotel rates are relatively low compared to most areas."
For budget-minded planners, such frugality can be an asset as well, though don’t expect to find large convention venues in this bucolic enclave northwest of Orlando. Among the larger venues is the Hilton Ocala, with 8,500 square feet of meeting space, and the Circle Square Cultural Center, whose 8,525-square-foot banquet hall is divisible by three.
Horseshoe Lake Park & Retreat, Nelson’s Gator Den and the Ocala Civic Theatre also make memorable meeting locales, as attendees soak up local flavor while visiting original Florida attractions like Silver Springs, home of glass-bottom boat tours, river cruises and wildlife exhibits.
Seminole County
Natural attractions and value pricing are also hallmarks of Seminole County, located just off Interstate 4 north of Orlando, which bills itself as "Florida’s Natural Choice" and lives up to that distinction with cool forests and spectacular spring-fed lakes, lush wooded areas and slow, lazy rivers that are perfect for group excursions aboard the Rivership Romance and Native II, both of which cruise the historic St. Johns River.
"The natural areas in our county are beautiful," says Sharon Sears, executive director of the Seminole County CVB. "We have a trail system that covers the entire length of the county, and our parks are being evaluated for national accreditation. I always like to tell people that if you want to get away from it all and still be close to everything, Seminole County is the place to be," she adds.
Indeed, the area is about 30 minutes from the beaches to the east and the bustle of Orlando to the south, yet the hotel rates are about a third less than neighboring destinations, Sears says.
"Most of our hotels have done major renovation projects within the past couple of years," Sears notes. "Even during this economy, we have had three hotels build from the ground up."
These include the Hyatt Place-Lake Mary, which opened last October; the Residence Inn-Heathrow, which debuted in August; and the Westin Heathrow, slated to open this December.
The new properties join such established conference properties as the Embassy Suites Orlando North, with 7,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte, with 18,000 square feet.
Gainesville
Even without its annual conference grant, Gainesville would be an amazing place to bring a meeting. Luxuriantly forested, with areas harking back more than a century when the area was a swampy frontierland, Gainesville has the vitality of a college town with a restful quality that invites visitors to take it down a notch and savor the surroundings at places like Kanapaha Gardens, featuring the largest herb garden in the Southeast, and Marjorie Rawlings State Park, former homestead of the famed author, where visitors traverse a nature trail flanked by huge live oaks laced with Spanish moss.
But tell attendees to pack their appetites along with their hiking shoes and sunscreen; downtown Gainesville is a popular spot for group dine-arounds, as groups savor everything from venerable eateries to pizza joints. And here’s something to make the evening go down easier: The VCB will pay for the motorcoach, says Nancy Fischer, director of sales for the Gainesville/Alachua County VCB.
"Of course, if they receive conference grant money, they can also use it for transportation," she notes, referring to the semiannual spring and fall grants of $75,000 each that meeting groups can apply for to help defray the costs of their Gainesville gatherings. The most any one group would be eligible for is $10,000.
"The whole point of the grant is to recruit new meetings and conferences to the Gainesville area," Fischer says.
Among the facilities accommodating groups are the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center, the Clarion Gainesville Hotel West and the Best Western Gateway Grand, though the area recently welcomed two new properties—a Residence Inn off Interstate 75 and a Hampton Inn and Suites downtown.
Lakeland
With the Lakeland Center—and adjacent Hyatt Place—as its primary convention venue, the rest of this quiet haven southwest of Orlando reads like a primer on unique venues: River Ranch, where 4,000 square feet of meeting space is complemented by such Old Florida pastimes as horseback riding, nature hikes, fishing and boating; historic Bok Tower Gardens, where history is shrouded in dense Florida forest while groups gather in two lecture halls and a conference room; and Fantasy of Flight, whose collection of vintage aircraft provides an unforgettable backdrop to gatherings held in two aircraft hangars, an officer’s club and the new 4,000-square-foot Orlampa Conference Center.
