Forty years ago this October, Florida’s tourism landscape changed forever when Mickey Mouse came to town, and since then, theme parks have come to define the Florida vacation experience as much as the beaches lining the coast—if not more.
Today, the theme park momentum shows no signs of slowing, as these huge entertainment complexes continue adding new attractions and reinventing themselves for new generations of travelers and new markets, including meetings and conventions.
Universal Appeal
One of the newest and most anticipated of all theme park additions came last summer, when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter materialized at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, delighting fans of the beloved book series who descended in droves to experience new thrill rides, quaff sweet, frothy butterbeer and roam the crooked streets of Hogsmeade Village, re-created in painstaking detail down to the last sugar quill at Honeydukes sweet shop.
The new land is part of over 250,000 square feet of destination-wide meeting space, including five themed amphitheaters, production soundstages ranging in size from 8,800 to 22,000 square feet, and the movie-themed street sets of Universal Studios—among them, New York City, Hollywood Boulevard, the San Francisco waterfront and the New England fishing village of Amity from the movie Jaws.
Universal group opportunities also include team-building activities and behind-the-scenes tours, along with "Ride and Dine" programs—an attraction followed by dinner at an onsite restaurant—that are ideal for groups of 20 to 75.
Theme Building
At 40 square miles, the Walt Disney World Resort occupies an area almost twice the size of Manhattan, and it’s still growing. In 2013, the resort will unveil the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history, a project that will nearly double the size of Fantasyland and deliver a new ride-through attraction based on Disney’s animated classic, The Little Mermaid.
For groups, new sports-themed programs were recently introduced at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where attendees can now compete in softball, volleyball, soccer or flag football tournaments, participate in a real-life version of the ESPN Poker Club Challenge or just relax and revel in the ultimate ESPN tailgate party.
It’s all part of a double-Manhattan-sized funscape for meetings that includes attractions and entertainment at all four theme parks, private VIP lounges and venues like the 45,000-square-foot World ShowPlace Pavilion at Epcot, "the largest dedicated private-event venue ever built inside a theme park," says Anne Hamilton, vice president of resort sales and services for Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
"We always work closely with planners to identify attractions, settings and entertainment that complement the meeting’s goals or theme, and we can take that event theme and weave it throughout the entire meeting. For example, an event at Expedition Everest offers an ideal theme to pump up a sales meeting or motivate a group tackling a serious business issue."
Serious with a splash of fun is the goal at Disney, where attendees also can dive into a six-million-gallon indoor aquarium at Epcot, take hula lessons in the lobby of Disney’s Polynesian Resort or tee off on one of four championship golf courses.
Water worlds
Dating back almost as far as the Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld Orlando has gone through its own impressive expansions over the years, adding the reservations-only park Discovery Cove, where guests swim with dolphins, hand-feed exotic birds and enjoy other interactive experiences. More recently, Seaworld’s water park, Aquatica, made its debut, featuring everything from rolling rapids to a lazy river, along with a tube slide that races alongside playful Commerson’s Dolphins.
Immersion in the undersea world will go even deeper this June when The Grand Reef opens at Discovery Cove, allowing guests to snorkel among canyons inspired by reefs from around the world as thousands of exotic fish and rays swim by. In Grand Reef’s new experience, SeaVenture, guests will don dive helmets and go for an underwater walking tour.
Above the waves, SeaWorld’s many function venues and attractions can accommodate groups of up to 10,000, whether you’re looking for an exclusive buyout or intimate encounters in a setting like Wild Arctic, where plated dinners for 50-130 are surrounded by polar bears, beluga whales and walruses.
Animal Attraction
West of Orlando, Busch Gardens takes a detour to Africa as guests go on safari across the 65-acre Serengeti Plain, coming "this close" to giraffes, zebra and ostriches. Other adventures include Rhino Rally, a brisk jeep ride that may stop at any time to let a huge rhino cross, and Jungala, set in the "Congo," where Bengal tigers are inches away. Meanwhile, at Lory Landing, you won’t need an iPhone to enjoy "tweeting," as feathered friends land on your head and shoulders.
For younger visitors who might be a little intimidated by such proximity to real animals, the new Sesame Street Safari of Fun features kid-sized rides, water play areas, climbing activities and dining opportunities with Sesame Street characters, including Elmo.
Young-at-heart attendees get their own areas, too, including the dedicated, multipurpose event facility, Gwazi Pavilion, which accommodates up to 300 for catered functions or meetings.
"We have many unique and memorable locations at Busch Gardens for all size groups," says Thomas Pfordresher, the park’s director of sales. "Our two most popular group venues are the Desert Grill restaurant, which seats up to 750 people for a sit-down meal, and our beautiful Crown Colony Restaurant, which overlooks our animals on the Serengeti Plain. Groups also can use our large theaters for meetings, or incorporate our animals and thrill rides into their activities," he adds.
Group events might also include special programs like the Serengeti Night Safari, which takes guests out to view free-roaming herds of giraffes, zebra, rhinos and other animals via night-vision monoculars and special filtered lighting. The tour begins and ends in the exclusive Safari Club, with savory appetizers and beverages, and a nightcap complete with coffee and desserts.
