Meeting-goers find more than just Mickey Mouse in Orlando
Meeting and convention boosters in Orlando have obviously succeeded in breaking the stereotype of being just a place for kids, theme parks and, of course, Mickey Mouse. The evidence is in the numbers: Despite the recession, Orlando welcomed a record-breaking almost 52 million visitors last year, an increase of more than 10 percent over 2009.
Orlando, as one newspaper put it, “is defying the recession.”
Because of its theme parks, it seems at times an unlikely place for convention-goers.
Meeting groups that in the past may have just wanted to have their meetings are adding on extra days, often to take to the theme parks, says Tammi Runzler, Visit Orlando’s senior vp of convention and sales.
Many attendees have helped swell the record number of visitors to Universal’s Islands of Adventure, where the new Harry Potter attraction has been highly popular.
The entire area is in the midst of a US$4 billion construction boom, tourism officials say. Disney is part of that boom and plans new attractions in the next couple of years.
The local CVB has put meetings into the status of priority by doubling the size of its event services department and setting up a dedicated staff to “really help with groups who need extra attention, more than they can get from just the hotels,” said Shelley Maccini, executive director of the CVB.
Tourism and meeting officials have publicized the theme parks but also are selling Orlando as a place for golf, fine dining and many other varied activities that go well beyond Walt Disney World.
Even neighboring Seminole County, known as a bedroom community for commuters, has been prospering by selling itself as a “natural” escape from the bustling theme parks. They’re selling canoeing and kayaking with the county’s 2,000 freshwater lakes and rivers.
The area is close to Daytona Beach for those who want to combine theme park activities with beachfront visits. As an added attraction, CVB officials say their hotels are a third less expensive than Orlando’s.
“We’re so centrally located: just 30 minutes from the attractions, 30 minutes from the beaches. It’s just a perfect location for people who are here for meetings,” said Sharon Sears, executive director of the Seminole County CVB.
By David Wilkening
David
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