DESTINATION
Orange County Convention Center
FLORIDA
ORLANDO, FORT LAUDERDALE AND MIAMI EXPAND THEIR CONVENTION CENTERS
By Anthony Bilden
T
he Sunshine State has always shone brightly in the national meetings market. The strongest draws for convention groups continue to be Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and their massive, state-ofthe-art convention centers are a major part of the cities’ value proposition. But a convention center cannot remain “state of the art,” nor realize its growing business potential, without periodic investment in its facilities. Both the Orange County Convention Center and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center are set to complete expansions in 2023, opening up new possibilities for their existing clients and helping to accommodate new clients. The Miami Beach Convention Center’s recently increased exhibit and ballroom space brings the same advantages. Whether a group partners with Florida’s first-tier convention centers or its second-tier ones, such as the Palm Beach County Convention Center or Daytona Beach’s Ocean Center, the state’s familiar virtues are always present: affordability, outdoor recreational opportunities, a laidback yet business-ready ambiance, and, of course, plenty of sunshine.
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ORLANDO
It might be said that Orlando is always in a development stage, with new hotels, theme park attractions and even airport enhancements, the latest of which is the new South Terminal Complex opening in 2021. But from a meetings standpoint, undoubtedly the most significant development is the Orange County Convention Center’s $605 million expansion, which will bring the total exhibit space to 2.3 million sq. ft. by 2023. As always, Walt Disney World Resort is a major player in Orlando’s development. During last year’s IMEX Las Vegas exhibition, F&D staff attended an event at which Disney’s artists and “imagineers” described the detail they put into their work so as to create unique experiences for guests. In designing the world of Batuu, part of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction at Disney resorts, for example, Middle Eastern souks were visited in order to add a realistic feel to the outer space marketplaces in the fictional world. The Disney Meetings & Events teams display a similar attention to detail when utilizing the theme parks’ resources to craft unique events for groups. In addition to artists and imagineers, actors, singers, culinary teams, florists and others FACILITIES & DESTINATIONS 2020 SPRING
