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The 400-foot-tall Orlando Eye can accommodate groups of up to 5,000 at its location off International Drive.
Name an organization filled with members who are working to solve big challenges, and there’s a good chance they’re coming to Orlando soon. The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Hematology, and American Association of Orthodontists are just a few of the leading groups that will convene in Central Florida over the next year.
Those meetings were booked long ago, but there’s some great news for those groups — and every other meeting planner looking for a destination to deliver an unforgettable attendee experience: Known as The City Beautiful, Orlando is getting even more attractive. Below, a roundup of what’s in store for Orlando’s hotels, meeting venues, and beyond.
More Accommodations
With a collection of more than 132,000 hotel rooms — including over 5,200 connected to the Orange County Convention Center via pedestrian bridge — Orlando has always offered an impressive hotel package. Room blocks are getting bigger and better with new projects, including:
Universal Orlando Resort — 2,000 rooms have been added near the new Universal Epic Universe, now offering limited group event options within the park’s five imaginative worlds. Attendees can stay nearby, thanks to the new 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel, which also offers nearly 5,000 square feet of meeting space. Plus, the new Universal Stella Nova and Terra Luna Resorts have another 1,500 rooms.
Villatel Orlando Resort — The world’s biggest hotel brand chose Orlando to debut a new concept, the first-ever Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy Resort. Villatel Orlando Resort’s 270 themed villas are ideal for corporate retreats, offering plenty of space for getting down to business. Plus, amenities like in-house theaters, arcades, and a water park will make attendees feel like that business trip is also a vacation.
Major Upgrades — Big changes are happening at some of Orlando’s most sought-after meetings properties: A $127-million overhaul of the Caribe Royale Orlando, a $275-million renovation and expansion of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, and multi-million projects at properties such as the Waldorf Astoria Orlando and the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.
The largest expansion project in the history of Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Resort includes a 120,000-square-foot expansion of the event space at the Dolphin.
More Culinary Accolades
In addition to their sunglasses, attendees are going to want to bring their appetites. The city boasts 59 Michelin-recognized restaurants, including the stunning Two-Star Sorekara in Baldwin Park where attendees can feast on 20 courses of reimagined Japanese cuisine. A focus on extraordinary flavors unites all of Orlando’s unique neighborhoods, a reminder to groups to stretch out and explore new concepts across the city’s entire 110-square-mile footprint: Raise a toast downtown at Sparrow Wine Bar and Lounge, enjoy a hand-roll bar from James Beard Award finalist chef Henry Moso at Mosonori in Winter Park, or feast on an A5 wagyu hot pot at NABE in Dr. Phillips.
For some of the best flavors in Orlando, try one of the two tasting menus on offer at Ômo by Jônt, a Michelin One-Star restaurant in Winter Park.
More Convention Space
Currently spanning 7million square feet, the Orange County Convention Center can accommodate just about any type of program. But by 2029, the Grand Course Expansion will give planners even more room with a new 100,000-square-foot ballroom in the North-South Building and an additional 44,000 square feet of meeting space. What’s after that? More growth. A second phase is in the works to add 200,000 more square feet of exhibit space.
To learn more about the next chapter of conventions in Orlando, head to the official Visit Orlando website.
