In the last year, the sheer volume of new meeting and event facilities that have opened or are in the process of opening in Orlando is staggering.
A fourth major theme park, Legoland, has joined the three existing parks, Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld, all of which are undergoing substantial expansions themselves. And that’s to say nothing of The Amway Center, a new, 20,000-plus-seat arena that opened about 18 months ago near downtown Orlando and is home to the NBA’s Orlando Magic, and four major new hotels as well as several undergoing extensive renovation projects.
Add to that a downtown that is increasingly a destination with a separate identity featuring nightlife, dining, and, of course, the country’s largest convention center, and it’s little wonder that Gary Sain, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, Orlando and Orange County’s convention and visitors bureau, predicts that 2012 “is going to be a record year.”
“We had a very good year last year—probably the top year we have had as far as attendance—close to 1.2 million attendees,” says Sain. “And we think this year has the potential to do more.”
Then There Were Four
Having opened in October, the 150-acre Legoland Florida theme park is already expanding, with the Legoland Water Park set to launch this summer. Located in Winter Haven, FL, between Orlando and Tampa, it features a variety of Lego-themed amusement park rides, live shows, and a Miniland USA with eight distinct areas made out of Lego, including Florida (encompassing the entire state, from Key West’s Mallory Square to the antebellum mansions of the Panhandle). Other areas include Daytona International Speedway, Kennedy Space Center, and Pirate Shores, as well as California, New York, Washington, DC, and Las Vegas.
While Legoland is not yet hosting private corporate events, having focused on its core family leisure market over the past six months, the MICE market is something it is definitely planning to cater to, a spokesperson said.
The Magic Kingdom Grows
The granddaddy of all theme parks is not sitting on its hands, either. Beginning last month and continuing in stages through next year, the original heart of Disney World, The Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland, will double in size, adding many potential new group event settings.
First up is the Storybook Circus, with rides and attractions based on Dumbo, as well as the Great Goofini Coaster, and an interactive role-play adventure game that turns attendees into sorcerer’s apprentices battling a host of Disney villains. Later this year, a new ride-through attraction, Under the Sea—Journey of the Little Mermaid, will open. Other attractions include a new rollercoaster based on Snow White called the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Enchanted Tales with Belle in the new Belle Fairytale Hall.
In January, Exotic Driving Experience brought supercars like the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4, Ferrari 458 Italia, and Porsche 997 Carrera to the one-mile Exotics Course at the Walt Disney World Speedway. It was created by one of the Speedway’s longer-term tenants, The Richard Petty Driving Experience, which has a long history of catering to the corporate group, incentive, and teambuilding market. The Speedway is shared by the Indy Racing Experience, which also runs corporate group events.
And this fall, a new 45,000-square-foot, 31-lane Splitsville bowling alley will roll into Downtown Disney’s West Side. The retro attraction will also have billiards, dining, dancing, and an outdoor patio. Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is offering up a number of new teambuilding and special event options, including an ESPN Poker Club Challenge, tailgate parties for up to 1,000, and sporting tournaments.
SeaWorld Chills Out
Three major new attractions are coming to SeaWorld Orlando, joining the new Shamu show One Ocean that debuted last year at the 5,000-person Shamu Stadium.
The first, coming this spring, is TurtleTrek, an attraction that combines two habitats—a freshwater tank with fish and manatees, and a saltwater tank with a dozen sea turtles as well as fish. After that, guests enter a theater, which can hold 190 visitors, for an immersive 3D movie about the journey of sea turtles projected on a 360-degree dome.
When the new Grand Reef saltwater exhibit at Discovery Cove opened last year, the old reef was closed. This spring it will reopen as Freshwater Oasis, an all-inclusive tropical resort where guests swim with dolphins, hand-feed tropical birds, snorkel among thousands of colorful fish and rays, and relax on pristine beaches.
And in the spring of 2013, SeaWorld will debut one of its largest attractions ever, Antarctica–Empire of the Penguin, featuring animal
interactions and rides.
Don’t Just Potter Around
Along with a pair of revamped shows, the Universal Orlando Resort’s Universal Studios Florida—home of the wildly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter—will unveil a new attraction this summer, timed to coincide with the July 3 release of Despicable Me 2. The Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a 3D adventure in which participants are recruited as minions. It begins with a less-than-perfect minion training session, followed by an interactive, minion-inspired dance party where they can show off their moves.
In February, Universal Orlando’s Blue Man Group unveiled an enhanced show with a new set, new music, new technology, and new experiences focused on engaging and exploring the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology. Blue Man Group offers a variety of group packages in its 1,000-seat theater, and shows can be combined with receptions or group dinners.
Finally, one of the most popular attractions, the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, has been revamped with new and improved 3D visuals and upgrades to the set, audio, and lighting systems.
Business and Pleasure Outside of the Parks
The 875,000-square-foot Amway Center’s corporate venues include a wide variety of game-day suites, with capacities ranging from 32 to 60, a hospitality room overlooking downtown Orlando with a capacity of 250, the rooftop Sky Club bar with indoor/outdoor space for up to 300, a full-sized practice court seating 500 for events, and five banquet rooms and one boardroom on the club level floor. The 31,000-square-foot arena floor is also available for exhibitions, meetings, and events.
Florida EcoSafari’s at Forever Florida, a 4,700-acre nature preserve in St. Cloud, FL, has unveiled a slightly tamer addition to its seven-cable Zipline Safari, the largest in the state. The hourlong Cypress Canopy Cycle excursion takes guests on what is basically a recumbent cycle mounted on a zipline cable over Cypress trees and wetlands, past locals ranging from butterflies to the pond where George, the 13-foot, 60-year-old alligator, resides, among other sights. Indoor event facilities include the Cypress Restaurant and Visitor Center for groups of up to 200.
New and Updated Hotels
Walt Disney World’s newest property is Disney’s Art of Animation resort, which will have four wings, each based on and decorated with art from four modern Disney classics: Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. A value property made up mainly of family suites, the resort will open in stages, beginning in May with the family suite wing’s 1,120 accommodations, and followed at the end of the year by the 864 standard rooms in The Little Mermaid wing.
In October, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts opened the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek, located inside the Walt Disney World Resort gates in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The 400-room luxury property overlooks a 10-acre lake and the Walt Disney World parks, and has concierge floors, a zero-entry, lagoon-style pool, several restaurants, and more than 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, including an 8,000-square-foot ballroom and pool deck that can accommodate 400.
Looking further out at Disney World, ground was finally broken late last year on the long-delayed Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, a 444-room luxury property now set to open in 2014. The property will feature several restaurants, including a rooftop venue with views of the Magic Kingdom, a 14,000-square-foot spa and a fitness center, several pools, sports and recreational facilities, and meeting and event space.
In Orlando proper, the new Doubletree by Hilton Orlando Downtown opened last May, overlooking Lake Ivanhoe near the downtown business district and 20 minutes from the Orange County Convention Center. The 341-room hotel specializes in small meetings in its 20,000 square feet of space, which can accommodate 10 to 1,000. Amenities include a heated rooftop pool, complementary high-speed Wi-Fi, and state-of-the-art A/V.
The 1,406-room Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center is finishing up a $50 million renovation project set for completion this spring. Aside from room renovations, including new flat-screen televisions, furniture, and linens, the property is adding several indoor and outdoor venues to its 400,000-plus square feet of meeting space. The 10,000-square-foot Coquina event lawn can hold up to 1,100. The palm-lined, adults-only South Beach Pool can host up to 1,400 reception-style. Overlooking it is the two-story Wreckers Sports Bar which can seat 400 and has amenities including a dance floor and more than 50 televisions. Two new meeting planner offices near the main ballrooms have conference seating for 18, sofas, and lockable storage cabinets.
In October, the 781-room, aquatic-themed Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld wrapped up a five-year, $35 million renovation project that included an overhaul of its 23 second-floor meeting rooms, and the addition of an 8,000-square-foot function lawn that can accommodate 1,000 or be combined with another to hold up to 2,000. The property also added the Atlantis Kitchen, designed for group functions and cooking classes using unexpected tools like liquid nitrogen. It holds up to 50, and can be expanded to accommodate 200 for a reception.
Also in October, the 582-room Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes and its sister property, the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, unveiled a $28-million room decor overhaul, adding a contemporary, soothing color palette and state-of-the-art technology including plasma televisions with iPad, iPhone, and laptop connectivity. Earlier last year, the Ritz-Carlton added a new four-bedroom Royal Suite, which at 4,293 square feet with a dining room that can seat 10, is the luxury brand’s largest in the United States. The two properties have combined meeting space totaling 147,000 square feet. This year, the JW Marriott will renovate its ballrooms during the summer slow season; in 2013 and 2014, the Ritz-Carlton will redo its space during the same timeframe.