By Lisa Simundson
In the heart of Central Florida, Greater Orlando continues to grow on every front—hospitality, entertainment, dining and, of course, the theme parks that seem to have no limit on their creativity and innovation. For planners, the variety for events seems endless.
“Orlando sets itself apart as a meetings destination by continuously growing and evolving its portfolio of incredible meeting options and providing world-class hospitality,” says Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. “Our community’s commitment to innovation and service appeals to planners as it allows them to create events that are truly memorable.”
Universal Orlando Resort’s fourth theme park, Universal Epic Universe, is set for a May 2025 opening, joining the other Universal Orlando venues available for private group events, including Islands of Adventure, CityWalk and Universal Studios—which just added Wicked: the Experience, immersing guests in such iconic locations as Shiz University and the Emerald City.
Joining Universal Epic Universe will be two new hotels adding 1,500 new rooms plus a host of stellar amenities—Universal Stella Nova Resort, opening Jan. 21, 2025, and Universal Terra Luna Resort, opening March 25, 2025.
Not to be outdone, Walt Disney World Resort is set to unveil a host of magical experiences in 2025, including The Little Mermaid – a Musical Adventure, splashing down at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in summer 2025; Spaceship Earth Lounge at Epcot, offering an intimate setting for food and drink overlooking World Celebration Gardens; and coming to Animal Kingdom in winter 2025, Zootopia: Better Together, a 4-D production at the Tree of Life Theater.
All these “worlds” become part of the corporate world via Disney Meetings & Events, which stages conferences, product launches and board meetings with its unmatched creative storytelling at Disney resorts. Larger association trade shows, fundraisers and conventions benefit from Disney’s Exhibitor Concierge Service, working directly with your trade show exhibitors to save you time and resources.
Disney Lakeshore Lodge, an all-new Disney Vacation Club resort, is set to open in 2027. The new nature-themed property will be located along the waters of Bay Lake near the Magic Kingdom.
But perhaps the biggest news in Disney accommodations came from the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, which has broken ground on its latest expansion, an addition of 120,000 sf of event space to increase its current meeting and convention floorplan. When completed in 2026, the expansion will bring the total meeting space to 469,000 sf between the resort complex’s three properties—the Swan, Dolphin and Swan Reserve—making it one of the largest convention properties on the East Coast.
In other Orlando accommodations news, Caribe Royale Orlando, the newly reimagined all-suite resort, just announced an official partnership with the NBA’s Orlando Magic to serve as an official hotel partner for the organization. The resort’s Stadium Club, an immersive restaurant and sports entertainment destination, has been named “The Ultimate Orlando Magic Watch Party Location” as a part of its partnership.
Throughout the season, Stadium Club will host official watch parties for Orlando Magic games, allowing fans to feel transported by viewing the game on the club’s immersive 110-ft-long wrap-around ribbon display television, providing 360-degree viewing. It’s an exciting addition that lends itself to great teambuilding moments.
The Conrad Orlando—part of the Evermore Orlando Resort campus—opened a year ago with a convention area separate from the rest of the resort and boasting 65,000 sf of space as well as its own entrance and registration desk.
Coming to Downtown Orlando in early 2027, the Kimpton Orlando—with 216 rooms, indoor meeting space, onsite dining and a pool bar—will be part of Orlando’s mixed-use sports and entertainment district across from the Kia Center.
Meanwhile, the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is getting a $900 million expansion that was split into two phases, 5A and 5B, with 5A consisting of a Convention Way Grand Concourse, an additional 44,000 sf of meeting space and a 100,000-sf ballroom, along with a new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. Interrupted by the pandemic, construction on phase 5A will start in 2025, with 5B—including a 200,000-sf column-free exhibition hall—is projected for 2029.
Everything new in Orlando is balanced by the tried-and-true—and one of those is the Rosen Centre, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary but still remains a premier and in-demand meeting hotel. Centrally located on International Drive and connected to the OCCC, the 1,334-ft tower offers nine dining options and 150,000-sf of meeting space, including the 35,000-sf Grand Ballroom.
If your group longs for a more low-key experience in Central Florida—and your budget could use a break—minutes from the theme park hub is Orlando North, a natural wonderland boasting miles of scenic rivers and acres of lush parks offering kayaking, hiking, birdwatching and fishing.
Groups paddling the Wekiva River—one of only two National Wild & Scenic Rivers in Florida—will glide under a canopy of cypress and hardwood trees, taking in subtropical vegetation and Florida’s distinctive wading birds including the great blue heron, great egret and the little blue heron.
Equipment rentals, restaurants and an art gallery are available on Wekiva Island, which is also open to private events. Settings include 10 riverside cabanas, the gallery and gallery conference room and the Mike Barr Education & Learning Center, with catering options also available.
Hotel-based meetings are hosted at a variety of properties, including the 309-room Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs, offering over 19,000 sf of event space, including 14 meeting rooms; and the 253-room Westin Lake Mary Orlando North, where nearly 15,000 sf of event space includes nine breakout rooms.
Recently renovated, the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary boasts bold colors and curvilinear shapes to give a modern edge to the design. The 307-property offers 14,000 sf of meeting and event spaces, including two outdoor terraces.
Set on Disney’s doorstep, Kissimmee offers its own one-of-a-kind attractions, many great for group outings, who will scream together at Fun Spot America, home to Florida’s only wooden rollercoaster along with an arcade, go-karting and the new Up and Overboard, a massive 60-ft inverted pendulum ride.
Also this spring, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live returns to Osceola Heritage Park, home to the 10,500-seat Silver Spurs Arena, the 60,000-sf Events Center, the indoor/outdoor Heritage Club and the 5,400-seat Osceola County Stadium, together accommodating a vast array of meetings, trade shows and private events of all kinds.
Hotel-based meeting space can be found at the newly rebranded Inn at Celebration (formerly the Celebration Hotel), showing off airy, bright interiors and vibrant greenery along with seven event venues hosting everything from intimate workshops to full-scale classroom sessions.
Kissimmee’s largest meetings property is the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, a Marriott Bonvoy hotel, with nearly 500,000 sf of event space including 76 breakout rooms.
Home to some of the state’s newest and oldest attractions, Polk County has a hometown vibe with charming towns tucked within its leafy, rolling hills, best seen in the lovely town of Lake Wales. Fitting right into that bucolic countryside is Bok Tower Gardens, a nearly-hundred-year-old attraction whose defining feature is the 60-bell Singing Tower Carillon, which plays 30-minute bell concerts twice daily. Group tours and facility rentals are available.
Another venerable Florida attraction Cypress Gardens—home of thrilling water ski shows and Southern belles decked out in antebellum finery—lives on at LEGOLAND Resort, which stands where Cypress Gardens once did and still maintains its lush botanical gardens.
Events take flight at Polk County’s Florida Air Museum in Lakeland, whose priceless collection of aerial designs, classics, ultralights, antiques and warbirds spans the early decades of aviation. The 200-acre campus also offers an array of special event spaces, from boardrooms and clubhouses to aircraft hangars and wide-open grassy areas.
For larger events and conferences, Lakeland’s RP Funding Center boasts more than 60,000 sf of meeting space, a 3,600-seat arena and a 2,200-seat theater. Two headquarter hotels—the Hyatt Place Lakeland Center and the Marriott Spring Hill Suites—offer more than 250 rooms, with an additional 1,500 rooms within a 3-mile radius.
Nearby Winter Haven checks in with the AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center, which opened in 2020 with nearly 80,000 sf of multi-use space, while in downtown Winter Haven, which is undergoing an urban rebirth, a new Staybridge Suites offers 108 rooms.
Known in the equestrian community for its thoroughbred horse farms and equestrian-related events, Ocala/Marion County spreads out into a world of deep forests, freshwater springs, hundreds of lakes and rivers, historic town centers and elevated meeting facilities.
“Ocala/Marion County is growing as a destination to host larger meetings and events, as well as continuing to be a great and unique option for more intimate events,” says Loretta Shaffer, Director of Tourist Development, Marion County Board of County Commissioners. “From stunning barns in horse country to local art galleries and breweries in historic downtown Ocala, our area offers variety with charm for planners.”
Long a driving force in the world of thoroughbred racing, Ocala/Marion County has opened that culture to meetings at the World Equestrian Center, featuring two luxury hotels offering a combined total of 638 rooms. The Center boasts two state-of-the-art expo centers, each providing 132,300 sf of continuous column-free space with ample amenities. Additionally, a new 180,000- sf Event Center is scheduled to open in 2025, including 80,000 sf of traditional meeting spaces.
“The World Equestrian Center is the location for VISIT FLORIDA’s Florida Huddle and Florida Encounter in 2025,” Shaffer says, adding, “with more venues, comes more places to stay as well. Multiple new hotels are set to open over the next couple years in the destination.”
Shaffer says that some of these new properties include an extended-stay style hotel, a Staybridge Suites Ocala-near Equestrian-Aquatics, and two additional hotels in downtown Ocala—AC Hotel by Marriott and Tapestry by Hilton.
Heading to the Central West coast, the Bradenton area—including Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key—is known for its unspoiled beaches, rich history, the easy pace of island life and a downtown energized with arts, culture and great dining. This area set between St. Petersburg and Sarasota is known as being one of the few destinations in the state to have successfully preserved the feel of authentic Florida while experiencing major growth.
If there was one thing missing in this coastal treasure, it was a renovation of their Bradenton Area Convention Center. That’s about to change, says Elliott Falcione, Executive Director of the Bradenton Area CVB.
“We’re in the middle of a $53 million expansion and renovation of our convention center. It’s the last void in our toolbelt,” Falcione says. “When it’s finished, we’ll have the largest convention center from St. Petersburg to Naples.”
Falcione says the expansion is due for completion by mid- to late-2025 and the center will stay open during the renovation. Meanwhile, the newly opened Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa—now the largest resort in the Bradenton area—will be connected to the center via a climate-controlled corridor.
The area’s closest gateway, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport will welcome a Sheltair private aviation complex, scheduled to begin operations in Q4 2025.
Tampa Bay is used to the spotlight. With four Super Bowls, two World Series games, four Stanley Cup finals and a Republican National Convention under its belt, it’s safe to say the area can handle whatever the meetings world throws at it.
“Tampa Bay’s best-in-class meeting venues, magnificent hotels, world-class dining and scenic beauty make it the ideal location for gatherings of every size,” says Santiago C. Corrada, President & CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “Combine all that with Visit Tampa Bay’s meeting incentives programs and award-winning customer service, and it’s clear why Tampa Bay is the destination of choice for convention professionals looking for the perfect place to wow and inspire attendees as they meet to advance their organization’s goals.”
Indeed, last October in Hillsborough County, hotel revenue exceeded $100 million for the first time, while October’s hotel occupancy rate was 78.5 percent, a 14 percent increase over October 2023. But there’s more—as of the end of their FY 2024, Tampa Bay’s taxable hotel revenue topped $1 billion for the second year in a row.
“Ultimately, this success comes down to our Hillsborough County, City of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City leadership, and our more than 900 partners who are the backbone of our hospitality industry,” Corrada said when the figures were released. “They’ve set a benchmark for welcoming visitors that is second to none and made Tampa Bay a destination of choice.”
As a “thank you” to meeting planners, Visit Tampa Bay has designed three incentives: Bonus for Bookings, Treasured Savings and Discover Treasures. Contact the sales department at visittampabay.com for more information.
The CVB also has a new program recognizing the positive impact of meetings and conventions—Meeting the Moment, an annual honor for organizations and events that demonstrate a commitment to CSR by integrating sustainable, social responsibility and community-focused initiatives into their programs.
When meetings and conventions are in town, venue choices include the waterfront Tampa Convention Center, which recently completed the addition of 18 new meeting rooms. In close proximity are the Hilton Tampa Downtown, the JW Marriott Water Street and the Westin Tampa Waterside, among many others.
Located in the stylish Hyde Park district of South Tampa, the award-winning Epicurean Hotel recently completed a $21 million expansion that added new meeting space. Located directly across Howard Avenue from Epicurean’s 137-room main hotel, the expansion adds 51 new guest rooms and suites, a private lobby, a rooftop terrace and new function space that includes the 794-sf Chateau Room, accommodating up to 50 guests and featuring an 8-foot video wall.
West of Tampa Bay, this sunny enclave boasts award-winning beaches and a globally recognized art scene that includes the largest collection of Salvador Dali works outside Europe. While museums like the Dali are outstanding here, it’s also an outdoor lover’s paradise, with hiking, biking, kayaking, parasailing, boating and championship-level golf available year-round in the place that holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive days of sunshine.
“We’re on the west coast of Florida, so we also get the best sunsets,” says Kayla Freeman, Sales Manager for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. “Also, downtown St. Petersburg is really walkable, so it’s perfect for groups.”
Upcoming hotels in St. Pete/Clearwater include the Moxy St. Petersburg Downtown, now open, and the Alanik Hotel on Clearwater Beach, whose 2025 opening is TBD.
Also due early 2025 is the long-awaited Opal Sol—sister property to the Opal Sands—with 248 panoramic Gulf-front suites and 57,000 sf of event space, for a total of more than 106,000 sf of space when combined with the Opal Sands.
“The two properties will be connected by skybridge, so we think of it as our mini-conference center,” Freeman says.
The peninsula’s resort-based meeting space also includes the Island Grand at TradeWinds, with 381 guestrooms and 29 meeting rooms; and the fabled Don CeSar with 22,000 sf of meeting space.
Get attendees moving and connecting at the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, with signature experiences including sunset cruises and dolphin watching excursions, a private custom boat cruise, bike tours and a beach “fitcation.” Meeting space at the Wyndham Grand includes elegantly appointed ballrooms and a variety of meeting and event rooms.
Tucked away within the natural beauty of Clearwater Beach, the JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa will transport attendees to a peaceful retreat that includes private balconies overlooking pristine waters, a scenic 11th floor pool and the sumptuous Spa by JW. Thoughtfully designed meeting space includes floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the vibrant coastal scenery, with gourmet dining options that relax and revive your group members
Your group will work and play hard on Florida’s Sports Coast, north of Tampa in Pasco County, where you’ll score points with attendees for incredible teambuilding and one-of-a-kind bonding experiences, from laid-back nature walks to adrenaline-pumping activities like skydiving and hot-air ballooning.
When it’s time to head indoors for a meeting, creative space is available at the Pasco-Hernando State College, Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and the Center for the Arts in New Port Richey.
Located just 30 minutes from downtown Tampa, the private and elegant rooms of Stonebridge in Dade City include the Southern Blue Barn, which offers a modern, upscale and rustic setting.
Also about 30 minutes from Tampa’s downtown core, large groups fit right in at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, which kicked off a renovation of its lobby and rooms and suites last summer and just added a new 13-acre driving range to complement its 27 holes of golf. This sprawling village-style resort offers 95,000 sf of versatile, inviting event space.
On a smaller scale, superior hotel- and resort-based meeting facilities are found at the Hyatt Place Tampa Wesley Chapel, with 6,400 sf of versatile space including seven flexible meeting rooms, the largest being the Sierra Ballroom hosting up to 655 attendees.
Also in Wesley Chapel, the Hilton Garden Inn boasts six meeting rooms, onsite catering and state-of-the-art AV equipment.