Join the Conversation
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@VisitOrlando gives fans a whole new perspective on how to enjoy a burger with its "Slider Cam" at Walt Disney Word Resort's Rockin' Burger Block Party during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
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Visit Orlando Events
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Oct. 20
Business Referral Group
Canvas Restaurant & Market
13615 Sachs Avenue
Orlando, FL 32827
Cost: $25 inclusive
Click here to RSVP.
Nov. 3
Member Orientation
Click here to register.
Member Presents
Members interested in targeting the meetings and convention market can present their products or services during monthly, 30-minute sessions with Destination Services. Click here to schedule a session.
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Member-to-Member Offers |
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NYZ Orlando would like to offer Visit Orlando members the chance to win tickets to the Solar Bears Halloween hockey game on Oct. 29 at the Amway Center. No purchase necessary. Representatives of the first 15 Visit Orlando member organizations that email info@nyzorlando.com will each win two tickets to the game. Please include "Visit Orlando Member Offer" in the subject line.
Escapology would like to offer Visit Orlando members a special discount of 20 percent off the online price of $29 from now through Oct. 31. Book online and receive the discount by using code VISIT.
Itta Bena Restaurant would like to offer Visit Orlando members who book their Holiday Party with the restaurant by Oct. 31, complimentary passed appetizers, complimentary dessert bar or Red Carpet Entrance & Champagne Toast. *Restrictions apply. For more information, contact Robin Katz at 407-248-1194 or rkatz@ittabena.com.
Florida Hospitality Industry Association would like to extend a $5 discount on Florida HIA Membership to Visit Orlando members and employees until Nov. 30. Enjoy more than 50 free attractions along with hundreds of exclusive discounts around the state.
The Palms Hotel & Villas is offering a special rate for members, relatives and friends of $65 plus tax for a suites-style condominium, including resort fee. They can accommodate up to six people in each suite. This is based on availability until Dec. 2016. For additional information or to book rooms, call 407-396-2229 ext. 2205.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort is more than a stay, it is a place to play. Enjoy seven swimming pools, including a lazy river-style pool, waterslides, miniature golf courses, arcades, four golf courses, tennis, an 80-acre lake with plenty of watersports, a fun zone, and more. Visit Orlando members save up to 10 percent off your stay. Call 407-477-7029 to reserve.
Annie Russell Theatre at Rollins College is offering Visit Orlando members $10 off a season subscription. For $55, you'll receive one ticket to The Foreigner, Upton Abbey: An Improvised Comedy of English Manors, A Piece of My Heart, and Urinetown, The Musical. Visit rollins.edu/annie for tickets and use code: VISITORLANDO.
Dollar Off Drinks is extending a 20 percent discount on their six-month and one-year memberships to Visit Orlando members. To redeem, use promo code: visitorlando.
Orlando City Soccer Club would like to extend discounted group tickets to Visit Orlando members. They can go to orlandocitysc.com/visitorlando and use the promo code VISITORL to purchase discounted tickets for any of the last five home games this season.
Sammy Duvall Watersports, located behind Disney's Contemporary Resort, is proud to offer Visit Orlando members 10 percent off all water activities (parasailing, personal watercraft, wake boarding, water skiing and more) now through Dec. 31, 2016. To claim this offer, call 407-939-0754 or email reservations@sammyduvall.com, and mention the offer code "visitorlando10" when booking.
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Industry Events
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida, Visit Orlando's charity partner, is in need of holiday gifts for the more than 700 children in their program. As we prepare for the holiday season, please consider donating $10 gift cards for the "Holiday Little Gift Giveaway" event to be held Dec. 10. Gift cards can be delivered or mailed to Kristin Rothbauer at Visit Orlando, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Suite 400, Orlando, FL 32821. Or, you can make a financial donation online at bbbscfl.org.
Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores is having their 20th Anniversary Red Carpet Event on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. To RSVP, call 407.238.9301 ext. 104 or go online. Industry partners only.
La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil is offering Florida's hospitality employees, and as many as five guests per employee, up to 36 percent in savings on tickets for Thursday-night shows from Oct. 4 to Dec. 16. Discounted ticket prices start at $48 and are available for purchase now at www.lanouba.com. Hospitality employee ID or paystub required.
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Community Events |
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Connect With Visit Orlando |
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Be sure to follow @VisitOrlando on Instagram and Twitter, fan us at facebook.com/VisitOrlando or watch YouTube.com/VisitOrlando for more insider information about the world's most famous destination!
To sign up for our e-newsletter, click here.
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President & CEO's Message |
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Oct. 14, 2016
Orlando Dining Gets Magical Response
Fueling excitement for Orlando's culinary scene, WalletHub just named our destination "Best Foodie City." Among 150 major U.S. metro areas, Orlando was top on the list, which ranked everything from food festivals to the accessibility of high-quality restaurants.
This coveted designation came on the heels of Magical Dining Month, which helped Visit Orlando capture more of the attention of the Florida market while creating even more excitement for our community. Initial reports suggest a record number of diners turned out for the event in September. Taking notice was an impressive list of media outlets and tastemakers. Enthusiasm surrounding Magical Dining was impossible to miss with coverage in print, on television and nearly every social media channel.
In total, a record 96 restaurants participated - 19 for the first time - and a who's who of acclaimed chefs gave area food-lovers plenty to explore during this month-long celebration. Driving the buzz behind this year's event was the just-revealed Visit Orlando app, which let diners easily search menus, pull up directions and book their own culinary experiences. Best of all, Magical Dining Month allowed guests to dine for a cause. A dollar from every meal will go to support The Russell Home for Atypical Children, the first non-profit in the nation to care for special needs children and "child-like" adults in a caring, forever home.
The Best Foodie City award and the success of this year's Magical Dining Month confirm what we already know: Orlando's dining scene has never tasted so good and there's much to be discovered by simply exploring our destination in our own backyard.
-George Aguel
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From the Research & Insights Desk of Visit Orlando |
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Strong Q4 at the Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center has had a very good year and is on track for record convention-tradeshow attendance in 2016. Convention-Tradeshow attendance at the Center was up 2 percent through August to more than 884,000 attendees, the highest total ever for the Jan-Aug period. Looking ahead to Q4, convention and tradeshow attendance is expected to exceed prior year levels in each of the remaining months, with cumulative attendance in Q4 up 29 percent over last year.
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Visit Orlando Updates |
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Visit Orlando Leading IMEX America Delegation
Visit Orlando's President and CEO George Aguel will be leading the organization's largest delegation of members, 16, at IMEX America next week in Las Vegas. IMEX America sets the pace for doing business on an international scale. Increasing in size and scope annually, this event features the largest Hosted Buyer Program in North America with more than 3,000 Hosted buyers and more than 2,000 other trade buyers from the United States and 69 other countries. Visit Orlando is also hosting a key client and media breakfast event.
NYT Features Orlando's Halloween Festivities
The New York Times highlighted Orlando as a top Halloween travel destination, resulting from proactive media outreach from Visit Orlando's Public Relations Team. We have been pitching Orlando as "Halloween Capital of the World" and have generated local media coverage on this angle in the Orlando Sentinel, trade coverage in
Travel Pulse
, with more national and Florida-focused coverage expected in the coming weeks.
WestJet: Orlando a Reason to Travel This Winter
Visit Orlando's Public Relations Team secured coverage in WestJet Magazine (the inflight publication for the Canadian airline). Reaching more than 2 million readers, the article encourages them to "visit this family friendly theme-park destination in January or February for shorter lineups and major savings." It appeared both in print and online.
Team Gathers at ASAE Summit Awards Dinner
Visit Orlando team members along with more than 2,000 industry professionals gathered at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 5 to attend the ASAE's 17th Annual Power of A - Summit Awards Dinner. ASAE's signature event showcases the unique and indispensable role associations play in bettering communities, fostering volunteer efforts and harnessing the collective expertise of their members to ensure a better quality of life. Proceeds from the Summit Awards Dinner benefit ASAE's Power of A Fund, which provides the resources ASAE needs to lobby Congress, activate grassroots networks, perform research and education.
Meeting Planners Get Familiar With Destination
The Visit Orlando Convention Sales Team recently hosted 16 meeting planners for an educational familiarization tour of Orlando. The planners sited nine convention hotels, learned how they could host an event at SeaWorld Orlando, discovered event opportunities at Mango's Tropical Café and learned how they could host their groups at The Dr. Philips Performing Arts Center and the Amway Center. The participants represent hundreds of meetings with the potential of bringing thousands of attendees to Orlando.
Promoting ASPS 2017 Show
Visit Orlando attended Plastic Surgery The Meeting Sept. 22-25 in Los Angeles for a pre-promotion of their upcoming Orlando conference. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons will be held in Orlando Oct. 6-10, 2017. Delegates and exhibitors gave many positive comments about the conference coming to our destination next year.
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Visit Orlando Wins 2016 Award of Excellence
Corporate & Incentive Travel readers have awarded Visit Orlando with its 2016 Award of Excellence. Winning convention and visitors bureaus receiving this prestigious and coveted honor were selected by C&IT subscribers who voted for those destinations that best served their corporate meetings and/or incentive travel programs during the past year.
U.K. Media Promote Orlando for Fall & Winter
Orlando was highlighted as one of the best family destinations for an October half-term getaway in a The Telegraph online article, reaching more than 88 million readers. The destination was also named a top winter sun destination in a British Airways' high life online article, reaching more than two million readers. Visit Orlando's Public Relations Team worked with both writers to help secure the coverage.
Press Trip Focuses on New Attractions & Culture
The destination's new attractions and unique cultural scene were in the spotlight during a recent Visit Orlando-hosted press trip for a group of Brazilian journalists representing a combined 16 million consumers. The participants represented national media publications that include lifestyle magazines Cosmopolitan and Capricho, online travel sites A Janela Laranja and Melhores Destinos, and social media and online blog Mochilando
. The group enjoyed thrills and rides at Universal Orlando Resort, accommodations at the new Loews Sapphire Falls Resort and dinner at the new Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen at CityWalk. Additionally, the trip highlighted behind-the-scenes tours and Mako at SeaWorld Orlando, International Drive's I-Drive 360, Winter Park shopping and dining, downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park, Orange Avenue and Church Street's night scene, and a Broadway show at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Funway Holidays & Fun Spot Fams Enjoy Orlando
This week Visit Orlando hosted a Funway Holidays and Fun Spot familiarization tours from the United Kingdom. The Funway group stayed at the Rosen Plaza Hotel and Sonesta ES Suites Orlando, and enjoyed visits to Orlando theme parks and Cirque du Soleil, shopped at the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets and dined at Mango's Tropical Café, Rainforest Café and had character breakfast at Wyndham Lake Buena Vista.
Participants in the Fun Spot fam enjoyed dinner at Frankie Farrell's Pub & Grille on Monday. The group, which included 18 travel agents from across the United Kingdom, is staying in Orlando until Sunday and is focusing on attractions and activities outside the three major theme parks.
Members Join Travel Industry Sales in Canada
Visit Orlando members joined the Travel Industry Sales Team during the Canada Mission held in conjunction with TravXchange shows Sept. 18-23 in Toronto, Ontario, Montreal, Quebec and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Representatives from WonderWorks, Fun Spot America, Orlando Balloon Rides, Merlin Entertainments, The Grove Resort & Spa and Sonesta ES Suites Orlando promoted Orlando to key retail and tour operator partners. While conducting client calls, client events, training and roundtable sessions, the Travel Industry Sales Team received feedback from agents who reported that clients are still travelling to Orlando despite the exchange rate. In recent months our theme park partners, tour operators and hotel partners have added Canadian special pricing, as well, which helps close
the gap on the exchange rate. A total of 280 agents attended the TravXchange shows. Visit Orlando also hosted client events in all three cities and met with a total of 28 clients.
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News About Orlando |
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This Week at the Convention Center
Group |
Meeting |
Start |
End |
Estimated Attendees |
Estimated Economic Impact |
Produce Marketing Association |
PMA 2016 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo |
Oct. 15 |
Oct. 16 |
17,500 |
$34,475,000 |
Orlando Interactive Experience, Inc. |
OrlandoiX 2016 |
Oct. 15 |
Oct. 16 |
4,500 |
$8,865,000 |
Technical Association of Pulp & Paper Industry dba TAPPI, INC. |
SupercorrExpo 2016 |
Oct. 17 |
Oct. 20 |
5,000 |
$9,850,000 |
Association for Financial Professionals |
AABB Annual Meeting |
Oct. 22 |
Oct. 25 |
7,000 |
$13,790,000 |
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Halloween Fun for Adults & Beyond the Parks
Visit Orlando's latest blog "Happily Haunted Orlando: A Halloween Events Guide for Adults" spotlights a list of some of Orlando's frightfully fun Halloween events made just for adults. This guide comes on the heels of the popular list of "10 Family Friendly Frights Beyond the Theme Parks in Orlando".
New Celebrity Chef Venue Opens in Lake Nona
Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen, a new celebrity chef restaurant in Lake Nona, is now open. Executive Chef Jason Bergeron was featured in Food Network's "Chopped Grill Masters". Chroma offers small plates, craft beer, fine wine on-tap and specialty cocktails.
Hit Show DWS Comes to Orlando
Dancing with the Stars: Live! - We Came to Dance comes to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Dec. 28. Tickets start at $35.
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Hispanic Chamber Presents Latin Festival
This Saturday's Latin Food and Wine Festival is a culinary extravaganza with a Latin flair. Presented by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, the festival takes place at the Senoff Arts Plaza at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and features dishes from local restaurants, live music and more.
5 Treats for Foodies at Epcot's Food & Wine Fest
From endless trays of sparkling wine to copious amounts of gourmet burgers, we call out to those lovers of food-fueled experiences with our fresh take on five treats sure to be enjoyed at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, going on now through Nov. 14, 2016.
Master Sommelier Comes to Disney Springs in 2017
Master Sommelier George Miliotes returns to Walt Disney World Resort with his new venture, Wine Bar George, opening in fall 2017 at Disney Springs.
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Industry News |
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U.S. a Top Luxury Destination
Italy, European river cruises and the United States - either by country or cruise itinerary - were the top three luxury travel destination for the coming year, according to a Fall Luxury Travel Trends survey from the Travel Leaders Group.
Latest TTI: Surge in U.S. Travel Growth
Travel volume in the United States rose by 4.4 percent in August relative to a year ago, according to the U.S. Travel Association's August Travel Trends Index. Most notably, interest in the U.S. as a destination has grown both domestically and internationally.
Frontier Joins TSA PreCheck
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced the expansion of TSA PreCheck to include eligible customers of Frontier Airlines effective immediately, bringing the total number of airlines that participate in the program to 19.
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Accumulated Vacation Time: $272 Billion
In a new report from Project: Time Off entitled "The High Price of Silence: Analyzing the Business Implications of an Under-Vacationed Workforce," the findings indicate American businesses have $272 billion tied up in accumulated vacation time.
CDC Zika Information
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), its most current data available (Oct. 12, 2016) indicate that 128 locally acquired cases have been reported in the United States, while 3,807 travel-associated cases have been reported. For the most current information about the Zika virus, visit the CDC's Zika page.
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