Orlando’s high-tech and innovation environment provides an ideal setting for corporate meetings and events.
Orlando’s dynamic ecosystem of innovation and technology is positioning the city as a leader in the business world — and a great place for conventions and other events.
“Orlando is famously known as the ‘Theme Park Capital of the World,’ but we’re far more than that,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. “We’re also a world-class business hub, thanks in large part to our entrepreneurial spirit and focus on innovative technologies.”
In fact, the area is home to more than 2,000 companies that, in partnership with leading higher education institutions, create technologies to shape every aspect of the economy. Among the region’s big names are Oracle, Electronic Arts (EA) Tiburon and the University of Central Florida. Factors propelling the innovation economy include a high quality of life, a culture of creativity and low operational costs.
“Where innovation is more than a buzzword”
Among the region’s key areas are consumer technology, data management and analytics, digital media, e-commerce, film and post-production technology, game and mobile-app development, software development and telecommunications.
Owing to its history as an early training center for military pilots and its involvement in the space race, the region is also known as the “simulation capital of the world” and attracts several billion dollars in modeling, training and simulation contracts each year.
Orlando is noted for its creative workspaces, incubators, accelerators, events and strong backing from civic organizations. Exemplifying the trend is the new Creative Village in downtown Orlando, which transformed 68-acres of city-owned land into a mixed-use, transit-oriented urban innovation district that features tech and creative companies, higher education providers, and a diverse mix of students, employees and residents.
Nestled within Creative Village is Luminary Green Park. This 2.3-acre outdoor venue is a unique and special gathering space that features a large, welcoming lawn and iconic trellis that can host events.
“Orlando is a place of learning, thinking and doing,” Matej said. “It’s a meeting destination where innovation is more than a buzzword: It’s a driving force.”
Top-of-the-line corporations in advanced manufacturing
Orlando’s advanced manufacturing sector is also thriving, boasting companies ranging from a multinational like Siemens Energy AG to midsize firms and incubators. Industries located in the region are leading the way in the fields of advanced materials, clean energy and power technology, enabling components, research and development, and emerging technologies.
Entrepreneurs and investors are arriving in Orlando in droves as, according to the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity 2020, the area has the highest rate of new entrepreneurs in the country.
A prime example of this phenomenon is StarterStudio, formerly known as Canvs. The shared nonprofit complex houses more than 100 tech-related startups. The innovative spirit is further showcased with BRIDG, formerly known as the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research. Located on a 20-acre site about 30 minutes from Walt Disney World Resort, BRIDG works to accelerate the development of emerging technologies while sparking innovations such as the “Internet of Everything.”
“We’re also home to a high volume of tech transfer and commercialization, which is fueled by a top R&D university, specialized research labs and centers, and one of the country’s top incubation systems and research parks,” Matej said.
A mecca for medical facilities and meetings
Orlando continues to gain clout in the medical community making the city a prime destination for medical associations and organizations to hold events there. Many organizations return to Orlando year after year for its warm weather, easy access, exceptional meeting space and high level of walkability.
“One of the things we look for in a destination is walkability. Orlando has that,” said Una Kilberg, meeting services manager for the Oncology Nursing Society. We don’t have to hire shuttle buses for our group. We like to stay near the convention center, which has a diversity of hotels so our attendees can use their (hotel) points.”
The number of these meetings held in the area is expected to grow over the next few years as Orlando continues to gain clout in the medical community with the emergence of new medical facilities such as Lake Nona Medical City and the AdventHealth Nicholson Center.
With a collection of state-of-the-art health care, research and medical training facilities, Lake Nona Medical City is quickly becoming the home of innovation for biotechnology and life sciences. The 650-acre health and life sciences park is anchored by the University of Central Florida Health Sciences Campus and includes the VA Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, University of Florida Academic and Research Center and the GuideWell Innovation Center.
As one of the largest and most experienced medical learning and simulation incubation centers in the U.S., the AdventHealth Nicholson Center in Celebration, near Walt Disney World Resort, houses training on leading-edge clinical and surgical techniques to more than 50,000 physicians from around the world. This facility offers medical groups hands-on training with 50 surgical and clinical skills stations, mock operating room setups, six Da Vinci robots and 26 tele-mentoring video cameras, plus access to a 450-seat conference center auditorium.
The innovation continues at Orlando Health, the Official Health and Wellness Partner of Visit Orlando, as they recently opened Florida’s first dedicated orthopedic specialty hospital. A keystone of the institute’s downtown complex, the venue features 75 private inpatient rooms with smart-room technology, advanced operating rooms with four virtually connected suites to train surgeons around the world, a high-tech research and education center with a bioskills lab and 3D printer, and a 116-seat auditorium available to host meetings.
Orlando Health and Visit Orlando have also made high-quality health care accessible for meeting attendees at the Orlando Health Virtual Care Center located inside the Orange County Convention Center. At the Virtual Care Center, launched in partnership between Visit Orlando and Orlando Health, attendees can see medical providers who will be able to evaluate medical conditions. If minor care is needed, the Orlando Health team member working the care center can help connect visitors to a medical provider via a virtual visit in the center’s private room.
In Orlando, Matej said, “you’ll find an unprecedented array of creative resources to supercharge your meeting or convention, along with a one-of-a-kind attendee experience you won’t find anywhere else.”
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