Industry News
NATIONAL METROPOLL STUDY RANKS ORLANDO TOPS AS A CORPORATE AND ASSOCIATION MEETING DESTINATION
Corporate and association meeting planners across the country have named Orlando the top spot for a major convention, trade show, conference or seminar according to Metropoll, a nationally syndicated bi-annual study conducted for the meeting industry.
The study surveyed more than a thousand decision makers at major corporations and associations and asked them to rank 40 major U.S. destinations on a variety of factors including quality of hotel meeting facilities and convention center facilities; overall destination support; overall destination image; value for the money; location; and "green" practices.
Among the key findings:
~ Orlando ranked #1 overall as a convention destination
~ Orlando ranked #1 for intent to hold a major meeting in the next three years
~ Orlando ranked the #1 destination among corporate meeting planners
~ Out of 25 travel destination attributes, Orlando ranked in the top 10 on 15
~ Of 21 convention center attributes, Orlando ranked #1 on 15
"It's rewarding and quite an honor to be recognized by nationwide meeting planners with such high marks and praise, said Orlando/Orange County CVB President & CEO Gary C. Sain. "Since opening the new Orange County Convention Center North/South building in 2003, our entire meetings community has come together and worked tirelessly to earn the respect and trust as a top meetings destination. This recognition of our efforts, along with our incredible partners at the Orange County Convention Center, in delivering the highest quality meetings experience at a good value, is validation that we are making a positive, discernible difference in the meetings industry."
Of the more than 60 attributes covered, Orlando received the top ranking on the following:
#1 - Overall evaluation as a convention site
#1 - Intent to hold corporate meeting in the next three years
#1 - Intent to hold association meeting in the next three years
#1 - Supportive convention bureau
#1 - Excellent convention center reputation
#1 - Wireless internet connections at convention center
#1 - Good audio-visual facilities at convention center
#1 - Good banquet facilities at convention center
#1 - Labor crew easy to work with at convention center
#1 - Competent management at convention center
#1 - Good food served at convention center
#1 - Adequate hotel rooms nearby convention center
#1 - Convention hotel adjacent to Center
#1 - Sufficient exhibit space at convention center
#1 - Adequate seating for large sessions at convention center
#1 - Adequate breakout rooms at convention center
#1 - Adequate trade exhibit facilities at convention center
#1 - Reasonable exhibit setup and service costs
#1 - Good family destination
METROPOLL XIII is the thirteenth in a continuing series of brand image/marketing studies conducted among a national sample of major meeting and convention decision makers. METROPOLL covers 40 major destinations in North America and is conducted every two years. Reports are available on a subscription basis to convention and visitor bureaus, convention centers, advertising agencies and trade media.
The Orlando/Orange County CVB is the branding, sales and marketing association responsible for positioning Orlando as the destination of choice for leisure and meetings business for the economic benefit of the Orlando region. More information about Orlando meetings is available at orlandomeeting.com.
About the Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) offers a seven-million-square-foot facility, with 2.1 million square feet of exhibition space, making it the second largest convention center in the U.S. Each year, the OCCC brings more than 250 events to the Central Florida area. As a result, roughly 1.4 million attendees contribute approximately $1.4 billion to the area's economic impact annually. For more information about the OCCC, visit our Web site at www.occc.net.
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