Visit Orlando

Visit Orlando’s membership committee, along with several staff members, volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Second Harvest is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 750 feeding partners in seven Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. This effort was part of the committee’s annual commitment to serve the industry and community.

Smart Meetings named Visit Orlando a 2024 Smart Star after meeting professionals voted us one of the best destination marketing organizations (DMOs) in the CVB/DMO category. Every year editors at Smart Meetings ask meeting professionals to name the best of the best in 31 categories including DMOs, airlines, hotels, conference centers and more. Thank you to Smart Meetings and to the many meeting professionals we have the pleasure of working with on awesome Orlando events! https://lnkd.in/e6yDfwvZ

Visit Orlando, in partnership with New Orleans & Company, Southwest Airlines, and Walt Disney World Resort, hosted 23 aspiring female chefs from New Orleans for a once in a lifetime culinary experience. Inspired by the theme of the real-life story of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the newest attraction at Magic Kingdom Park this summer, the collaboration sought to inspire future hospitality professionals, promote travel between Orlando and New Orleans and generate social and traditional media exposure. More than a dozen stories have run to date with more expected, including MSN, New Orleans’ ABC Affiliate and Travel And Tour World. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4d9taX1

Visit Orlando was honored to received Black Meetings & Tourism's APEX Award for Distinguished Service. Visit Orlando’s National Accounts Director Collette Johnson accepted the award on behalf of the organization. Black Meetings & Tourism is a bimonthly trade publication for the African American group and leisure travel, incentives and meetings market. The APEX Award for Distinguished Service honors individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to travel and tourism. Thank you to Black Meetings & Tourism team for the recognition!

Our travel industry sales team attended InteleTravel Dream Maker’s training event in Tampa, Florida, that brought together over 275 travel advisors, primarily from Florida. InteleTravel is one of the largest host agencies in the world, with over 90,000 travel advisors globally. Its Dream Maker event is their regional opportunity to offer their travel advisors in-person training with some of their preferred partners, like Visit Orlando.

Visit Orlando hosts educational events year-round on trending topics for member organizations to build knowledge, grow their network and uncover new business opportunities. At our latest Power Lunch held at Pinstripes, 100 members joined to hear Visit Orlando‘s Chief Marketing Officer Danielle Hollander discuss “Harnessing Marketing for Growth and Influence.” In today’s dynamic marketplace, effective marketing is the driving force behind business growth, increased awareness and shifting perceptions. Danielle delivered five approaches to marketing efforts to achieve multiple goals and ensure effective allocation of resources.

The Florida Media Conference united top media executives and emerging professionals from across Florida in Orlando and Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek for two days of networking, industry knowledge sharing and exposure to innovative ideas. This year Visit Orlando’s Director of International Marketing, Wesley Costa, participated in a panel discussion focusing on marketing strategies for Florida tourism, along with representatives from Visit Panama City Beach, City of Pompano Beach and Visit Fort Lauderdale. Wesley emphasized the importance of an integrated marketing strategy that provides a consistent message across multiple channels, engaging consumers from inspiration to planning to booking. He highlighted the success of Visit Orlando’s recent initiatives like "Winter Doesn’t Exist," which was expanded this year from Northeast U.S. markets to also include Canada and the U.K.

Visit Orlando and 18 members hosted over 60 Chicago-based clients for our annual sales mission. The client event celebrated ongoing partnerships and allowed our team and members to share destination updates with key clients to drive future business.

Visit Orlando partnered with Royal Caribbean to host 20 international media from Orlando’s top international markets, including UK, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, for the debut of Utopia of the Seas—the world's second-largest cruise ship. This collaboration highlights the seamless blend of an Orlando vacation with a cruise from Port Canaveral for the ultimate land and sea adventure.

Visit Orlando joined VISIT FLORIDA's annual media mission in London and Dublin to showcase Orlando’s offerings in our top overseas international market. The team held a wide variety of discussions with top-tier travel journalists and content creators giving a broad overview of everything the city has to offer both within and outside of the theme parks. Across the week, receptions and evening events in both cities were attended by over 75 content creators and media, including top publications like The Times, BA High Life, Best Magazine, The Sun, Bella Magazine, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, Wanderlust, The Irish Independent, The Irish Sun, Irish Daily Mail and more.