Covering nearly 40 square miles, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida offers virtually unlimited opportunities for meetings, conventions and incentive events. Walt Disney once said, “There’s enough land here to hold all the ideas we could possibly imagine.” Over forty years later, his words are still true; as the Walt Disney World Resort continues to introduce new attractions, resort enhancements and recreation.
Here’s an overview of the latest Disney news that has special significance for meeting professionals:
Disney Expanding Convention Center, Renovating Guest Rooms at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
As part of Disney’s commitment to creating exceptional meetings and events, we are providing meeting planners and event organizers with even more resources to deliver on their goals by expanding the convention center and renovating the guest rooms at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts.
Inspired by the Nantucket seaside, Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts offer 1,190 spacious Guest rooms – all located conveniently within walking distance of Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s BoardWalk entertainment district.
The convention center expansion will add an additional 28,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, bringing the total flexible meeting space available at this premier Walt Disney World Resort facility to nearly 100,000 square feet.
The new convention area will boast a 16,000 square-foot ballroom that can be divided into eight dynamic breakout spaces. The expansion will also include three pre-function areas and two distinct gathering rotundas providing unique networking spaces for attendees to relax and reconnect.
New Wi-Fi Offerings at Walt Disney World Convention Resorts
New Wi-Fi and hard-wired services are available to groups meeting at a Walt Disney World Convention Resort through redundant, high-capacity Internet bandwidth for groups of varying sizes – all for no or low cost, depending on the options selected by the meeting planner.
This new, high-capacity internet bandwidth provides Wi-Fi that is able to accommodate groups ranging from 10 to 5,000 attendees utilizing multiple devices, giving them the ability to stream video, check email, share files, access apps and connect socially. Additionally, new high-capacity, hard-wired capability provides dedicated connectivity for keynote speakers and conference presenters.
These new services are available throughout the ballrooms, meeting rooms, exhibit halls and convention foyers in the Disney convention resorts. And, they are in addition to the standard complimentary Wi-Fi service currently available in resort guest rooms and common areas of Walt Disney World.
Liz Lonsbrough, Director of Global Events & Administrative Support for Hobsons, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based education technology company, looks forward to the cost-savings this will have for her upcoming conferences. “I’m very excited about this announcement,” she said. “It is truly a game changer in our industry that most planners would agree has been needed for a while. This will allow me to focus my budget dollars on things that can truly make an impact on my event, versus something that is a basic necessity in today’s world.”
Disney Springs Offers Exciting New Entertainment, Shopping and Dining Options for Convention Attendees
Nearing completion on the largest expansion in history, Disney Springs is emerging as an exciting new waterfront district for world-class shopping, unique dining and high-quality entertainment, providing groups meeting at Walt Disney World Resort even more options to enjoy after a day of meetings.
Inspired by Florida’s waterfront towns and natural beauty, Disney Springs has four distinct outdoor neighborhoods, all interconnected by a flowing spring and vibrant lakefront. The district’s newest neighborhood, Town Center, offers a sophisticated mix of shopping and dining along with a promenade where attendees can relax, refresh and reconnect with each other. Exciting high-profile shops include Tommy Bahama, Vera Bradley, Under Armour, kate spade new york, Sephora and Lucky Brand, among others.
For meeting and event planners, Disney Springs offers multiple new venues for hosting private group events including STK Orlando, a modern steakhouse featuring the only rooftop dining at Disney Springs; Homecoming – Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar, a farm-to-fork, Sunshine State-inspired locale by Chef Art Smith; and Morimoto Asia, offering a contemporary Pan-Asian experience with a unique twist by Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Other private event venues at Disney Springs include The Boathouse, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and the Disney Springs Preview Center.
When completed, Disney Springs will have doubled the number of shops, restaurants and other venues for attendees to explore, resulting in more than 150 establishments. Conveniently located minutes from the Disney convention hotels, Disney Springs can be reached by complimentary, round-trip bus transportation available from each Walt Disney World Resort hotel.
We're eager to help you create the perfect meeting or private event for any size group, theme and objective. To speak with a Disney Meetings representative about our pricing and options available at our Disney Parks & Resorts destinations in Florida, California, Hawaii, or at our international destinations, please Contact Us or Submit a Request for Proposal or Sign Up to stay in touch and continue learning more about Disney meetings and events.
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