Orlando’s MICE outlook is smoking
Buoyed by everyone from cigar smokers to the plastic industry, Orlando’s convention industry expects a boost in total attendance this year for the area perhaps best-known for its family-oriented theme parks.
The Orange County Convention Center has so far booked 114 events for 2012, compared with 173 total events last year. The giant center’s projected attendance: 1.4 million people, a 16 percent increase from 2011.
"I think we’re in great shape. We have a lot of new shows coming in," Tom Ackert, the center’s executive director, told the Orlando Sentinel. "2012 may be a real banner year for us."
Among the new shows: NPE, the International Plastics Showcase, slated for April.
That trade show, held in Chicago for decades, is expected to attract 49,000 people in its first Orlando year. Ackert said the exhibition, which requires the installation of heavy machinery, could encourage other industrial-oriented shows to consider Orlando.
The once-mammoth International Builders’ Show returns in February. Once capable of drawing more than 100,000 people, it was slammed by the housing slump and expects about half that number this year, according to the newspaper.
Also on tap for the center this year: the NBA All-Star Jam Session, which may draw thousands of basketball fans in February when the NBA All-Star Game is in town. The American Psychological Association, with 13,000 medical professionals, and International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers, which is moving to Orlando from Las Vegas, are both scheduled for August — usually a slow time for conventions.
As with medical groups, the cigar aficionados are a coveted crowd. "The folks who attend cigar shows are not going to be conservative spenders," Ackert said.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt