Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/129161
•pg_29-39__BMT_pg3-58 4/30/13 8:39 PM Page 32 Meeting planners have options galore regardless of whether you're organizing a large event or small creative meeting. Venues and hotels will take you from downtown to beachfront with traditional, urban, natural and historic settings. Couple on Pensacola Beach The city boasts over 250,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Planners have four key areas to choose from to conduct their events. Over on Pensacola Beach, the largest of the many properties is the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, with over 6,700 sq. ft. of meeting space with a capacity of 700. ORLANDO – THE WORLD'S MEETING CAPITAL The combination of world-class meeting facilities, top hotel brands, warm weather and outdoor recreation and amusement is a powerful draw to meeting planners worldwide. It's the place where dreams, both meetings and vacations all come true. Theme parks, beautiful weather, great golf, nightlife and relaxation are the hallmarks of this central Florida paradise. The Orange County Convention Center is the nation's second largest, comprised of two buildings connected by a 1,500-ft. open-air bridge with moving sidewalks. The facility has over 2.1 million sq. ft. of exhibition space plus 480,000 sq. ft. of function space, including meeting rooms. Orlando is also known for its many properties with inhouse meeting space such as the DoubleTree Hilton. There are several DoubleTree properties conveniently located; one downtown, another at the entrance to Universal Orlando, anther at the airport, Seaworld and Lake Buena Vista. Walt Disney World has multiple properties and meeting locales throughout its theme park. Disney's Boardwalk Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's 32 Want to incorporate a little golf, head to Perdido Key Area and the Lost Key Golf Club. Pensacola's downtown area features the 22,000-sq. ft. Pensacola Civic Center with a capacity of 10,000 and several hotels within walking distance. Over in the Pensacola Bay area is the National Naval Aviation Museum, often used for large gatherings with 10,000 sq. ft. that holds up to 1,100 people. African-Americans played a critical role in settling the Pensacola area. Visitors can spend an afternoon exploring the city's rich history on the AfricanAmerican Heritage Trial, which leads you through downtown. Meeting attendees should stop in Belmont-Devillers to visit the Devillers Cultural Heritage Museum and make a pit stop at Five Sisters Blue Café for some Southern fried chicken. Water activities are a big part of life in Pensacola with 52 miles of coastline, pristine rivers and the sparkling Gulf of Mexico. Visitors can jet ski in Santa Rosa Sound, learn to sail, look for dolphins in Pensacola Bay, book a charter for deep sea fishing, scuba dive or float down Backwater River or Coldwater Creek in the "Canoe Capital of the World." For more information on meetings in Pensacola, call (800) 874-1234 or visit VisitPensacola.com. DoubleTree by Hilton, Orlando at Sea World Coronado Springs Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to name a few. Go to disneymeetings.com for more information or call (321) 939-7129. For more on the greater Orlando area meetings and conventions go to orlandomeeting.com or call (800) 6430482. B M & T ••• March/April 2013 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com