BizBash Best 2020 - 160

orlando/central florida

fast facts

Get competitive

Population: 285,713, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau.
Airport: The Orlando International Airport
(1 Jeff Fuqua Blvd., orlandoairports.net) is a
Tier 1, or large hub, airport located 11.3 miles
from downtown Orlando.
Weather: Average temperature is 73.4
degrees. Peak season for tourism is from
January to April.
Convention Center: The Orange County
Convention Center (9800 International
Drive, occc.net) has 2.1 million square
feet of exhibition space, including two
92,000-square-foot general assembly areas,
74 meeting rooms, and 232 breakout rooms.
Largest Hotel: Walt Disney World Swan and
Dolphin Resort (1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd.,
swandolphin.com) is located within Walt
Disney World, 20 miles from the Orlando
International Airport. It has 2,270 rooms
and 331,000 square feet of meeting space.

teambuilding

The N.B.A. Experience opened in August 2019,
offering a variety of tech-focused challenges
related to basketball. The entire two floors are
available for buyouts; hundreds of participants
can spread out around the 44,000-square-foot
play space to shoot individually, to score against
the clock, to answer trivia questions, to haul
basketballs with a slingshot, and to step onto
a court to the applause of a virtual audience.
Staging areas can be set up for speeches and
informational panels. (1486 East Buena Vista
Drive, Lake Buena Vista, disneysprings.com)
Groups of as many as 250 are welcome at
1 Stumpy's Hatchet House, a 5,000-squarefoot venue for competitive hatchet throwing.
Participants can play in eight different throwing
pits, and network there and in common areas
that have club chairs and sofa seating. Outside
catering is permitted, and the venue offers
beer and wine. An outside tent can be used for
extra seating or a more formal dinner setting.
The venue has screens and a sound system for
presentations, and allows groups to bring in
stages. (8462 Palm Pkwy., stumpyshh.com)
2 Island H2O Live is a new water park with
a tech theme. Private events can take place in a
dedicated 8,250-square-foot area called Virtual
Village, which has two 44- by 22-foot pavilions,
one with a shade canopy, the other a shade
sail. Each seats 80 guests at eight picnic tables,
although the space can be modified to accommo-

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2020 bizbash best bizbash.com

date as many as 300 guests. Virtual Village has
built-in audio equipment and groups may bring
in a sound system or stage. (3230 Inspiration
Drive, Kissimmee, islandh2olive.com)
Guests can play like kids in Andy's backyard
in Toy Story Land at Walt Disney World. The
attraction opened for large private events in June
2019 (a year after its debut) for after-hours gatherings; buffet-style food and beverages, including
sweets unique to the Pixar franchise, are available.
(Dessert parties are especially popular.) High-tech
lighting and decor elements are included. Disney
can provide entertainment and character visits
and access to rides such as the Slinky Dog Dash
roller coaster. (351 South Studio Drive, Lake Buena
Vista, disneyworld.com)
Recreational facilities from a golf course to
tennis, a lazy river, a lake with bass fishing, and a
mountain bike trail are among the outdoor amenities at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes,
set on a 500-acre complex. Add to that the new
AquaCourse 360 water-play area, which opened
in April 2019. The water experience includes
balance bars, swinging bridges, and sprays of
water. The 15,000-square-foot area can be used
as a nontraditional venue for banquets or receptions of as many as 100 guests. Extras such as
music and food are available, and the adjacent
JW Studio offers video games, foosball, Skee-Ball,
Scrabble, and air hockey. (4040 Central Florida
Pkwy., jwmarriott.com)

To upgrade a corporate happy hour into
an interactive event, Play With a Purpose
(playwithapurpose.com) offers the twohour "Blend It Like Bordeaux," which allows
guests to blend, name, and design labels for
their own wine concoctions. A sommelier
kicks off the event by sharing information about Bordeaux and its four varietals.
Equipped with wine, carafes, measuring
tools, and sampling glasses, guests are
tasked with designing labels to "market"
their wine, followed by a judging round and
rotating tasting of the finished products.
On top of a base price, the event costs $24
per person. -Tracy Block

photos: Courtesy of venues and suppliers

Host a teambuilding event at these fun-focused activity venues.

http://www.orlandoairports.net http://www.occc.net http://www.swandolphin.com http://www.islandh2olive.com http://www.disneysprings.com http://www.disneyworld.com http://www.playwithapurpose.com http://www.stumpyshh.com http://www.jwmarriott.com http://www.bizbash.com

BizBash Best 2020

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