Orlando hosted more medical meetings in 2008 than any other destination in the U.S., according to the 2009 State of the Industry Report conducted by Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association (HCEA).
In addition, the tradeshow association study found that Orlando was the top healthcare meeting location for the last 12 years and on average hosts a new healthcare meeting every five days.
During 2008, Orlando hosted more than 225 medical meetings, representing 173,000 attendees and providing $111 million in attendee spending.
"We're thrilled to have earned and maintained the trust and confidence of this important meetings market segment for more than a decade," said Gary C. Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. (Orlando/Orange County CVB).
"With our extensive medical infrastructure and support, combined with more than $2.2 billion in new hotels and attractions, the destination will continue to offer domestic and international medical meeting attendees incredible new options along with highly sought-after educational opportunities and memorable experiences. Orlando is ushering in a new era for medical meetings, conventions and tradeshows as it morphs into a vibrant world-class medical city that can not only offer a wealth of physicians, specialists and educators as speakers on a variety of medical topics, but also state-of-the-art facility tours."
Orlando is currently developing a new 600-acre "medical city" complex that will include such top facilities as: the Burnham Institute of Medical Research; the University of Central Florida College of Medicine; a University of Florida research facility; Orlando VA Medical Center; Nemours Children's Hospital and Research Campus; and the M.D. Anderson Orlando Cancer Research Center.
These new facilities complement Orlando's existing acclaimed medical establishments including Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional Medical Center. More than 150 biotechnology and life science companies also currently call Orlando home, including the recently established Global Robotics Institute at Florida Hospital.
Representing 23 percent of all U.S. conventions in 2007 according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, medical meetings continue to be a focus for the Orlando CVB's meetings and conventions outreach efforts.
In September 2008, the Orlando CVB hosted the region's first Medical Meetings & Tourism Summit attended by more than 100 community and business leaders from Orlando's medical, healthcare and hospitality industries to create synergies amongst these groups to further increase medical meetings opportunities for the destination.
For more information, visit Orlando/Orange County CVB
Related Article:
