Central.

As a destination that combines the best in leisure attractions and hotel and meeting facilities, Orlando is in a league of its own. Last year, the Orange County Convention Center completed a $748 million expansion that doubled the amount of its exhibit space to 2.1 million square feet, making it second only to Chicago's McCormick Place for total exhibit space. The expansion also increased total meeting space to 492,000 square feet.

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With more than 114,000 hotel rooms in Orlando, there's a world of choice in accommodations. That impressive inventory continues to increase, with a host of significant new projects. Among the largest hotel projects is the 230-acre Shingle Creek Resort scheduled to open in fall 2006. The massive resort will offer 1,500 guest rooms and 250,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 96,000-square-foot, column-free ballroom. Located just one mile from the Orange County Convention Center, the new resort also will feature a full-service spa and an 18-hole golf course that opened for play in December. Opening last September was the $600 million Grande Lakes Orlando, which includes a 1,000-room JW Marriott Hotel with more than 72,000 square feet of meeting space and a 584-room Ritz Carlton with 33,000 square feet of meeting space.

The 1,334-room Rosen Centre Hotel adjacent to the convention center is in the midst of adding high-speed Internet access and guest room refurbishments that will be completed this year. Another major project is the $30 million expansion of meeting space at the Caribe Royale All-Suites Resort & Convention Center that opened last September. The expansion, which included the 40,000-square-foot Grand Sierra Ballroom, brought the 1,338-suite resort's total meeting space to 150,000 square feet. Scheduled for completion this summer is the $10 million expansion and renovation of the 1,052-room Wyndham Orlando Resort. The project will refurbish guest rooms and add 42,000 square feet of meeting space, including an 18,500-square-foot ballroom. The Orlando World Center Marriott also announced that it will expand its facilities by adding 115,000 square feet of exhibit space to its existing 214,000 square feet of meeting and pre-function space. It is scheduled for completion in 2006.

Big things are happening at Walt Disney World Resort, too. Disney's largest convention resort property, the Coronado Springs Resort, will open a new 86,000-square-foot exhibit hall by spring 2005. The 1,921-room resort already offers 95,000 square feet of meeting space, including a column-free ballroom measuring 60,214 square feet. All meeting space will be on one level.

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Also, Disney's Pop Century Resort opened in December with 2,880 value-priced guest rooms. The new resort doesn't offer meeting space, but it is located only a few miles from the Orange County Convention Center. Celebrating the dances, fads, and phrases of the 20th century, the resort features larger-than-life pop icons, such as 65-foot-tall bowling pins. Disney's Swan (758 rooms) and Dolphin (1,509 rooms) hotels offer newly designed guest rooms and recently expanded meeting space that now encompasses more than 329,000 square feet, including 110,500 square feet of contiguous exhibit hall space.

Universal Orlando is making news as well, with the recent opening of the 8,000-square-foot Mandara Spa at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. A Loews Hotel, the 750-room Portofino Bay offers 42,000 square feet of meeting space, including two ballrooms, six function rooms, and other spaces. Two other large hotels also operated by Loews are at Universal Orlando-the 1,000-room Royal Pacific Resort and the 650-room Hard Rock Hotel.

Kissimmee-St. Cloud's proximity to Orlando, along with world-class meeting facilities, has attracted attention from groups of all sizes. A new era of hosting meetings in the area dawned in 2002 when the Gaylord Palms Resort & Conference Center opened with 1,406 guest rooms and 400,000 square feet of event space. The Florida-themed resort's amazing meeting space includes a 178,500-square-foot exhibit hall, 48,500-square-foot ballroom, and 46 breakout rooms. The Gaylord Palms includes 4.5 acres under a massive glass atrium, as well as the 20,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch Spa.

Plans are moving forward for the new Osceola County Convention Center and 800-room Hilton Hotel adjacent to the Gaylord Palms. The $98.5 million center's phase one will include approximately 250,000 square feet of exhibit space and 37,500 square feet of meeting space. A possible second phase would take total building space to more than 1 million square feet. Pending final approval, phase one is forecast for a summer 2006 opening. The Hilton also would offer approximately 64,000 square feet of additional meeting space, including a 30,000-square-foot ballroom.

The newest event venue in Kissimmee-St. Cloud is the $84 million Osceola Heritage Park that opened last fall. Featured within the park is the Exhibition Building with 50,000 square feet of exhibit space and 10,800 square feet of meeting space. Also part of the park is the 8,300-seat Silver Spurs Arena, an indoor venue adaptable to various functions.

Opening this fall is yet another massive hotel project, the $175 million Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate. The Omni will boast 730 guest rooms, more than 70,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 10,000-square-foot spa.