Eileen Forrow & Lily Etemadi, VisitFlorida
Some of the 12 co-hosts from Florida's hotels, attractions & regional tourist boards.
Lyndsay Reader interviews Joanne Scalamogna from SeaWorld Parks
Keith Pitonyak, Sonesta Hotel & Resorts, Orlando
Visit Florida recently hosted a big breakfast event at the 5 star Hazelton Hotel in YTO’s Yorkville neighbourhood. A big crowd was present to hear all about the new and exciting happenings in the panhandle state – as described by an almost equally huge crowd of co-hosting partners.
The buzz in the room was impressive as people mingled over orange juice and sparkling water (it might have gotten messy if the mimosas were real). The tables all had plates of chocolate croissants and gooey-looking cinnamon buns, and some fancy looking bottles of golden honey. There were also gallons of coffee and tea. For the main dish, I was very happy with my smoked salmon rösti and others were pleased with their French toast or eggs Benedict with crab.
The event was set up in an interview format, introduced by Eileen Forrow, Executive Vice President – Marketing & Events, Visit Florida and hosted by iTravel2000’s ‘Woman on the Street’ Lyndsay Reader. The 12 presenting partners included representatives from all over the state – such as Experience Kissimmee’s Lauren Salisbury, Doug Ruchefsky from Naples, Marco Island & the Everglades and Georgia Turner from Palm Coast and the Flagler Beaches.
All the partners had something new and interesting to talk about. Highlights included SeaWorld Orlando’s massive new Antarctica ride – which will allow guests to see a real penguin colony up-close-and-personal when it opens on May 24th. Also, there’s a new and unique guest feedback program from ES Suites Hotel Orlando, where clients are encouraged to provide comments on a model suite before their massive upgrades are undertaken later this year.
Other family-friendly activities include the new JetLev ride at Tradewinds Island Resort on St. Pete Beach, which allows riders to soar 30 ft. in the air – or to simply walk on water. There’s even a recently opened Angry Birds interactive exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where guests encounter 6 interactive stations designed to immerse them in an altogether new dimension of Angry Birds: the final frontier.
The event was a success - thanks in no small part to the busy bees from the VisitFlorida team, who went to extraordinary lengths to make it special. At the end of the event, we were all encouraged to take home the bottles of imported Tupelo honey we’d been eyeing on the tables. Apparently, because it is an agricultural product, the honey took quite a tour before being delivered. After clearing customs, it was sent to Ottawa so (no joke!) a Canadian Honey Expert could pass the shipment through an inspection process. Luckily for us, it did pass, but it didn’t arrive back in Toronto until 9 p.m. the night before the event, which caused quite a buzz in itself.
