When corporate social responsibility efforts combine with event planning, the result is the meeting experience of a lifetime.


It’s a fact: Nine out of 10 millennials would switch product or service brands to organizations that support a particular cause, according to the Cone Communications Millennial Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) study. Perhaps even more stunning, a whopping 7 out of 10 millennials said they’d work for less pay with an organization that matches their social and ethical beliefs.

It’s no secret that all demographic groups, not just millennials, are interested in being socially responsible. And a meeting or event is an ideal way for companies to launch a CSR initiative. Fortunately, there are lots of venues in Orlando where meeting-goers can partake in activities and events that make a difference. One new option is SeaWorld® Orlando’s “Experiences That Matter” program.

Helping Wildlife One Meeting at a Time

cs_2015_sw_dolphin_1289.jpg

SeaWorld’s new program donates 1 percent of all net revenue from an event held at the park to the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, a wildlife conservation, research and education initiative. But groups that hold events at SeaWorld aren’t just passive donors — meeting attendees get to see firsthand some of the behind-the-scenes work SeaWorld is doing to help wild animals.

According to Tim Swan, director of sales for SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld has rescued and rehabilitated close to 30,000 animals in the past 50 years. “People think we’re an amusement park that features amazing rides and animal ambassadors but, until recently, few people have gotten to see what goes on here every single day beyond the rollercoasters,” Swan says.

Meeting planners can opt to host educational events in the park’s Manatee Rehabilitation Area, where they can watch veterinarians nurse newly rescued sea cows back to health. Groups can also book educational programs to learn more about the plight of the mako shark, watch real-time, shark-tracking expeditions, and host an event at Turtle Trek — a 3-D, 360-degree-theatre showcase that highlights the vulnerable sea turtle.

Before guests hold an event at the park, SeaWorld will even send an ambassador to a meeting to explain more about the resort’s conversation efforts. “If we can get people to leave the park inspired to go out in the world and act, we’ve done our job,” says Swan.

Meetings That Matter

Other opportunities abound for meeting groups that want to do good while visiting Orlando. Examples include Clean the World Inc., where group attendees can work together to build hygiene kits for homeless individuals, and Give Kids the World Village, an 84-acre, nonprofit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses, where groups can volunteer.

Want to learn more about meeting in Orlando? Submit your RFP, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates from Cvent’s No. 1 meeting destination in the country.