Orlando is celebrating the impact the meetings industry has on Central Florida’s small business community (Visit Orlando and Orange County Convention Center Convention sales, marketing and communication team members pictured).
When meeting planners want to add a local touch to their Orlando event, our small businesses are ready with uniquely Orlando amenities, cuisines, activities and professional services.
Discover: Orlando’s Small Businesses
This year for Global Meetings Industry Day 2025, our destination commemorated this connection between the meetings and small business, as it allows planners to infuse a local feel into their events while affording small business owners the opportunity to thrive and grow their enterprises.
Read on to discover more about this mutually beneficial connection — and how Visit Orlando can connect you to hundreds of these tiny titans of industry.
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The Planner and Small Business Connection
Orlando's status as a top destination for conventions and events ensures a steady stream of clients for local companies. This fiscal year alone, from October 2024 to September 2025, the Orange County Convention Center will welcome 1.8 million attendees across 173 events.
Discover: The Value of Meetings
This high volume of meetings business, which also generates $4.2 billion in economic impact, creates prime opportunities for local companies like RTW Photography to grow their companies.
“We’ve gone from doing one conference a year, to doing two or three a month, which has helped our bottom line tremendously,” said RTW Photography co-owner LaVell D. Monger. “Conventions have helped us expand operations, open new studio spaces and offer internship programs that will nurture the next generation of creative talent.”
Visit Orlando Connects You to the Business Community
One of Visit Orlando’s role is connecting meeting planners with local companies and vendors for their events. In fact, 40% of Visit Orlando’s 1,600 members are small businesses ranging from transportation companies, photographers, caterers and small boutique shops.
Discover: Orlando Service Vendors
“I love the fact Visit Orlando has built into their strategy supporting local vendors, even minority-owned and women-owned businesses,” said Wendy Grant, owner of Orlando-based Wenvia, which offers natural, hand-crafted skincare and home fragrance products, candles and room sprays from simple ingredients.
So for your next Orlando meeting, partner with Visit Orlando and let us be your “boots on the ground” to find small businesses like Wenvia, RTW Photography and more. Not only will you discover amazing products and services for your event, but you’ll experience the service and hospitality that are woven into the fabric of our community.
