Cvent, the industry-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, has named Orlando as the No. 1 Top Meeting Destination in North America for 2025.
This marks the 10th time Orlando has topped the globally recognized Cvent Top Meeting Destinations list which analyzes and ranks cities that stand out for their exceptional ability to attract group business to their areas through thoughtful event planner collaboration, distinctive experiential offerings, and unique hotels and venues.
Rankings are determined based on sourcing activity through the Cvent Supplier Network, one of the world’s largest venue-sourcing platforms.
“For 10 years, Orlando has earned Cvent’s top recognition, showing our dedication to the meetings and conventions industry. We are a community focused on providing exceptional service and strategic alignment with our customers’ strategic goals,” said Casandra Matej, president & CEO, Visit Orlando in a media announcement.
Additionally, 20 Orlando area convention hotels and resorts were named to the Top Meeting Hotels in North America, with 16 ranked in the Top 100 including one Top Ten placement.
The list includes the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes (10), Hyatt Regency Orlando (11), Hilton Orlando (22), Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (28), JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa (35), Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate (36) and Rosen Shingle Creek (49).
Orlando continues to invest in its meeting industry with new, recent and upcoming expansions and upgrades to the convention center and multiple high-profile convention hotels.
Meetings Business Starts Strong in 2025
Through March 2025, citywide attendance exceeded the prior year by 31 percent, with 38 events. Several major shows held at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) experienced record attendance including the 2025 PGA Show, which held its largest show in 15 years with more than 33,000 attendees and 1,100 exhibitors; and VMX 2025, which welcomed nearly 30,000 attendees and 735 exhibitors.
Other citywide shows had similar success as FETC increased their attendance from prior year with 9,000 attendees, ASI Orlando 2025 held the largest East Coast show in the promotional products industry with more than 4,000 attendees, and US Chess held their largest competition since 2017 with more than 4,500 competitors.
For the second quarter of 2025, advance hotel booking pace for the group segment is ahead of the same time last year by 4 percent.
OCCC Expansion
The OCCC is embarking on a $560M expansion project that will bring an additional 44,000 sf of meeting space and a 100,000-sf ballroom to the North-South Building. Construction for the Grand Concourse Expansion will begin in 2026 and is expected to finish in 2029.
Furthermore, the OCCC also received approval to design the second phase of the expansion project. Phase 5B would bring an additional 200,000 sf of contiguous multipurpose/exhibit space to the building, while also incorporating connectivity between the North and South Concourses. When completed, both phases will provide a grand total of 1.15 million sf of exhibit space in the North-South Building.
This fiscal year, from October 2024 to September 2025, the OCCC will welcome 1.8 million attendees across 173 events, generating $4.2B in economic impact.
Upgrades at Cvent-Ranked Hotels and Resorts
This year, the iconic Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin completed the renovation of all 756 guest rooms and suites in the Swan hotel and are also embarking on the largest renovation and expansion in the property’s history highlighted by the addition of 120,000 sf of event space to its current meeting and convention floor plan.
Debuted in 2024 at Signia by Hilton Orlando at Bonnet Creek, the new Waterside expansion offers 90,000 sf of exquisite space, with a ballroom, meeting rooms and outdoor space.
In 2023, the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes debuted a multimillion-dollar renovation that included a new waterpark, a poolside restaurant, an upgraded lobby lounge, new executive family suites and 1,010 refreshed guest rooms and suites.
In 2022, the Caribe Royale Orlando completed a multi-phased $127M renovation which included a refresh of all 1,215 one-bedroom suites, the addition of the new 50,000-sf Palms Ballroom, an inviting new lobby and additional dining space at The Venetian Chop House. In 2024, the resort opened Stadium Club, a high-tech and immersive experiential sports and dining destination.
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