New attractions like

Topgolf, Andretti Indoor Karting and I-Drive 360 have energized competition for corporate events in Orlando, and offer fresh selling points to attract convention business.

Large new attractions such as Topgolf, Andretti Indoor Karting and I-Drive 360 have re-energized competition for corporate events in Orlando, and offer fresh selling points to attract convention business.

All three of those attractions on International Drive have meeting space and cater to corporate groups that come to Central Florida for conventions.

Topgolf and Andretti opened within weeks of each other last fall. They share a giant parking lot and sometimes split groups between them, or even families.

“We're working together pretty well with Topgolf,” said Eddie Hamann, managing member for the Andretti company. “It’s been a coincidence, but we have found that being near Topgolf is a plus.”

At Andretti’s location in Alpharetta, Ga., the company just happened to build a couple miles from Topgolf. Soon they realized some customers were hitting both venues in a day, and sometimes fathers would go to Topgolf while mothers and kids came to Andretti.

“Together we can handle a group of 5,000,” in Orlando, Hamann said.

Professional meeting planners are keeping up with the changes, said Mark Benson, a meeting planner and member of the board for the Orlando chapter of Meeting Professionals International.

“Orlando is growing and there’s a demand for it. And Orlando is attracting a much higher-end visitor now,”

JOE BURBANK/STAFF FILE PHOTO Andretti Indoor Karting features electric karts in a 150,000-square-foot building. For events, it has 10,000 square feet of meeting space.

DEWAYNE BEVIL/STAFF Topgolf Orlando has dozens of hitting bays. The 65,000-square-foot venue shares a parking lot with Andretti Indoor Karting and they sometimes split groups.