Convention industry still feeling effects

Conference cancellations continue

Coronavirus continued to wreak havoc on Central Florida’s business travel and convention industry on Tuesday with a sixth large conference canceling at the Orange County Convention Center as an internal Orange County Emergency Operations memo obtained by the Sentinel provided a more detailed glimpse at just how many cancellations are hitting local hotels.

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons canceled its conference at the convention center scheduled to begin March 24 and cited concerns over

COVID-19 or the virus that is grounding corporate travel across the globe. The meeting would have drawn an estimated 30,000 people.

March is typically the biggest month of the year for local hotels as business meetings and families on Spring Break descend on Orlando, the most visited city in America and the theme park capital of the globe.

“The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is operating and continues to make the safety of our guests and attendees our No. 1 priority,” center officials said

in an e-mailed statement. “We continue to work diligently with our clients on their conventions and rescheduling events with our available space and dates. That coordination is taking place now. We have several conventions planned in the future.”

A memo dated March 5 to Orange County officials details 11 more cancellations at Central Florida hotels, including conferences expected to draw nearly 9,000 people to the JW Marriott, the Ritz Carlton, Rosen Shingle Creek, Hilton Bonnet Creek, Marriott World Center and others.

The largest was SAP CONCUR, a travel and expense management software conference at Marriott World Center with an estimated 2,610 people scheduled to attend.

Other canceled conferences this month included a management seminar planned for 1,400 people for the real estate firm JLL, an Advent Health conference expecting 1,500 attendees and a Microsoft Internet of Things conference of 450 people.

Last week brought the first major cancellations at the county’s 2.1 millionsquare-foot convention center, making the coronavirus the most disruptive event to global tourism since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The giant health conference HIMSS and an industrial products trade show canceled or postponed last week along with three others.

Those five shows expected 94,500 people that would bring an economic impact of $225.6 million to Central Florida, according to figures provided by the convention center.

Center officials noted they hosted several events over the weekend despite concerns over the virus.

“We just hosted the Sunshine Volleyball Classic – USA Volleyball Event this weekend at our NorthSouth Building with more than 40,000 attendees and an estimated $51.34 million economic impact and American Open Cheer with 10,048 attendees and an estimated $12.9 million economic impact,” Officials said in an e-mail. “We are working closely with Orange County Government and the Florida Department of Health on COVID-19 updates and continue our increased disinfectant procedures across the campus.

On Tuesday, the convention center added a new page on its web site to track cancellations.

There have not been any reported cases of COVID-19 in Orange, Osceola, Seminole or Lake counties as of Tuesday, though Florida health officials have confirmed 15 cases in the state. Two Florida patients have died.