Orange County convention industry hopeful for 2021
The coronavirus pandemic put much of the convention and meeting industry on hold.
However, more and more business is returning to Central Florida.
“It's hard without the spectators,” Billy Heffelfinger said.
Billy Heffelfinger is an owner-handler from Michigan, glad to be in Orlando for the AKC National Championship.
He, like many, is missing a key element to the championship: The audience.
The usual crowd of 20,000 is down to roughly 6,000 because of coronavirus.
“It keeps the exhibitors safe, it keeps the public safe it keeps everybody safe, so next year we're looking forward to having them come right on back,” Brandi Hunter with the American Kennel Club said.
For this year, social distancing, including a spread-out food court, mandatory masks, and plenty of hand sanitizer have those WESH 2 News talked with believing the event is safe.
“You get a sticker on your shoulder that is a different color each day which shows that you are being temperature checked, and everybody is social distancing even in the grooming area, so they are doing a wonderful job down here,” Heffelfinger said.
The AKC National Championship is not just one of the biggest events at the Orange County Convention Center since the start of the pandemic, it's also part of a very important December month in which there are a number of events that send a signal out to the world, the center is open for business.
The International Auto Show returns Dec. 18 for four days. It'll be open to the public, with about 13,000 expected.
“It will be the first International Auto Show that has been held since COVID-19 began,” Orange County Convention Center Executive Director Mark Tester said.
The pandemic's impact has been staggering, with 67 convention cancellations that robbed the local economy of $1.71 billion.
However, 48 have been rescheduled. Those are expected to draw $678 million worth of business.
“While events may not be 100% of what they were the previous year, we will have as busy a July and August as we have ever had.” Tester said.
Event planners say with COVID-19 vaccine distribution and big ticket shows like the January Surf Expo still on the schedule, the new year could bring back old business.