More than 270 chefs will conduct demonstrations and seminars during the festival, including more than a dozen celebrity chefs, such as Jamie Deen, Cat Cora, and Cake Boss Buddy Valastro. In addition to participating in any of the public events, private groups can create their own experience by booking one of the park’s two dozen event spaces. The largest venue at the park is the 45,000-square-foot World ShowPlace Pavilion. The Disney Meetings staff can work with planners to create opportunities such as a private dessert party or a culinary demonstration.
2. Universal Studios Orlando is hosting Halloween Horror Nights 21 for 25 nights beginning September 23. The theme park will be filled with eight new haunted houses, six themed scare zones, and dozens of strolling ghoulish and gory characters. On nights when Halloween Horror Nights is not going on, private groups can still incorporate the haunted houses and scare-actors into their events.
Since this is the 21st year for the event, the main character is that lover of blackjack and other games, Lady Luck, who “transforms from a tempting seductress to a bloodthirsty beast,” taunting guests to take a chance. New haunted houses include one based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe and another titled “The Forsaken,” meant to represent Christopher Columbus’s cursed fourth ship.
Universal Studios has more than 108,000 square feet of meeting space with combined capacity of more than 13,000. There are also a variety of venues at Universal CityWalk entertainment district. For teambuilding activities, the park’s meetings team can create a scavenger hunt that takes participants throughout Halloween Horror Nights.
