10 New Venues in Orlando/Central Florida for Summer 2024 Meetings and Events

Bright, playful colors abound at Hotel Landy, a 400-room high-rise lodging facility with event spaces that opened near Universal Orlando Resort and Orlando’s convention center in May. Mesh lighting, dynamic patterns, and sleek midcentury modern furnishings combine to create an upbeat feel at the property’s entrance. Groups have access to more than 10,000 square feet of flexible spaces, among them two ballrooms, an executive boardroom, a breakout room, and an outdoor area. At 3,476 square feet, the Emilie Ballroom, with its dome chandeliers and ornate carpeting, is ideal for galas of up to 522 guests with a cocktail arrangement, or 300 seated. The smaller Crystal Ballroom, at 2,115 square feet, accommodates nearly 200 celebrants with flamboyantly framed mirrors, several windows, frilly round chandeliers, and a ceiling covered in textured squares. The 2,100-square-foot courtyard hosts up to 150 guests, The View with floor-to-ceiling windows up to 50, the gallery up to 80, and the Executive Boardroom as many as 10. An events team and hotel chefs will assist with planning and execution. Hotel Landy, a Tribute Portfolio property under the Marriott Bonvoy umbrella, has a swimming pool, lawn games, a yoga studio, a fitness center, a game room, and retail pop-ups.

In April, a luxury 30,000-square-foot event venue called The Ora opened on a 32-acre lot 10 minutes outside downtown Sarasota. It's owned by the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, which is headquartered next door, and catered by the local restaurant-caterer combo Michael’s on East. With high ceilings, neutral colors, and ribbonlike accents dangling from the ceilings, The Ora was designed to have an adaptable aesthetic. Groups can opt to show custom images on the entryway walls with projection mapping, which is part of the audiovisual umbrella that also includes lighting, sound, HDMI wall plates, Bluetooth, and RCA audio inputs and projectors. An outdoor plaza complements four indoor venues of varying sizes. The ballroom can be split into three sections and has wireless microphones. The bright lobby and elegant terrace with glass doors, at 2,300 square feet apiece, can host 100 for a sit-down lunch or 300 for a cocktail hour. The 1,100-square-foot gallery welcomes more intimate groups for get-togethers. Between The Ora and the caterer, groups can easily access a range of extras from dance floors and tents to seating and glassware. Kosher-style meals are available if requested. A dedicated, illuminated 400-space parking area is on the premises.

Located on the 18th floor of a downtown Orlando high-rise, Citrus Club has been a membership-based networking hub since 1969. In April, the club debuted a series of refurbished spaces, each bright and sophisticated in its own way, most with panoramic city views. Outside groups are welcome to rent out private spaces and the entire facility. Neutral tones set a new Florida tone adaptable to event decor. The ballroom, with contemporary circle chandeliers, has a wall of windows, and its carpet and art blend black, grays, and white. AV options were designed to support gatherings from fundraisers and board meetings to symposiums and weddings, so elements such as 75-inch TVs with streaming capabilities, wireless mics, dance floors, podiums, and sound systems are available. In total, up to 450 guests can gather in the 5,500-square-foot ballroom for receptions, or 250 seated at tables. The ballroom can be broken into four separate rooms. Smaller spaces—including the Duncan Boardroom and Wine and Temple rooms—host gatherings for as few as 14 seated to as many as 32. The club’s restaurant and bar/lounge have been renamed Tangerine and The Grove, respectively. Both are adorned with whimsical lighting and midcentury modern furnishings. Parking is available in an attached covered garage. The club also has private phone-call rooms, house linens, easy back-door vendor access, and staff event coordinators. The club’s chefs will provide a wide range of menu types, including hors d’oeuvres; snack stations; and plated and buffet-style breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Meeting packages are available.

Whether in a small private lounge with four bowling lanes or a buyout of the grand two-level space with 16 lanes total, plus a brightly lit Italian American bistro and bar, Pinstripes Orlando is a lively spot for group gatherings of 20 to 1,600 people. The 34,537-square-foot entertainment center encompasses 264 restaurant and bar seats indoors and 206 outside including a patio fireplace. It also offers private events in the upstairs ballrooms A and B. When used as a single venue, the ballrooms accommodate up to 300 for standing receptions or 225 seated at table rounds. The small bowling lounge is ideal for small private parties and corporate bonding events, while the ballrooms, patios, and combined spaces can accommodate wedding celebrations, b’nai mitzvahs, and corporate networking and team-building get-togethers. Gaming competitions, custom logoed merchandise, podiums, and flip charts are among the extras available. Indoor and outdoor bocce ball is also on site. Pinstripes offers a range of audiovisual gear. On-site chefs provide the food and beverage, from finger foods to food stations and four-course sit-down dinners. Off-site catering is also on offer. Pinstripes is located in the new O-Town West development, a short ride from the Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld complexes and the Orange County Convention Center.

Covered, open-air, simulated golfing in private bays encourages bonding and socializing at Eagles Edge at ChampionsGate, an 18,474-square-foot facility that debuted in February at the sprawling Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Thirty unnetted bays face the grass, each with sofas or tables and Toptracer Range machines that invite up to six participants to compete on virtual golf courses and share stats at the end. A full bar is available, along with a la carte and catering menus. The area also has 47 TVs and is adjacent to an illuminated par-3 course and putt-putt. With a buyout, up to 1,000 guests can gather in the facility and on the lawn beyond. Smaller groups can choose from subspaces: the 900-square-foot private indoor lounge with six HDTVs, for 30 to 50 guests; the 652.5-square-foot private indoor Signature Suite for up to 32 people; the 2,808-square-foot patio, a covered pavilion accommodating as many as 70; the 4,794-square-foot indoor dining hall for up to 300 guests; and the entire pavilion, including eight bays, where 125 to 264 invitees can meet and enjoy a billiard table and two pingpong tables. Planners can use the resort’s AV services through Pinnacle Live.

Themed around adventure with a menu developed by Top Chef fan-favorite Fabio Viviani, Chuck Lager Legendary Kitchen Orlando is a spacious American restaurant with a modern-rustic look and several event spaces. Wood tables, travel-related artwork, and exposed brick walls create a jeans-friendly feel. The restaurant opened near Orlando’s convention center in May. While planners can book the full restaurant for 200 guests seated or 250 reception-style, smaller groups can gather in smaller areas. Thirty can meet and dine in a private dining room (pictured) with a brick wall and cement floor; 40 on the brick-walled patio, which opens to both the bar and the outside; and 100 in the lower dining room, a mix of tables and booths amid wooden and brick walls. Presentations and logos can be projected onto TVs. Groups can choose buffet meals, family-style, or a la carte options. Specialties include Fabio’s famous meatballs, tuna poke nachos, and smoked mac ‘n cheese. The entire venue is ADA accessible.

A fresh-looking space in muted neutral pastels and whites, The Bunny Hive Orlando is a social club for young children and their grown-ups. Located in a two-story house within Orlando’s Colonialtown South neighborhood, the entire facility is available for rent whether for parties, bridal showers, or corporate get-togethers. Add-on activities and event styling packages are available. The venue can accommodate up to 20 families or 25 adults. The structure has 2,000 square feet divided into several rooms, a kitchenette, and a small outdoor area. Groups are welcome to use the facility’s existing furniture and to work with outside vendors to bring in tables, chairs, linens, and decorations. Groups can provide their own food and beverage, whether homemade or prepared by outside caterers or restaurants. Use of Bang & Olufsen speakers, certain party supplies, and soft-play elements and indoor swings are included.

A sleepy longtime bowling center in Sanford, Fla., Airport Lanes has been revamped and energized into a lively party venue. Since January, the 34,000-square-foot neighborhood spot has had a sleek yet laid-back feel with clean-line sofas framing each lane, multicolor light and dark wood-look floors, music playing throughout, a full catering menu, and a full bar. The upgrades are thanks to purchaser Aloma Bowling Centers, a company with two other event-friendly Orlando-area bowling alleys. In addition to private groups gathering for birthdays and team celebrations, schools, camps, and daycare facilities block out lanes, the arcade, or all or part of the Brooklyn South Bar, which is a casual section with brick walls, red metal chairs, 16 TVs, and a pool table. For events, up to 50 guests can sit at the tables, or 75 can meet and greet in a chairs-only setup. Planners can reserve adjacent sets of the 32 lanes with set menus for 10 to 192 guests, or buy out the entire building, where groups of up to 350 can bowl, drink, and dine. Trivia contests, Bowling Bingo, the Whacky Wheel of Bowling, and karaoke are additional entertainment options. While smaller gatherings might choose a simple package of pizza, bowling, soft drinks, and arcade games, others can add wine, beer, and cocktails along with platters featuring salads, wings, burgers, finger foods, and churro bites.

Recently awarded a Michelin Bib recognition, Sushi Saint is a temaki bar specializing in hand-rolled, globally sourced sushi and other Japanese-inspired small bites, along with craft beers made on site and sake-based cocktails. Its chef-owner, Michael Collantes, has repeatedly earned a Michelin star for sister restaurant Soseki. While the light-wood Sushi Saint temaki bar has only 12 black velvet seats, and the omakase bar has nine green velvet seats, together with the adjacent lounge the restaurant encompasses 2,500 square feet, allowing up to 70 guests to hobnob reception-style during a buyout. A menu of traditional Japanese maki, sashimi, temaki, and otoshi (appetizers) would likely be served. Using existing seating, groups also have access to four cocktail bar seats and, in the lounge, a communal table that fits eight, three six-person booths, and three four-top tables. The modern neutral design includes gold and black accents, with natural daytime lighting and table lantern illumination after dark. Old-school anime is projected and lively music plays.

Orlando’s first meadery, Zymarium Meadery, debuted in the Mills 50 District in August 2023 with a lush black and gold industrial-chic look. More than 20 meads are on tap, all made in house using local honey; other beverages are available. Co-owner Joe Leigh has won multiple awards for his mead production. Groups can buy out the 1,600-square-foot taproom, adorned with hexagon/honeycomb elements and a photo wall of suspended gold "chandelier" balls. The bar is topped with 24 feet of black concrete inlaid with brass hexagons; the back bar wall is a mosaic of black hexagons. Gold taps, windows, and plants complete the feel. Up to 140 guests can gather in the taproom reception style, or 100 seated at existing bag chairs, booths, and sofas. A separate interior space behind the taproom allows for 70 guests to be seated. Groups can use Zymarium’s six 5-foot round tables and 36 metal seats, or bring in their own. Up to 210 standing can be accommodated in the two areas combined. The venue offers a projector and screen; use of the in-house sound system; and, upon request, curated mead tasting. Groups are welcome to bring in food from a restaurant or caterer.