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1 hour ago, AmIReal said:

Just a little I-drive/ Rosen history for those that like that sort of thing...

http://www.i4biz.com/people_companies/a-crystal-ball/

 

personally I think he should raze that Rosen Inn property.  It takes up too much land.  But he had plans to expand Rosen plaza like 5 years ago with outparcel development across Pointe Orlando, but nothing ever happened...maybe because of a change in plans.

the 14 story tower at Shingle Creek- they are running way behind on that proposal I think.

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I'm wondering if they could potentially work with the county to close the road that feed the hotel and make entrances for the hotel off I-drive itself and use the 4 lane divided roadway as more land for the hotel.   The CVS Pizza Hut and the other outparcels all have entrances out to I-drive.  This isn't like when Ming Court was there and the only entrance was off the side road.

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11 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Diversity wins the day as OC picks a design team for a $605m expansion of OCCC:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orange-county/os-ne-orange-county-convention-center-expansion-20190807-a22fogmuyvftpebye6r3xqstwm-story.html

From the Sentinel 

do they say what the timetable is for the expansion and what it entails?  I recall what they had discussed a year or two ago, a new mezzanine at the N/S Bldg connecting the North and South concourses and another 200k ftsq at that building.

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On 8/1/2019 at 11:02 AM, Xander said:

Holy MOLY. 

universe.jpg

something I haven't even considered till now is the effect on new hotel proposals and expansions to existing hotel properties servicing the OCCC.  I wonder if Universal will build a or another convention-class hotel near this park.  Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls, separate and combined via skywalk, are very nice convention class hotels, and fun to walk through (if that sort of thing is considered fun by normal people).

I am thinking of the former Westin former Village of Imagine property, Shingle Creek, Orlando Hilton, etc.

Destination Pkwy has also been completed as well all the way to I-Drive.

The BIG convention hotels near OCCC are of course Hyatt Regency and Orlando Hilton; Rosen Centre comes in next and Rosen Plaza 4th- as far as being adjacent to it.  Shingle Creek is a mile or two away but is very large ala CC space.  I think Universal can get in on that action if they are so inclined.

This new park is also a potentially huge asset to the OCCC, in that, it is a very large entertainment complex that could very well cater to nearby conventioneers at OCCC, and they could market the hec out of that; and cut deals with Uni for their convention packages at the new park.

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21 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

something I haven't even considered till now is the effect on new hotel proposals and expansions to existing hotel properties servicing the OCCC.  I wonder if Universal will build a or another convention-class hotel near this park.  Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls, separate and combined via skywalk, are very nice convention class hotels, and fun to walk through (if that sort of thing is considered fun by normal people).

I am thinking of the former Westin former Village of Imagine property, Shingle Creek, Orlando Hilton, etc.

Destination Pkwy has also been completed as well all the way to I-Drive.

The BIG convention hotels near OCCC are of course Hyatt Regency and Orlando Hilton; Rosen Centre comes in next and Rosen Plaza 4th- as far as being adjacent to it.  Shingle Creek is a mile or two away but is very large ala CC space.  I think Universal can get in on that action if they are so inclined.

This new park is also a potentially huge asset to the OCCC, in that, it is a very large entertainment complex that could very well cater to nearby conventioneers at OCCC, and they could market the hec out of that; and cut deals with Uni for their convention packages at the new park.

Yes! The new park and new hotel are being designed with conventions in mind. That amphitheater will be rented out for conventions and every single land is designed to be accessed via service roads (the single entrance is also in part due to the ability to close them off for special events without a lot of labor costs). Not really seen in the concept art is some convention space within the hotel itself (or the amenities that will be on the other side). The hotel will be on the same level as a Four Seasons/Ritz Carlton. This will be the new flagship hotel for UOR. A big step up from Portofino Bay and Royal Pacific. They seem to really be pulling inspiration from the WDW Four Seasons and the new hotel going into Tokyo DisneySea. Honestly, they seem to be pulling a lot of inspiration from Tokyo DisneySea for many aspects of the park and hotels. 

Also, don't forget that they acknowledge hotelS would be coming. They only showed the one but expect others. I think they're hesitant due to concerns over labor shortages more than anything. They're outsourcing a ton of the design process, more so than usual, especially for the park. I think this is to allow the internal teams to focus more on upcoming projects and further out blue sky stuff, like the rest of the South Campus. 

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On 8/5/2019 at 5:39 PM, spenser1058 said:

Disney characters coming to “it’s a small world” in a significant refresh for the MK attraction:

https://wdwnt.com/2019/08/its-a-small-world-at-magic-kingdom-adding-disney-characters-to-the-attraction-for-walt-disney-worlds-50th-anniversary/

From WDW News Today 

Tom is once again taking old stories and trying to claim that they're new...

This rumor dates back to at least 2009 when Disneyland got them. It's been long thought that the 'iasw' update will be a part of the 50 updates for the 50th that will be rumored also include updates to Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, etc. 

I highly recommend WDWThemeParks for a good timeline on projects and a background on them. Here's the history of the 'its a small world' update.   http://wdwthemeparks.com/rumors/2017/03/18/mary-blair-versions-of-classic-disney-character-possibly-coming-to-its-a-small-world

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Some pics of the bridge connecting the MK with the Grand Floridian Resort as it gets underway.

The story notes that it may be a swing bridge, which I had wondered about as a possibility since that’s what was used for the WDW Railroad at the other end of the service canal.

https://wdwnt.com/2019/08/photos-drawbridge-arrives-confirming-walkway-connecting-disneys-grand-floridian-resort-and-the-magic-kingdom/

From WDW News Today

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Given that a downtown OCCC would have filled up the space where UCF/VD now is, I think it worked out OK.

Also, the Georgia World Congress Center really didn’t do much to build a livable downtown in Atlanta. Sure, hotels like the Peachtree Plaza, the Hyatt Regency, the Omni and the Marriott Marquis came about partly as a result (they were also business hotels catering to the Merchandise Mart and other local corporations), but by and large Atlantans avoided downtown like the plague.

i believe UCF/VD will be much more integrated into the life of downtown than OCCC ever would have.

Besides, we’ve got plenty of mega-hotels, they’re just located south of town.

I also don’t think we need to be apologizing for the fact we’re the nation’s second-largest convention destination (sorry, NYC, Chicago and LA) and are quite likely to end up first in number of hotel rooms by 2025.

It’s odd to me we keep apologizing on these boards for things that work.

Edited by spenser1058
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On 8/12/2019 at 5:48 AM, spenser1058 said:

Showtime airs a program this week with a Central Florida theme:

https://www.thedailycity.com/post/on-becoming-a-god-in-central-florida-new-showtime-tv-show-coming-this-month

From The Daily City

*Says nothing about Amway*

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like Orlando started to shed it's tacky/hokey stereotypes in the mid to late 2000's. A few movies, TV shows, and even documentaries, did a decent job casting the area in a straightforward light.  Being an optimist I expected this trend to continue, since IRL our city's perception was much better than the caricature  the entertainment industry puts out. Since then, garbage like The Florida Project, Hotwives of Orlando,  Escape from Tomorrow, this new show, etc, all have gone back to the 1 dimensional writing on CFL and quite frankly it's tiring. 

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Galaxy's Edge officially opens on August 29th. But CM previews have begun.
I am a Star Wars fan and a theme park fan and I must say this is the best land Disney has built. I don't know what all the negative social media, etc. is talking about, this place is amazing. Once the Rise of the Resistance opens in December this is going to be a big draw.
 

 

Here some photos as well.

48519828506_1a278b3d06_b.jpg

48519996192_a22dd043f8_b.jpg

48519993717_876c3151e0_b.jpg

48519821071_ccf2ff2518_b.jpg

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I just got this press release from C.T. Hsu + Associates regarding the OCCC updates. I've always thought that end of the OCCC looked unfinished, this seems to be help it. 

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners has selected the joint venture team of POPULOUS + C.T. Hsu & Associates to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Orange County Convention Center’s (OCCC) estimated $605 million North-South Building Expansion.

It is an important project for the region that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said will “sharpen our competitive edge and maintain our position as a dynamic location for conventions, tradeshows and guests from around the globe.” The OCCC is the second-largest convention center in North America, attracting 1.4 million visitors annually and providing an estimated $3 billion in economic impact to Central Florida.

The expansion plan includes two projects:

Convention Way Grand Concourse – An enclosed connection between the North and South concourses that will add 60,000 SF of meeting space and an 80,000 SF ballroom, along with providing a new grand entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.

Multipurpose Venue – A 200,000 SF flexible, column-free space to accommodate up to 20,000 guests that POPULOUS’ Michael Lockwood predicts will make OCCC “the envy of the industry.”

“POPULOUS + C.T. Hsu, a Joint Venture has a long-standing partnership with our community that will be advantageous in planning and implementing these projects,” said OCCC Acting Executive Director David Ingram. Locally, the firms’ joint venture projects together also include the Amway Center and Orlando City Soccer’s Exploria Stadium.

“What I most admire about C.T. Hsu is his unrelenting commitment to the community,” added GEC founding President and longtime Orlando advocate Joanie Schirm. “I know the new addition at the Orange County Convention Center will showcase his firm’s design thoughtfulness. We are lucky to have C.T. and his joint venture team on the project.”

The expected completion date of the expansion is late 2023.

35c60fa9-58e7-48d9-a02c-0ce62721a616.jpg

d1e48203-e4e7-4ede-9cc0-5ab5fc314c76.jpg

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28 minutes ago, klstorey said:

Multipurpose Venue – A 200,000 SF flexible, column-free space to accommodate up to 20,000 guests that POPULOUS’ Michael Lockwood predicts will make OCCC “the envy of the industry.”

The whole project sounds great, but this part sounds amazing.

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9 hours ago, klstorey said:

I just got this press release from C.T. Hsu + Associates regarding the OCCC updates. I've always thought that end of the OCCC looked unfinished, this seems to be help it. 

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners has selected the joint venture team of POPULOUS + C.T. Hsu & Associates to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Orange County Convention Center’s (OCCC) estimated $605 million North-South Building Expansion.

It is an important project for the region that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said will “sharpen our competitive edge and maintain our position as a dynamic location for conventions, tradeshows and guests from around the globe.” The OCCC is the second-largest convention center in North America, attracting 1.4 million visitors annually and providing an estimated $3 billion in economic impact to Central Florida.

The expansion plan includes two projects:

Convention Way Grand Concourse – An enclosed connection between the North and South concourses that will add 60,000 SF of meeting space and an 80,000 SF ballroom, along with providing a new grand entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.

Multipurpose Venue – A 200,000 SF flexible, column-free space to accommodate up to 20,000 guests that POPULOUS’ Michael Lockwood predicts will make OCCC “the envy of the industry.”

“POPULOUS + C.T. Hsu, a Joint Venture has a long-standing partnership with our community that will be advantageous in planning and implementing these projects,” said OCCC Acting Executive Director David Ingram. Locally, the firms’ joint venture projects together also include the Amway Center and Orlando City Soccer’s Exploria Stadium.

“What I most admire about C.T. Hsu is his unrelenting commitment to the community,” added GEC founding President and longtime Orlando advocate Joanie Schirm. “I know the new addition at the Orange County Convention Center will showcase his firm’s design thoughtfulness. We are lucky to have C.T. and his joint venture team on the project.”

The expected completion date of the expansion is late 2023.

35c60fa9-58e7-48d9-a02c-0ce62721a616.jpg

d1e48203-e4e7-4ede-9cc0-5ab5fc314c76.jpg

this lobby area is what MCO should have looked like...

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13 hours ago, ragerunner said:

Galaxy's Edge officially opens on August 29th. But CM previews have begun.
I am a Star Wars fan and a theme park fan and I must say this is the best land Disney has built. I don't know what all the negative social media, etc. is talking about, this place is amazing. Once the Rise of the Resistance opens in December this is going to be a big draw.
 

 

Here some photos as well.

48519828506_1a278b3d06_b.jpg

48519996192_a22dd043f8_b.jpg

48519993717_876c3151e0_b.jpg

48519821071_ccf2ff2518_b.jpg

A lot of the negative press coming out of Anaheim is that the crowds have been non-existent because of annual pass holder blockout dates and also that Galaxys Edge doesn’t really belong in Disneyland Park.

This should be a great addition to Hollywood Studios — a park in desperate need of new attractions.

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13 hours ago, klstorey said:

I just got this press release from C.T. Hsu + Associates regarding the OCCC updates. I've always thought that end of the OCCC looked unfinished, this seems to be help it. 

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners has selected the joint venture team of POPULOUS + C.T. Hsu & Associates to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Orange County Convention Center’s (OCCC) estimated $605 million North-South Building Expansion.

It is an important project for the region that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said will “sharpen our competitive edge and maintain our position as a dynamic location for conventions, tradeshows and guests from around the globe.” The OCCC is the second-largest convention center in North America, attracting 1.4 million visitors annually and providing an estimated $3 billion in economic impact to Central Florida.

The expansion plan includes two projects:

Convention Way Grand Concourse – An enclosed connection between the North and South concourses that will add 60,000 SF of meeting space and an 80,000 SF ballroom, along with providing a new grand entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.

Multipurpose Venue – A 200,000 SF flexible, column-free space to accommodate up to 20,000 guests that POPULOUS’ Michael Lockwood predicts will make OCCC “the envy of the industry.”

“POPULOUS + C.T. Hsu, a Joint Venture has a long-standing partnership with our community that will be advantageous in planning and implementing these projects,” said OCCC Acting Executive Director David Ingram. Locally, the firms’ joint venture projects together also include the Amway Center and Orlando City Soccer’s Exploria Stadium.

“What I most admire about C.T. Hsu is his unrelenting commitment to the community,” added GEC founding President and longtime Orlando advocate Joanie Schirm. “I know the new addition at the Orange County Convention Center will showcase his firm’s design thoughtfulness. We are lucky to have C.T. and his joint venture team on the project.”

The expected completion date of the expansion is late 2023.

35c60fa9-58e7-48d9-a02c-0ce62721a616.jpg

d1e48203-e4e7-4ede-9cc0-5ab5fc314c76.jpg

I was just there. I was wondering could the place get any bigger and oh my. 20,000 seat venue? What is that comparable to? Any other convention centers with that high of a demand?

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4 hours ago, IAmFloridaBorn said:

I was just there. I was wondering could the place get any bigger and oh my. 20,000 seat venue? What is that comparable to? Any other convention centers with that high of a demand?

Vegas is in the midst of a $1.4 billion expansion on their convention center... and Sands Expo right near the Vegas Convention Center is building a 20,000 multipurpose venue. This expansion is to try not to fall behind Vegas, its a clear response to what Vegas is building. Even with this, we don't seem to have the budget they have this go around (we're at $600M this go around), but we are starting with a better set of facilities at least... they're promising to surpass us with what they're doing.

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2 hours ago, aent said:

Vegas is in the midst of a $1.4 billion expansion on their convention center... and Sands Expo right near the Vegas Convention Center is building a 20,000 multipurpose venue. This expansion is to try not to fall behind Vegas, its a clear response to what Vegas is building. Even with this, we don't seem to have the budget they have this go around (we're at $600M this go around), but we are starting with a better set of facilities at least... they're promising to surpass us with what they're doing.

yes, it is in response to that, but, it is also a response to what McCormick Place did a few years back with some new expo space and a whole lotta concourse space. on the west side of their West building  (built in the '90's) (west of LSD and south of the North building built in the '80's).

OCCC renovated the oldest portion of the West building a few years back and that portion looks better than the Hyatt's convention space- that's probably why they did it.  They then added the skywalk to Rosen Plaza.  The latest improvement has been the skywalk from the West Bldg to Hyatt's old entrance.

This new expansion is needed b/c of the disjointedness of the N/S Bldg's bifurcation (much like OIA) into two halves not connected from within.  The design in those renderings is different from what was put out there last year or so.

But I think the key for OCCC is going to also be new hotel projects adjacent to the building(s) with direct connections- this has been a focus for OCCC for the past decade.  Right now, Hyatt, Hilton, and the two Rosen hotels are direct connected with skywalks, and that's like 4-5k rooms.  They need another hotel on the back side of Hyatt across from Andretti/Top Golf (or adjacent to Hyatt) with another skywalk connecting to the North concourse.  I know about last year's 1,200 rm proposed upper end hotel on Westwood  (by the group doing the JW in Bonnet Creek) behind the West Building with close access to that bridge to the back entrance to the West Building- I would propose an addition to the West Entrance Drive bridge that makes its pedestrian path covered all the way to the West Bldg back entrance.

And I think the new park from Universal, UEU, can be a major addition to the convention experience if connectivity logistics are done right.  Conventioneers always talk about the importance of entertainment options.  Universal is only an Uber away, but the new park will be a similar distance away as Icon Orlando.  And, Icon Orlando or Icon 360 is still expanding; the new Gwen's hubby's bar is u/c and they are also going to build that swing ride adjacent (Malibu Adjacent) to it.

I think the N/S Bldg should have a VIP parking deck attached to it. 

 

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