Orlando, site of RCMA 2008, February 5-8, 2008, needs no introduction. The city and surrounding area in the past 20 years have emerged as a meetings, events, and vacations destination like no other.

Orlando is a desirable location for many reasons, and when combined, they present a package that's enjoyed by meeting planners and attendees alike.

Meeting Space and Accommodations

Begin with meeting space. Orlando hosts 1.4 million meeting attendees each year and offers a variety of facilities that fit small groups as well as large citywide conventions and trade shows.

Orlando's Orange County Convention Center is ranked second in the United States in exhibition space, with more than 2.1 million square feet. The center also offers 479,190 square feet of meeting rooms. More than 7,600 hotel rooms are within walking distance of the facility.

In addition, more than 3.1 million square feet of meeting space is available in the area's hotels and cultural venues.

Where do all the visitors stay? With almost 500 hotels and 115,200 guest rooms, Orlando offers more lodging options than nearly any destination in the world. Accommodations range from luxury resorts and themed hotels to charming bed and breakfasts, economy hotels/motels, and campgrounds. There are also more than 26,000 vacation-home rentals available and more than 16,000 vacation ownership units.

Attractions, Recreation, Dining

Orlando is a center of fun and excitement, with nearly 100 attractions to keep visitors coming back for more.

Take the mix of legendary theme parks, spectacular museums, world-class entertainment and blockbuster rides and attractions, and it would take about 67 eight-hour days to visit all the entertaining offerings.

Visitors also take great delight in Orlando's impressive lineup of world-class performing arts. The Orlando Opera, Orlando Ballet, Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, Bach Festival Society, The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Broadway Across America-Orlando series, and several professional and community theater companies are just a few of the area's entertainment options. In addition, House of Blues and Hard Rock Live offer concerts many nights of the week. Cirque du Soleil has a permanent show at Downtown Disney, and Universal CityWalk is home to a new Blue Man Group show.

If you need recreation options for your group, Orlando offers year-round choices. It has 2,000 lakes, springs, and rivers for swimming, boating, water skiing, and fishing; 176 golf courses; 800 tennis courts; and 21 fitness trails for biking, walking, or inline skating.

All of that is impressive, but what about the food? The Orlando area serves up more than 5,300 restaurants. Whether it's a casual meal on the run or a lavish four-course affair with crystal and china, Orlando is brimming with dining possibilities. And with approximately 15,000 seats in more than 50 restaurants within a 10-mile radius of Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, visitors don't have to travel far for a meal to remember.

Transportation

Two airports serve the area. Orlando International Airport is within 15 miles of the Orange County Convention Center and major attractions. More than 39 scheduled airlines, four charters, and seven cargo companies provide nonstop service to 82 destinations in the United States and 15 international cities.

Orlando Sanford International Airport is 18 miles from the Orlando city limits and 45 minutes from the Orange County Convention Center and major attractions. With 10 airlines serving 21 U.S. and 20 international destinations, this bustling facility was ranked the fastest-growing airport in North America for 2004 by the Airport Council International. The airport is the second most active in Florida and 24th in the United States.

Major highway networks provide easy access for visitors to reach their destinations and for traveling in and around the Greater Orlando area.

Amtrak serves more than 28 Florida communities with north and southbound daily trains originating from New York and Miami. These Silver Service trains stop in downtown Orlando, Winter Park, and Kissimmee. Amtrak also offers the Auto Train, which transports business or pleasure passengers and their vehicles daily between Lorton, Va., and Sanford.

In addition to taxi and limousine service to anywhere in the Greater Orlando area, the city's Lynx bus system provides economical and dependable public transportation.

Orlando Trivia

• Originally named Jernigan after Aaron Jernigan, who came from Georgia and settled here in 1843, Orlando grew slowly around an old Army post — Fort Gatlin — that was abandoned in 1849. The town's name was permanently changed to Orlando in 1857.

• Orlando once was a cow town. Cuba's demand for beef cattle was the chief reason for Orlando's growth in the cattle industry prior to 1863.

• “Orange fever” took over in 1870, and Orlando's residents began planting seeds in the land that had once yielded cotton. With the nation's growing demand for grapefruit, tangerines, and oranges, coupled with the extension of the South Florida Railroad into Central Florida in 1880, the citrus industry flourished.

• Orlando began taking steps toward becoming a world-class vacation and recreation mecca when Cypress Gardens Adventure Park opened in 1936. Disney World opened in 1971. In 1990, Universal Studios Florida came onto the scene. In 2000, Discovery Cove opened with a unique dolphin-swim experience.