Central Florida: Lab of the Themed Entertainment Industry

Recently, the big news in Florida was that Orlando is the first American city to reach 75 million visitors, a number more than triple the state of Florida’s population. Last week’s TEA/AECOM report indicated that the four theme parks at Walt Disney World and the two at Universal Orlando are all in the top 15 most visited theme parks in the world (with Magic Kingdom being number one in the world for more than a decade); likewise, the water parks at Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld are in the top 10 most visited water parks. Orlando is often called the “Theme Park Capital of the World,” and that continues to be true. Combining Orlando with the rest of Central Florida, there is no doubt that this region boasts some of the world’s top themed experiences. This article will detail four key reasons why students of the themed entertainment industry should consider visiting or studying in Central Florida.

1. Variety

The first and most obvious reason why students of the industry should visit is the wide array of attractions. We have Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Parks and Resorts Orlando, Legoland Florida Resort, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Those alone comprise nine theme parks, six water parks, a boutique park in Discovery Cove, shopping districts, and dozens of themed hotels. Beyond these obvious choices, the area has attractions including Kennedy Space Center, museums, escape games, zoos, and a vibrant art scene with the likes of the International Fringe Theatre Festival, the Florida Film Festival, and many arts venues. Within the theme parks themselves, almost every major attraction type is represented including animal exhibits and rides, dark rides, festivals, films, flat rides, interactive quests, nighttime spectaculars, parades, projection shows, roller coasters, shows, simulators, 3D films and 4D theaters, transport rides, walkthroughs, and water rides. The scope and variety of attractions make the area an appealing subject of study.  

2. Accessibility

Nowhere else on earth (save Southern California) has such a dense cluster of themed entertainment offerings. I have nothing against Southern California, the only other region that competes with this list. In fact, I grew up in Los Angeles, lived there for twenty years, and worked at Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood. However, one reason that Orlando is a good deal is ease of navigation. The parks are generally all closer in Central Florida compared with California. Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and the airport are located within 20 minutes of each other and are easy to access via car, rideshare, private bus, or public bus. Legoland, Busch Gardens, and Kennedy Space Center are a bit of a drive, but all are within 60 miles on highways that rarely experience traffic. Traffic can be bad in Orlando city but doesn’t touch Southern California’s snarled roadways in terms of difficult driving. The Southern California parks are located 30-40 miles apart (across 120 miles) which can take several hours to traverse. While California has several major airports, Orlando’s airport is considerably less hassle and more accessible. There is a wide array of hotels in the Orlando area as well with a range of price points, and it is easier to get to one theme park resort if staying at the other. For those taking the plunge to study here, Central Florida also has a lower cost of living and lesser overall transportation costs. 

3. Industry

Since this is about industry students, there is no doubt that Orlando specifically is a great city for working in the industry. For hourly work, there are literally tens of thousands of positions. There are also hundreds of management positions. For design, engineering, and product development, there are dozens of companies with offices in the area including AECOM, AOA, Alcorn McBride, BMorrow Productions, BRPH, Disney’s Yellow Shoes, Dynamic Attractions, Falcon’s Creative Group, Harris Civil Engineers, Holovis, Hotopp Associates, IDEAS, ITEC Entertainment, Merlin Entertainments, Nassal, Nickelodeon Experience Design, Oceaneering, Pseudonym Productions, Techni-Lux, TheatreDNA Creative, Universal Creative, Wartsila, and multiple others. For industry professional networks, Slice Creative Network and TEA are very active, and importantly, IAAPA has now moved to Orlando and holds the preeminent themed entertainment industry trade show annually at the Orange County Convention Center. California also has great industry connections no doubt, but Orlando has many targeted themed entertainment companies. 

4. Education

Finally, because I am a professor, education is one of the most important things to me. Los Angeles has some programs and there are select programs around the country and in Europe, but Florida is developing an impressive group of educational offerings within the themed entertainment industry. At the Associate’s level, Valencia College offers both Hospitality and Tourism Management and Entertainment Design and Technology (if you want to go into management or design respectively). At the Bachelor’s level, University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management has both a Theme Park & Attraction Management track and an Entertainment Management degree. Though much farther away, Ringling College of Art and Design now offers an Entertainment Design degree. At the Master’s level, there are two new programs from the design side: UCF has an MFA in Themed Experience and the University of Florida has an MS in Architecture with a themed environments concentration at their Orlando CityLab. Rosen College has a Master’s in Hospitality & Tourism Management as well as a Ph.D. in the area. 

The primary reason I moved from Southern California to Central Florida is so that I could attend UCF and study theme parks. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I hope that other potential students of the industry contemplate visiting or studying in the area as well, as it is rich in valuable experiences.