Orlando businesses offer items that will elevate your attendee and VIP amenities with local flair (gift basket from The Ancient Olive Gourmet in Winter Park near downtown Orlando pictured).
Either before, during or after a successful Orlando meeting or convention, including locally crafted items such as gourmet chocolate and sweets, roasted coffee beans, or wellness products to your attendees’ amenities can add that personal touch they want in an event.
So, whether you’re curating local products for a welcome basket or offering a sumptuous treat between breakout sessions, Orlando has the sweet shops, coffee and tea houses, and boutique wellness stores that will make your amenities a true Orlando experience.
Additional reporting by Beth Bell.
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Local Gourmet Sweets
It’s hard to go wrong with gourmet chocolate and local sweet shops like Peterbrooke Chocolatier and Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, both of which offer robust corporate and business gifting options. Or, give your attendees a taste of the sweet life with gift-ready ice cream pints and irresistible flavors — including some inspired by Orlando — from Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream, Salt & Straw, and Sampaguita Ice Cream. Many of these locations offer local delivery and pick up options, or even nationwide shipping.
To add a “surprise and delight” element at the event, treat your attendees to scratch “almost half pound” cookies from Gideon’s Bakehouse, ooey-gooey morsels from Phat Ash Bakes, or jewel-bright cakes and pastries from The Glass Knife and Amorette’s Patisserie. You can go fully vegan with treats from Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC.
You can also make the sweets an actual part of the agenda when your group journeys through the Chocolate Kingdom — Interactive Factory Adventure Tour in the Convention District to create their own custom chocolate bar. Or, host a special event at The Naked Cupcake in nearby Lake Nona.
Local Coffee, Tea and Honey
Orlando’s local coffee, tea and honey scene can add a rich, aroma-filled touch to any gift basket.
Foxtail Coffee Co. roasts most of its beans in Winter Park near downtown Orlando for a fresh, ultra-local cup of joe attendees can brew when they get home. Foxtail is also available to cater your event.
Spice and Tea Exchange at Disney Springs features over 70 tea varieties and offers spices, salts, flavored sugars and honey.
Family-owned Winter Park Honey offers some of the best pure, organic honey in the nation, both through its main brand and the Wild Florida Honey and Local Bee Honey lines. Corporate gift options include personalized honey flavors, muth jars and even authentic honeycombs.
For the chefs in your group – or if your meeting is food-focused – spices and olive oils from The Ancient Olive Gourmet can make the perfect amenity.
Spa & Wellness Products
Treat your attendees to all natural, locally crafted spa products that will leave them refreshed from head to toe. Oh Eco wellness products have a sustainable spin that makes gifting a little easier on the environment. Wenvia is another fantastic brand for all-natural goods, like the popular Florida Sunshine soap bar and Rose Glow Facial Serum.
Stylish Drinkware From Corkcicle
Drinkware is always a popular giveaway, and you can up your gift’s cool factor with a stylish tumbler, wine glass, mug, cold cup or other vessel from Orlando-based Corkcicle. The company is known for their fun and functional drinkware, which can keep drinks at the ideal temperature for hours. They come in tons of fun styles and colors, and you can even find items created in partnership with Harry Potter™, Marvel™, Star Wars™ and local brands like Rifle Paper Co. and the Orlando Squeeze for an extra-personal touch.
Gift Baskets With a Local Touch
With so many gift ideas from multiple vendors and businesses available, let Orlando’s gift basket companies take the guesswork out of gifting with Florida-made gift baskets for every occasion.
Orlando Gift Baskets has everything from theme park-inspired baskets, pampering spa sets to baskets loaded with premium snacks, and they’ll even work with you to create a custom gift in as little as 20 – 30 minutes. Best of all, they can ship any non-alcoholic sets back to your attendees’ hotel room.
boxthecity™ is another fantastic option. Their curated gift sets feature locally produced merchandise from numerous Orlando-based businesses, like Blossom Artisanal, Corkcicle, Foxtail Coffee Co., Peterbrooke Chocolatier, Rifle Paper Co., Yaupon Brothers American Tea Company, Wash & Wik, and more.
Now that we have gift wrapped some ideas for you, it’s time to start shopping before your next Orlando meeting.