Buyers and suppliers meet in Ocala for Florida Huddle

Visit Florida’s stated intention to publicize the lesser known tourism destinations in the state were fully realized by the recent Florida Huddle conference and trade mart.

It was held in the small, central Florida city of Ocala, where 217 tourism product suppliers met with 154 international buyers in a busy schedule of timed meetings. Florida partners that attended included destination reps, convention bureaus, hotel and resort operators and reps for attractions and theme parks.

Held concurrently with the Huddle was Florida Encounter, a similar trade event designed for the meetings and conferences industry.

They all gathered at the World Equestrian Center, a rambling rural property spanning over 800 hectares with two luxury hotels and spacious conference facilities in Ocala. Use of these by meetings organizers support the principal purpose of the Center – to host large equestrian competition events, with state of the art arenas and horse-care services. Competitors from around the planet come to the WEC to showcase their horses in contests like dressage, barrel racing, jumping and more throughout the year.

Huddle attendees could see horses and riders on trails that meandered through this sprawling property on their way by shuttle from their hotels to one of the two exposition centres. Once there, they got down to the business of establishing contacts and potential agreements to market the tourism assets of the state.

A Florida Huddle first

There were slightly fewer of both tourism product sellers and buyers this year than last, when the Florida Huddle was held in Miami. That 2024 edition of the show drew 261 suppliers and 177 buyers.

After Huddles that were held in cities including Miami, Orlando, Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale, the selection of Ocala as the host location was a step in a different direction.

“This is the first time that we have held Florida Huddle in a rural location like this,” said Visit Florida chief marketing officer Brett Laiken. “We have been promoting off-the-beaten-track tourism destinations in Florida, so we decided to follow our own advice.”

With this outlook in mind, Visit Florida is adopting strategic advice captured in the statement “the New in the Know,” while refreshing the Visit Florida brand, said Laiken. This essentially invites visitors to discover new aspects in what they already know about tourism in Florida, using the example of Ocala as a potential new destination. It is just 90 minutes by car north of Orlando, which is one of the best known tourism centres in the state.

Canada: Florida’s leading market

During Huddle, Visit Florida reviewed international tourist numbers and trends, confirming once again that Canada is the number point of origin for visitors to the state. This was supported by stats such as a projected increase of 8.1% in airline capacity to Florida from Canada in the first half of this year. This includes significant jumps in capacity, such as an 87% increase to Palm Beach, 27% to Fort Myers and 19% to Sarasota.

But Florida tourism officials declined to discuss the potential impact of a product tariff war brewing between Canada and the U.S., nor the effect that this would have on the daunting dollar-for-dollar exchange rate.

“In the past, tourism to Florida has not been affected by political factors,” said Laiken. “In any case, we focus on tourism, not politics. “We know that people seek to reward themselves and their loved ones with a vacation. It’s our job to showcase Florida as being a holiday option for everyone. That’s our responsibility and we take that seriously.”

Echoing that outlook was Dana Young, president and CEO of Visit Florida. In a press conference with international media, Young said that there was no data available on the impact that the potential tariffs might have on tourism to Florida from Canada and Mexico.

“But I can say that, over the years, we have had political events like travel bans, boycotts and other things of that nature. We have not seen any meaningful impact on our visitation numbers from these things. So it is our great hope that we will continue to see our friends from Canada and Mexico. And based on history, we have every reason to believe that they will continue to come here.”

Hosting this edition of Florida Huddle was Young’s final job in her executive position with Visit Florida. After six years in her role as CEO, Young had earlier announced her decision to retire, and that took effect immediately following the completion of the 2025 Huddle.

Orlando has been announced as the location for the 2026 edition of Florida Huddle. It will take place Feb. 2 – 4, 2026, at the Hilton Orlando.