Has anyone ever attended a conference/convention hosted by Disney?

[Heppenheimer]

I'm not talking about a fan convention like D23, but a professional meeting held at one of the resort hotels. Apart from the content of the meeting (which would be determined by the organization holding the conference), how did you find the amenities provided by Disney? Was there anything special offered (other than discounted park tickets) that you would not have expected at a professional conference? Pluses/minuses?

It seems like Disney World, Disneyland and Aulani all host conferences regularly, and I'm thinking that if I can find a relevant conference each year, it might provide my family with a much needed and fun winter break.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I've attended numerous conferences at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland hosted by the Walt Disney Travel Company since 2008, and besides excellent content and awesome food, we have usually had an evening dinner/entertainment event or two, sometimes in a section of a park after closing, or in a more private venue. If in a section of a park after closing, we've sometimes had unlimited access to a few attractions or private fireworks viewing or a dessert party and possibly even a dance party/concert by a headliner.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Wow! I doubt that CME events would get that kind of private access, but if so, that would be fantastic. One can hope.

I'm glad to hear the food was good too. This can be a real hit-or-miss at medical conferences.

 

[Zé_Carioca]

The answer is: it depends on what the conference books. Disney has an events team that can build the conference based on requests and budget.

Some conferences may just book the room in one of the conference centers, some may request tea/coffee service plus meals (and again, the type of food/variety depends on the package when booking). Sometimes conferences will book specific table restaurants, sometimes they will pay the character upcharge for a character appearance, fireworks event space etc. (like DisneyJoe said). Basically, a lot can be arranged depending on the budget for the company but these "extras" are not guaranteed. Also keep in mind that i'd imagine that the special events would be for those attending the conference only, not family members but again, it depends on the conference budget and # of guests for each event.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Also keep in mind that i'd imagine that the special events would be for those attending the conference only, not family members but again, it depends on the conference budget and # of guests for each event.

Most definitely. For the few times that I did take my family along, they knew they wouldn't see me for the majority of the day, and occasionally some evenings.