Gartner Symposium October 2013

[Candlelady]

An FYI for anyone going Oct 2013 and staying at the BWV or BCV.
Lots of traffic and parking issues around both BWV and BCV, but mostly BWV due to the Gartner Symposium during F&W this past week.

http://www.gartner.com/technology/symposium/orlando/save-the-date.jsp


Save The Date

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo will be held October 6-10, 2013 in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World resorts. With a robust agenda of the hottest topics in IT and business, industry defining mastermind keynotes, hundreds of solution providers and the opportunity to network with more than 6,000 peers Symposium/ITxpo is the world's most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives.

 

[Pirate Granny]

Hopefully you got back safely.

 

[Candlelady]

Hi , yes we did. Flight wasn't bad at all. Little bumpy here and there, but nothing stomach churning.
Now we hunker down to wait for the super storm.

 

[crisi]

The other thing about the Gartner conference is that its an opportunity for vendors to take CIOs and other CXO level clients to dinner. If you like to eat at Flying Fish or Shulas or Blue Zoo or any of the other nice restaurants in the Epcot area (and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other Signature spots got a lot more traffic, too), you will need reservations - normally we can get a short notice table at the expensive spots, not during Gartner.

And twelve "suits" drinking heavily for a business dinner next to you is NOT romantic. Neither is the four year old who uses the bread as projectiles, but frankly, I'd rather take the four year old.

 

[LisaS]

Another issue with big conventions are the special events that happen at the resorts. This was a few years ago now but we got kicked out of the quiet pool at YC one day because the pool area was booked for a convention event and the Disney CMs needed to start setting up for it a couple of hours in advance. Imagine you're in the pool, planning to stretch out on a lounge chair to dry off in the sun once you get out and being told "You have to leave, NOW." We were dripping wet and had to leave the area immediately. This was several years ago but it left a lasting impression about how money talks at WDW and guests have no rights to use the facilities they paid for if a big convention is going on.

 

[crisi]

Another issue with big conventions are the special events that happen at the resorts. This was a few years ago now but we got kicked out of the quiet pool at YC one day because the pool area was booked for a convention event and the Disney CMs needed to start setting up for it a couple of hours in advance. Imagine you're in the pool, planning to stretch out on a lounge chair to dry off in the sun once you get out and being told "You have to leave, NOW." We were dripping wet and had to leave the area immediately. This was several years ago but it left a lasting impression about how money talks at WDW and guests have no rights to use the facilities they paid for if a big convention is going on.

From experience, Disney is MUCH less cooperative when the conference is at a non-Disney hotel - even the Swan and Dolphin - in making amenities available to the convention. The Gartner conference is a Swan Dolphin conference - the S/D might close off one of their pool areas, but it would shock me if Disney let them do so much as an Epcot dessert part if they aren't selling hotel rooms.

My husband used to go to a conference for a vendor for whom Disney was a huge customer. When the conference was booked at Disney, the conference was full of Disney perks (including the closing of pools) - when the conference was booked at the Swan/Dolphin - Disney refused to sell them any services (they were really miffed). The next year the vendor/customer relationship broke down further, and the conference was at Portofino Bay - Disney might have been relocated

 

[CRobin]

From experience, Disney is MUCH less cooperative when the conference is at a non-Disney hotel - even the Swan and Dolphin - in making amenities available to the convention. The Gartner conference is a Swan Dolphin conference - the S/D might close off one of their pool areas, but it would shock me if Disney let them do so much as an Epcot dessert part if they aren't selling hotel rooms.

My husband used to go to a conference for a vendor for whom Disney was a huge customer. When the conference was booked at Disney, the conference was full of Disney perks (including the closing of pools) - when the conference was booked at the Swan/Dolphin - Disney refused to sell them any services (they were really miffed). The next year the vendor/customer relationship broke down further, and the conference was at Portofino Bay - Disney might have been relocated

Agree. In fact, most of the people attending the Gartner conference are staying @ SD or a Disney resort and being bussed in (I have friends who attend every year), so I am doubtful they contributed to the parking problem @ BWV. I believe it is folks going to F & W trying to beat the $14 parking charge at Epcot.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Missyrose]

You have no idea how happy this thread has made me. We're planning to spend the first few days of our honeymoon at Disney next October and I'd been really worried the Gartner was going to be there that week. Phew, so relieved they're coming in early October next year.

 

[Skatetigger]

We were there last year during the Gartner event and didn't have any problems with parking. As a person who normally runs events for my company I think as long as you make dining reservations before 1 month out you should be ok. My guys don't typically think of dining ressies till 2-3 weeks before.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Anyone with any thoughts on whether the following weekend will still be higher capacity with folks lingering a few days after the event is over?

 

[crisi]

Anyone with any thoughts on whether the following weekend will still be higher capacity with folks lingering a few days after the event is over?

Its food and wine - Gartner conferences aren't usually more and 1,000 people - that's a blip to any F&W crowd.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Its food and wine - Gartner conferences aren't usually more and 1,000 people - that's a blip to any F&W crowd.

For some reason I was thinking Gartner was MUCH larger. Thanks for the input!

 

[su_A_ve]

For some reason I was thinking Gartner was MUCH larger. Thanks for the input!

1000 is only in Gardner employees. Try more like 6K

And it's not just S&D. BC/YC conference center is also booked, and extends into the parking lots. Plus a private event in one of the parks one night.

And then the vendor events. In 2011 this included a private concert featuring Bon Jovi including open bar.

 

[Sammie]

I can assure as the previous poster shared, the YC/BC are definitely affected.

We had a dinner reservation for Yachtsman and we were almost 30 minutes late getting there, even though we arrived 20 mins prior, not aware of this big group.

It took an extra 30 mins to get in the gate, which you are only allowed in if you have a booked ADR and then find parking, even valet was full. The entire hotel was packed, you could hardly walk through the lobby to get to the restaurant. Then it was packed, we waited over an hour to be seated. I would avoid this area during this conference.

 

[n2mm]

Thanks for the info. We stay at BWV for 2 weeks every October, so glad to see the dates are earlier this year. We arrive Oct. 19th. We've encountered this group many, many times. The only issues we have have been the parking at BWV. Often if there are activities at the convention center, they will close off the main parking lot. But since it's F&W, parking at BW is tightened for that reason alone.