Case History

InterContinental Resort & Residences Orlando at Palazzo del Lago
Announcement Luncheon & Press Event

• Hospitality Development Group (HDG) retained The Apple Organization to promote the InterContinental Resort & Residences Orlando at Palazzo del Lago, an $800 million, luxury destination resort on International Drive. It is the first official hotel of the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and will be the largest InterContinental Hotel worldwide.
• The agency's first task in what was to be a multi-phase, multi-year PR campaign was the coordination of a formal luncheon for local press, city officials and business and community leaders. The event marked the official announcement of the project as well as the strategic alliance with the OCCC.
• As the InterContinental brand regularly generates media and consumer attention, Apple was charged with the challenge of reserving "exclusives" for the leading local publications, namely the Orlando Sentinel, and keeping the national media at bay until the official debut in the Orlando market through carefully timed press release distribution.
• In addition to the full-scale event coordination, Apple cultivated relationships with Orange County's influential bodies, including the Mayor's office, the Convention and Visitor's Bureau and key media.
• As a result of the agency's efforts, the event attracted nearly 200 high-profile guests and every major network.
• Camera crews from affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX were stationed outside of the OCCC, where the event took place, and broadcast numerous live feeds from early morning through the evening.
• Many of the event's prominent speakers, the Orange County Mayor; the chief operating officer of InterContinental Hotels Group; the general manager of the Orange County Convention Center; the president of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau; and executives from (HDG) were interviewed and profiled on the morning and evening news broadcasts.
• Subsequently, Apple successfully secured coverage in scores of local, regional, national and international publications, from Florida Real Estate Journal and The Miami Herald to Hotels Magazine and Travel Weekly, and even The Wall Street Journal in the US, Asia and Europe.
• Coverage on online network sites around the globe included Yahoo, Forbes, Globe Street, Robb Report, Multi-Housing News, National Hotel Executive and National Real Estate Investor.