ORLANDO, Fla. — Black engineers and “Game of Thrones” fans are the latest groups canceling Orlando events and attributing their decisions to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s political climate.
The National Society of Black Engineers’ 50th conference would have brought up to 15,000 visitors to the Orange County Convention Center in 2024 and generated millions of dollars in economic impact, the group’s CEO Janeen Uzzell said Friday.
Instead, it’ll be held in a different city that will be announced next week, she said.
The Con of Thrones, which typically draws 3,000 to 4,000 fans of the “Game of Thrones” books and television shows, also announced this week it was pulling the plug on a gathering planned for this Aug. 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.
Organizers cited “increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation” in the state.
“It’s becoming an inhospitable place to be part of any marginalized group,” said Melissa Anelli, CEO of Mischief Management, the company putting on the event. “They have laws that say you can’t even talk about being gay in school. That is absurd.”
Three other groups have taken their business elsewhere in recent months.
AnitaB.org, an organization of female and nonbinary tech workers, announced it would no longer hold events in Orlando after this year’s conference, which will be at the convention center in September.
The American Education Research Association, which typically draws up to 15,000 people to its conference, decided to hold its 2025 annual meeting in Denver instead of Orlando, said Tony Pals, a spokesman.
The group has a policy of not holding events in states that have enacted “anti-trans laws,” he said in an email.
Another group, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, also cited political concerns when it canceled its 2027 surgical conference and expo, according to the Orange County Convention Center. Organizers declined to comment on their decision-making process for events.
Organizers with the National Society of Black Engineers said they were troubled by DeSantis’ efforts to target diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools and how that would affect student members of the group, Uzzell said.
“This is a celebration,” she said. “This is a moment in time for NSBE. We didn’t want any of the political and social issues to mask our success.”
The event had been planned for Feb. 28-March 3 at the convention center.
Other groups canceling their events have cited laws that banned most abortions after six weeks, allowed Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a permit, cracked down on illegal immigration and targeted transgender and LGBTQ+ issues.
Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for DeSantis, did not respond to a request for comment about the cancellations.
Several groups have issued travel warnings for Florida, including the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group.
In the past, DeSantis has criticized travel advisories from advocacy groups as a political “stunt” and pointed to strong tourism numbers. More than 74 million visitors came to the Orlando area in 2022, up 25% from the previous year and just shy of prepandemic levels, tourism officials said in May.
The Con of Thrones’ decision to nix its Orlando event drew support from some on social media, but others were skeptical of the explanation.
Terry George-Waterfield, a regular attendee from North Carolina, said he thinks slow ticket sales, poor planning and Florida’s actual sweltering summertime climate had more to do with the event being canceled. A larger convention, Dragon Con, was scheduled for the following week in Atlanta.
“I find it really hard to believe that all of a sudden a month-and-a-half from the event the political climate is so bad they have to cancel the event,” he said. “It is the summer in Orlando. People didn’t feel they could go in cosplay and dress up.”
The abrupt cancellation caused problems for people who had booked tickets for air travel and theme parks, he said.
Anelli acknowledged slower ticket sales, but she blamed Florida’s political climate, which she said made it harder to get vendors, actors and others to participate. People who purchased tickets will receive refunds, she said.
“Our attendees (were) saying, ‘Like I just can’t go to this state anymore.’ They weren’t saying that in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016. They are only saying that now. ... What changed are these laws. What changed are the actual, open hostility we are now facing for a large portion of our community.”
Central Florida tourism officials say they are planning to launch a campaign to promote Orlando as a place that is open to everyone.
Officials are also considering restarting a $600 million proposal to expand the convention center that was halted during the pandemic.
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