3. You can build your team in ways that are actually fun.

There’s no walking-over-hot-coals or trust-fall team-building activities here. With all of the options available at their fingertips, the Disney Meetings gurus have put together some not-to-be-missed events, like the Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where groups are led on a three-hour safari and get up close with wildlife. Part of the experience calls for crossing a rope bridge above a river filled with animals. A team can help encourage each other over the shaky structure and get back to safety.

Disney also recently added a new event that’s only for corporate groups. Since “escape rooms” have gotten so popular, Disney has created its own. And there’s not one specific place where teams can participate in “The Escape Challenge” — it can be set up in most of Disney’s convention rooms or even in theme park meeting spaces depending on a group’s size, budget and time. The group is split up into small teams and brought into two themed rooms (the first is the captain’s quarters of an old pirate ship and the second, harder, room is a mad scientist’s lab), and teams will have to work together to solve the increasingly-more-difficult puzzles in order to escape.

4. You’re in good company.

Some of the groups that have held events at Walt Disney World include the American Nurses Association and the National PTA, and even the Selected Independent Funeral Homes organization is planning its 98th annual meeting at the Grand Floridian this year.

And Disney will help a group promote its event with videos, microsites, fliers and even social media copy.

Your group will want to book the event as soon as possible to secure the venue, but most private events can't be contracted until six months (and sometimes just 90 days) before their date. And each venue has its own pricetag: For example, it can cost around $150 to $500 to rent space for a dessert party at IllumiNations at Epcot, and there are also food and beverage minimums (up to around $2,500 for the Epcot event, depending on the specific location). But events like this can also be attended by guests without a theme park admission. A viewing fee for the dessert party would be around $15 per person who doesn't have a theme park ticket. 

5. You can extend your work trip into a real vacation.

Unlike holding a meeting in the Midwest, for example, there will likely be many more takers if it's held in sunny Florida. (No offense to Midwesterners, but they probably would rather be at Walt Disney World too!) Disney meetings also promote a work-life balance by offering a chance to get together for business but also for fun with family and friends. While Walt Disney World isn't just for children, a boss can help employees forget about work stresses for a while. 

Hopefully, this guide will help convince your boss that it’s definitely worth it to be a ConventionEar. If you’ve attended a meeting or conference at Walt Disney World, share your experiences below!