This Central Florida destination welcomes The Equestrian Manor.
[ON LOCATION: SOUTHEAST U.S.] PALOMA VILLAVERDE DE RICO
As the pink-hued evening sky framed our rooftop terrace dinner at The White Willow, one of four restaurants within the newly opened The Equestrian Manor, I couldn’t help but think what an unforgettable setting this would be for an event. Indeed, over the course of a 4-day FAM to World Equestrian Center-Ocala (WEC) to experience its newest meetings venue, our group was presented with myriad reasons planners should put this 2,000-acre destination on their radar.
“WEC occupies a distinct position in the Florida meetings market, particularly in Central Florida, as we offer something this area has not seen before: A self-contained, experience-driven campus with a world-class culinary program, purpose-built event space and a setting that has its own identity and energy,” Jeremy Gow, Sr. Director of Hospitality Operations, World Equestrian Center-Ocala, tells Prevue.
Welcome to The Manor
The Equestrian Manor is unequivocally a stunning addition to the WEC campus. Its exterior is striking and then you step into the grand lobby—with its elegant custom-designed chandelier and a staircase reminiscent of Gilded Age mansions—and you’re blown away.
This venue was made to impress, upping WEC’s meetings capacity by 300,000 sf, with purpose-built indoor and outdoor spaces, including four eateries that are as memorable for their decor as they are for their cuisine.
“The addition of more than 300,000 sf at The Equestrian Manor represents a significant expansion of our overall event footprint and a meaningful evolution in what we can offer the meetings market,” says Gow. “While WEC has always had a wide range of event spaces across the property, The Manor allows us to host larger-scale meetings while continuing to accommodate smaller, more intimate gatherings—often simultaneously.
“This expanded capacity means we can now serve groups across the full lifecycle of a meeting—from general sessions and breakouts to networking receptions, dinners and evening programming—leveraging both The Manor and our existing venues across campus,” continues Gow. “The ability to keep everything integrated on one property, with multiple venue options, creates a strong operational advantage for planners and opens the door to a broader range of events than ever before.
“The Equestrian Manor was the missing piece that allows us to fully compete in the meetings market,” he adds.
The Manor features lovingly designed grand and junior ballrooms for groups of varying sizes, private meeting suites ideal for breakouts and executive sessions, pre-function areas that wow and expansive indoor-outdoor spaces, including two rooftop venues that will make your attendees feel extra special.
As Gow notes, “It was designed from the ground up for high-impact events, not adapted from existing space. For planners, that distinction matters enormously in terms of flow, flexibility and the overall quality of the experience.”
Cuisine, Cocktails & Chic Vibes
The four new dining concepts at The Equestrian Manor further elevate WEC’s F&B program. Our group dined on the terrace at the aforementioned The White Willow and were wowed by its pan-Asia menu featuring exquisite dim sum plates, sashimi and sushi rolls, among other delights. Planners, be sure to include the standout “fortune cookie” dessert on your programming menu. Cocktails, too, are an important highlight, with Gow mentioning over dinner that WEC has its own mixology lab where they’re perfecting both cocktails and mocktails, including the zero-proof “Hibiscus & Pearls” that I found quite tasty.
For a lunchtime gathering, The Polo Pony, with its elegant tavern ambiance, offers a private dining room that seats up to 50—think intimate networking lunch. Its menu includes everything from a blackened grouper sandwich to chicken & waffles, coupled with cocktails that pay homage to the equestrian world such as the gin-based “Horse’s Pajamas” and tequila-based “Palomino.”
The Wine Room at Genievieve’s, which sits 10, is the perfect setting for a VIP dinner. The room showcases bottles from nearly all 20 Italian wine regions, which is impressive enough, but the food is certain to be a talking point long after the event concludes. Every bite offers an explosion of flavor.
WEC’s second, expanded location of Emma’s Patisserie is another showstopper. There’s a joyful energy to the space, where vibrant hues and whimsical touches create an atmosphere that feels both playful and aesthetically refined. Its European-inspired selections are sinfully delicious (the macarons and bonbons are perfect take-home gifts for attendees).
“When you have four distinctive concepts within a single venue, each with its own identity and setting, it becomes easy to give a 3-day conference a different feel every evening,” says Gow. “We have worked closely with our culinary team to design F&B programs that feel intentional and curated—because that’s what elevates an event from good to genuinely memorable.”
The Equestrian Edge
WEC is home to two hotels, the four-diamond, 248-room Equestrian Hotel and the pet-friendly 390-studio/suite Riding Academy. Both are lovely properties that can easily accommodate groups, with The Riding Academy adjacent to The Equestrian
Manor. The properties pay homage to the equestrian world
through their decor, with The Equestrian Hotel overlooking the complex’s competition arena, where, during our stay, we watched dressage events. It was one of the FAM’s highlights and demonstrated what makes the destination unlike a traditional meetings resort: Planners can incorporate world-class equestrian events into the attendee experience.
As Gow tells us, “WEC is genuinely in its own category. The equestrian programming alone is something no urban convention center can replicate. The opportunity to experience world-class equestrian events has become a major selling point. Beyond that, the scale of the property allows for outdoor programming and group experiences that require real space and a real sense of place. We can host events that use the competition arenas, the grounds and the surrounding landscape in ways that become the defining memory of the entire event. When your venue is built on a property that hosts the world’s most prestigious equestrian competitions, the experiential possibilities are genuinely different.”
Check out the full conversation with Gow on prevuemeetings.com.
