If you’re sensing that something big is happening in Orlando lately—you’re not wrong. It’s been a week where space tech, immersive experiences, AI, and education all collided in ways only possible in a place as dense, dynamic, and collaborative as ours. 

Let’s start in orbit. While NASA’s VIPER lunar rover may be in limbo, a planetary physicist at UCF is keeping the mission alive in the national spotlight, underscoring the region’s quiet authority on all things lunar. At the same time, Cape Canaveral-based Sidus Space is rolling out AI-powered hardware designed to operate from sea to space, and the U.S. military is training off our coast for astronaut recovery missions. This isn’t sci-fi. This is the new normal in Central Florida. 

Back on Earth—but still very much in the realm of the extraordinary—Epic Universe has officially opened its gates. The headlines might call it a theme park, but make no mistake: this is a living lab of the experience economy, and it’s built on the backs of Orlando-based inventors, engineers, and dreamers. The patents, fabrication pipelines, and fast-track prototyping strategies powering this park reflect the scale and sophistication of Orlando’s tech ecosystem. 

And this is where it all comes together: next month, technologists from Universal Destinations & Experiences and Amazon Web Services will headline a major panel at InfoComm 2025, diving into the cutting edge of immersive design and the infrastructure that makes it possible. There’s a reason Orlando is the backdrop for this conversation—we don’t just participate in the experience economy. We lead it. From attractions to simulations, from digital twins to AI-backed storytelling, Orlando has become the proving ground for what’s next in multisensory, location-based technology. 

That’s not just true at Universal. UCF students are already onsite at Epic Universe, gaining immersive, real-world experience as part of their education—again blurring the line between classroom and career. Even the rivalry between Universal and Disney has become a masterclass in innovation strategy, with UCF faculty helping national media decode what’s really at stake. 

Meanwhile, Orlando-based Falcon’s Beyond is expanding aggressively, acquiring both longtime local partner Oceaneering Entertainment Systems and a Houston-based entertainment tech firm. That puts even more Orlando-born talent and tech into the global market—further proof that Central Florida is exporting immersive expertise at scale. 

And the experience economy isn’t just for theme parks. This week, we learned how the Orlando Magic are using AI and analytics behind the scenes to reshape courtside strategy. Even our schools are evolving with the moment, as Volusia County adopts AI gun detection systems to keep students safe. Across sectors, the thread is clear: immersive + intelligent = the Orlando model. 

Of course, the innovation journey includes ups and downs. Luminar Technologies announced another round of layoffs following its CEO’s departure—reminding us that even industry leaders face growing pains. But volatility is part of growth, and this region has shown again and again that it knows how to adapt, recalibrate, and push forward. 

This Memorial Day weekend, we pause to reflect and remember. But we also look around—and it’s impossible to ignore the momentum. From the lunar surface to the local startup, from stadiums to soundstages, Orlando isn’t just where big ideas land. 

It’s where they lift off.