Joe Rogan was speechless because of this

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📍 Keepin’ it Local 📍

Orange County Invests $7M in Downtown Orlando's Plaza Live

Popular downtown Orlando venue Plaza Live recently scored a hefty $7 million grant from the Orange County Board of Commissioners to help fund a much-needed facelift and the installation of new seating, state of the art lighting, and mind-blowing sound tech.

Plans also include the restoration of the venue’s iconic spire, as seen on Facebook and Instagram. This grant comes from tourist development tax monies, and Plaza Live is on the ball with permits, construction contracts, and matching funds ready to go.

As the event industry continues to thrive, especially in the greater Orlando area, Plaza Live is also making moves to improve pedestrian access, upgrade the backstage and administrative spaces, and invest in safety and technology.

YouTube Sensation MrBeast Files Lawsuit Against Orlando's Virtual Dining Concepts

Orlando-based Virtual Dining Concepts is being sued by Jimmy Donaldson, much better known as entrepreneur and YouTube mega star, Mr. Beast. The two parties teamed up in 2020 to launch virtual brand Mr. Beast Burger, a ghost kitchen concept.

Things went south when customers weren’t thrilled with product quality, lodging complaints about late delivery, shoddy packaging, missing items, and downright inedibility.

Virtual Dining Concepts, helmed by restaurateur Robert Earl of Planet Hollywood fame, has found previous success collaborating with celebrities, released a statement calling the suit “ill-advised” and “bullying.”

Amazon Chooses Brevard County for $120M Telecom Project

Global behemoth Amazon has signed a lease at the Merritt Island Launch & Landing Facility on Florida’s bustling Space Coast to build a 100K+ square foot processing facility for the company’s satellite broadband network, Project Kuiper.

Part of the Spaceport Improvement Program in Brevard County, this is one of many projects designed to increase Sunshine State commercial space activity and attract even more tech business to the region.

The property is currently owned by NASA and was once an operational runway. Florida Power & Light is installing 1.3 miles of water and power connections as well as fiber internet access so building can begin immediately.

🔥 Spicy Take 🔥

Most people suck at giving gifts. There…I said it.

I watched a YouTube clip of Joe Rogan getting 4 jaw-dropping gifts from Patrick Bet-David (PBD) the other day. And it was a straight up MASTERCLASS in gift giving.

You can watch the clip for yourself here…but here are my takeaways from it:

1) He didn’t just give Joe one gift….he got him FOUR. 

My wife is the queen of going above and beyond, and that’s exactly what PBD did here…if he just got him one gift, it’s probably a forgettable experience for Joe (because he gets a TON of gifts).

But FOUR jaw-dropping gifts?! That’s something Joe is going to remember for decades.

2) People like Joe can buy whatever they want. PBD even points this out in his explanation of the gifts.

So PBD repeatedly explains the time that it took and the lengths that he and his team went through to track down these incredible gifts for Joe.

3) Every gift, except one (more on that below), is 100% custom to Joe.

Whether it’s Joe’s love for Jimi Hendrix and Lenny Bruce being one of his favorite comedians…or the fact that Joe’s an anti-establishment guy and that he has a big interest in the JFK assassination.

So many companies that send gifts miss this. They send the exact same Harry & David basket with the exact same note to all of their employees at Christmas. They send boring swag that has THEIR OWN company’s logo plastered all over it to customers.

We can do better.

4) I didn’t love that he gave him a copy of his own book at the end…it seemed a little self-serving and took away from what was otherwise an outlandishly selfless gesture.

But Joe’s response to getting the book was likely exactly what PBD wanted…”We’ll make sure to get you back on the show when the book comes out.”

So as cringy as it made me feel when he gave him a copy of his own book…it obviously worked.

🥳️ Have Some Fun 🥳

• For the Billy Joel & Elton John fans: Billy vs Elton: A Concert Tribute will be at House of Blues this Friday, Aug 11 at 8:30pm. Tickets range between $16.50 - $75.

• The NFL pre-season is finally here! The Bucs host the Steelers at Raymond James Stadium this Friday, Aug 11. Kickoff is at 7pm. 🏈

• An insanely popular podcast (Stuff You Should Know) took their show on the road…and it stops at the Dr. Phillips Center this Saturday night at 7:30pm. Tickets start at $39.50.

That’s a wrap! If you liked this week’s newsletter, forward it to a friend 😃

And if you have a story about a company that doesn’t suck at gifting…tap reply and tell me about it!

James Carbary
Founder, Orlando Business & Sweet Fish