ORLANDO — On Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteers packed one million meals for people in need at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC).
According to Mark Tester, the OCCC’s Executive Director, this is just one example of the various ways in which the venue benefits the Orlando area.
It provides approximately $3.9 billion in economic impact to Central Florida annually and, in recent years, has averaged nearly 200 events and more than 1.5 million attendees per year.
Dive into key updates and notable events utilizing the venue’s facilities, including Trade Show Executive’s (TSE) 2025 Fastest 50 Awards & Summit — which is set for April 30-May 2.
Sustainability Enhancements
The OCCC is positioning itself for a more eco-friendly future through two major upgrades.
It recently unveiled a new EV charging hub, created in partnership with the Orlando Utility Commission, which is strategically located by the OCCC’s North Concourse to allow drivers to easily arrive and depart.
“It will not only help our customers, but it will benefit the community as well,” Tester said. “Sustainability is a huge initiative with us.”
Also, the OCCC is replacing its North-South building’s roof and adding new solar panels. The venue is donating its old panels to a nonprofit called IDEAS for Us, who will distribute them to the local community. The building’s new solar array will be two Megawatts and make it carbon neutral when not occupied.
This project is about 90% complete and expected to be finished in Q1 2025.
Renovations
The OCCC is working on additional facility enhancements.
Its 2,643-seat Linda W. Chapin Theatre is being completely renovated and given new lighting and sound, as well as an updated stage and orchestra pit.
Also, a $560-million expansion project is in design for the OCCC’s North-South Building. It was approved in 2018, but delayed by COVID. The project includes a new ballroom and meeting rooms, an enclosed, air-conditioned connection between the facility’s North and South concourses and a grand entrance to the North-South Building. The project will help fulfill the building’s original plans, which were scaled down when 9/11 impacted its funding (whose primary source is hotel taxes).
“The name of the game for us is, ‘How do we maximize and layer groups one right after the other, keep driving economic impact and do the most for our community?’” Tester said.
Event Success
“One of the things that we’ve seen post-COVID is that our events have come back at either pre-COVID levels or bigger,” Tester explained.
Last year, for the first time, the OCCC hosted FABTECH, which is an event for the welding industry. FABTECH’s OCCC debut spanned 750,000 square feet and attracted 30,000 industry professionals.
At the time of writing, The PGA Show is being held at the OCCC with an estimated 35,000 participants. According to Tester, this is the event’s biggest edition since 2009.
Additionally, attendees at TSE’s Fastest 50 Awards & Summit, which recognizes the fastest-growing trade shows in the U.S., will get the chance to visit the OCCC for numerous connection and educational opportunities.
“It’s a laboratory — we’ll have events running and a lot of our customers will be here as part of the Fastest 50 Awards & Summit, which is a great event, and attendees can find out more about how Orlando works,” Tester said. “If they’ve ever considered or are thinking of considering us, this will be a great opportunity to get a good look along with some of our customers, stakeholders and suppliers. Any time you get 50 or more show organizers together, it’s a great environment.”
Learn more about the Fastest 50 Awards & Summit here.
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