OCCC in the News

Catch up on the latest news and all of the exciting things happening inside and around the award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and the International Drive Convention District.

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OCCC’S Mark Tester Hopeful For Busy Fall Events Season, Citing Pent-Up Demand

4/13/2020 11:34:00 AM|

TSNN talked with Tester from the safety of his home to learn what it’s been like to lead the OCCC during this health crisis, what prepared him for the challenge and what he’s looking forward to post-pandemic.

COVID-19 Response: Getting Food to the People Who Need It

4/13/2020 11:33:00 AM|

From feeding workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle, to ensuring food from canceled events is going to the hungry instead of to landfills, here’s a sampling of how people and organizations from all corners of the business events industry are pivoting to help amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Event Venues Are Caring for the Ill and Helping the Helpers

4/13/2020 11:31:00 AM|

With traditional events paused during the crisis, convention centers and other event venues from New York to Vancouver to Berlin are providing relief — or standing by to provide relief — for overburdened hospitals. Others are sheltering the homeless. And it’s not just conventions centers. Hotels are offering shelter to health-care and other front-line workers.

OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester Profile

4/1/2020 11:36:00 AM|

Last month, Mark Tester began serving as the new Executive Director of the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). He joins the OCCC at an exciting time, as the facility breaks ground on a major expansion this fall that is expected to be complete by the end of 2023.

Convention Centers Transform Into Hospitals in the Fight Against COVID-19

3/31/2020 11:29:00 AM|

After closing their doors to trade shows and events due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many convention centers across the U.S. are taking on an entirely different role. This week, many are being converted into makeshift medical facilities to help relieve beleaguered hospitals and staff so they can provide better care for more serious and critical patients.

Convention Centers Join the Fight

3/31/2020 11:28:00 AM|

Convention centers across the globe are answering the call for help during the spreading COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and are being repurposed as temporary hospitals.

Amid Coronavirus Crisis, Orlando Rebooks More Than $371 Million in Convention Business

3/27/2020 11:27:00 AM|

As of March 25, the OCCC, which is the nation's second-largest convention center, had 28 conventions on the books that had to be cancelled or postponed. While 14 conventions were cancelled outright, representing an estimated economic loss of $446.4 million, the venue has been able to rebook another 14 conventions for a later date.

How Events and Venues are Lending a Helping Hand in Times of Need

3/23/2020 11:25:00 AM|

Cancelled trade shows and meetings are the harsh reality for convention centers across the country right now, but that hasn’t stopped many venues from turning their misfortune into charitable opportunities.

Tester Settles In at Orange County Complex

2/26/2020 7:20:00 AM|

Mark Tester began work as executive director in Orlando on Feb. 17.

Global Pet Expo: 'The Show Must Go on' Despite COVID-19

2/20/2020 8:14:00 AM|

This week, Feb 26-28, Global Pet Expo - produced by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) - will take place at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, despite travel bans that are responsible for nearly 150 exhibitors from China unable to enter the U.S., impacting more than 25,000 square feet of booth space.

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