Visit Orlando and the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and took the main stage at PCMA’s 2020 Convening Leaders during the first week of January in San Francisco, Calif. The event attracted more than 5,000 attendees from around the world.

Convening Leaders is one of the most highly attended events in the meetings and conventions industry where top meeting planners converge to plan their events, share best practices and network in between educational sessions.

During the General Session, Visit Orlando’s Chief Sales Officer Mike Waterman and OCCC Deputy Director Yulita Osuba provided an overview on OCCC's $605 million North-South Expansion and Orlando’s continued growth as a top meetings and conventions destination.

“The expansion sharpens our competitive edge, creates more space and greater flexibility for our clients,” Osuba said during her remarks on the Main Stage. “This expansion will transform our client’s expositions and assist our team in booking additional conventions and trade shows in the future.”

The pair outlined the impact, growth and innovation at the OCCC, including the exciting North-South Building expansion. The Convention Way Grand Concourse and the Multipurpose Venue will bring total exhibit space at the OCCC to 2.3 million square feet.

“Orlando is in the middle of an impressive expansion period that includes the largest boom in hotel room growth in two decades,” said Waterman. “With this rise in hotel inventory, airport growth, and new dining and entertainment in the convention district, these next few years will be some of the most transformative for Orlando as a meetings destination.”

(L-R): Mike Waterman, Visit Orlando; Barbie LaCasto/Institute for Internal Auditors;  Natalie Fleet/American Association for Airport Executives; Yulita Osuba, OCCC; Paula Cappelletti, American Nuclear Society; and George Aguel, Visit Orlando, at the PCMA Convening Leaders 2020 meeting.

Featured Photo: Visit Orlando’s Chief Sales Officer Mike Waterman and OCCC Deputy Director Yulita Osuba speaking on the main stage at PCMA’s 2020 Convening Leaders in San Francisco, Calif.