Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1526693
Known as "The Center of Hospitality", the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is the second largest convention facility in North America. With 2.1 million square feet of exhibition space and 480,000 sq. ft. of flexible function space including 235 breakout meeting rooms, the OCCC offers the flexibility and design necessary to host events of every size and type. OCCC is housed in two buildings – the West Build- ing and the North-South Building. The West Hall boasts 1,104,940 sq. ft. of exhibit space in 6 halls, 53 meeting rooms-/132 breakouts, the 62,182-sq. ft. multipurpose Valencia Ball-room, the 2,643-seat Chapin Theater, a 160-set lecture hall, 1 full-service restaurant (Gary Sain Cafe), and 4 food courts. The North South building houses 950,282 gross sq. ft. in 4 exhibit halls, 2 92,466-sq. ft. general assembly area and 4 food courts on level 1, and 25 meeting rooms-94 break- outs on levels 2 and 3. The North South Building also fea- tures a 7,000-sq. ft. Destination Lounge, 9 exhibit-floor truck entrances, covered boarding for 27 buses. 2 full- service restaurants, 2 business centers and is connected to the West Concourse via the Oversight Pedestrian Bridge with moving sidewalks. Committed to sustainability, the OCCC is the largest convention center in the world to achieve LEED EBOM Gold Certification and is the home of one of the largest rooftop solar panel arrays in the southeastern U.S. By attending an event hosted by the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), The Center of Hospitality, attendees support one of the most innovative, large- scale sustainability programs in the United States. The OCCC has demonstrated industry and community lead- ership by pioneering pathways for large venues to achieve continuously improving levels of sustainability stewardship. The OCCC connects to more than 5,000 luxury guest rooms via pedestrian bridges and is a focal point of the thriving Convention Center District. Four properties with 5,185 rooms provide direct access to the conven- tion center via pedestrian walkways or covered walking bridges. There are nearly 7,500 rooms within a one-mile radius of the Orange County Convention Center. Widen that radius to just two miles, and the options expand to 40 hotels and 17,000 sleeping rooms. In 2013, the OCCC embarked on a five-year $187 million capital improvement project plan which will include aesthetic, life safety and technology enhance- ments to the facility. As a generator for economic impact, each year the OCCC attracts more than 200 events with roughly 1.4 million attendees and contributes approximately $2.1 billion to the area's economy. For more information visit http://www.occc.net or call (800) 345-9845. C E N T E R O F A T T E N T I O N ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER (OCCC): SECOND LARGEST CONVENTION CENTER IN NORTH AMERICA 44 B M & T ••• September/October 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com