By County Commissioner Bryan Nelson
Every year over 1 million people attend the 200 events the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) hosts. Located just 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport, the OCCC is the second largest convention facility in the United States. Since opening in 1983 over 30 million people have attended events at the Orange County Convention Center. An enormous resource for the community, in 2015-2016 the OCCC generated 2.28 billion dollars for the local economy.
Orange County Commissioner Bryan Nelson
The OCCC employs over 25,500 employees while over 1,000 businesses are impacted by the activities that occur at the Orange County Convention Center. The OCCC center divisions include: Capital Planning and Building Systems, Event Operations Division, The Facility Operations Division, Fiscal and Operational Support Division, Sales and Marketing Division, Security Division and Strategic Planning and Development Division. Total expenditures for the Orange County Convention Center totaled $428,172,003 for 2015-2016 and are estimated to be $401,337,379 for 2016-2017. The OCCC was built in five phases. Phase I total cost $54 million. Phase II total cost was 83.5 million and Phase IIA total cost was $113 million. Phase III total cost was $219.5 million. Phase IV total cost was $198.7 million and Phase V total coast was $748 million.
Overall funding for OCCC are revenues received from “facility rentals, services, food and beverage, parking, supplements from TDT, interest and reserves”. Major revenues for the 2016-2017 budget year are estimated to be $401,337,379.
Attending Events
Between all the association, trade, consumer, corporate, and SMERF market events hosted by the OCCC there is something for everyone to enjoy. Some of the more popular annual events include the AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships, Megacon, Star Wars Celebration, Premier Beauty Show, and NAHB International Builders Show. But the list doesn’t end there. If you want to find a full list of upcoming events visit http://www.occc.net/global/calendar/default.asp
Job Opportunities
More than 25,000 employees are impacted by the OCCC. The convention center is an equal opportunity employer and the job opportunities they offer range from facility maintenance, to technical work, to event coordinating. If you’re interested in exploring current job openings, and are not already a OC employee, you can view current OCCC job openings here.
OCCC Contributions
The OCCC is committed to working with their clients to ensure leftover event resources get recycled back into the community. Unused food and products are donated to local schools, hospitals, and other non-profit organizations. Previously the OCCC has provided Habitat for Humanity with building materials, flowers and plants to assisted living facilities and nursing homes, food to Coalition for Homeless and food banks, educational supplies to Gifts for Teaching, and more.
All in all the Orange County Convention Center’s mission is to generate economic development. “By hosting regional, national and international conventions, meetings and trade shows, the Center infuses the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Whether you choose to attend an event, apply for a job, or reach out for a donation, the Orange County Convention Center is resource that should not go untapped.
For further details please visit the following links:
https://www.occc.net/default.asp
https://www.occc.net/pdf/Report_OCCCAnnualReport.pdf
http://www.occc.net/pdf/info_history.pdf
Bryan Nelson serves as the County Commissioner for Orange County District 2 which includes Apopka, Ocoee, Eatonville, and Northwest Orange County.
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