subject: The Orange County Convention Center [print this page] The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is one of the main convention centres for the central Florida and is the second largest convention center in the United States only being beaten by the McCormick Place. This is located on the south end of International Drive and is obviously that this in a major tourist area. The OCCC comprises of two buildings that are joined by a covered pedestrian sky bridge. The west building was completed in four phases in the space of 13 years.
As well as the OCCC being the second largest convention in the nation but it has also been recognised for its dedication in green efforts. The convention center is a an industry leader they has seen them recycle rubbish, use green products for such things like cleaning, have pilot testing low flow tap, help irrigate water with reclaim water, install solar panels on the top of their roof and help support green education with its Climate Centre and by working with organisers and guests.
The Orange County Convention and Civic Center (as it was first called at the beginning) was thought of out of a 1977 law passed by Florida's state legislature that permitted counties to collect a 'Tourist Development Tax on top of regular sales tax on hotel room stays, with the approval of the county's voters, for state approved purposes. It wasn't until April 1978 in a special election that a 2% Tourist Development Tax was approved for the purpose of building a convention and civic centre. The building has gone through many phases, expansions and renovations over the years as well as seen the TDT go up along with the progression of the OCC.
But as you can see things has turned out for the better for this convention centre. The convention industry is also critical to the regions economy; the city vies with Chicago and Las Vegas for hosting convention attendees in the United States. It brings more than 250 world class events and shows to Central Florida each year.
The convention will played host to the Star Wars Celebration V on August 12 15, 2010. It was announced on December 3 2009. The event saw fans of the franchise and genre venture from all over the world to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and the continuing Star Wars saga. The is an official Lucasfilm convention and expo celebrating all things star Wars so you know it was something not to be missed.
The OCCC is known as the Center of Hospitality, and you can see why with it being a few minutes away from the major attractions of the city. These include the favourite tourism spots such as the worldwide known Walt Disney World Resort which is home to the worlds largest and most visited recreational resort covering a 30, 080 acre area and the Universal Orlando Resort, which consists of two theme parks, a night-time entertainment destination CityWalk and is easily accessible. The OCCC lies on International Drive which is easy to get to there are numerous ways to get there such as the lynx bus or the I-Ride Trolley service so you can get there from your Orlando vacation rentals.
