The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was recently recognized by Northwest Meetings + Events Magazine as the best conference venue in Oregon. The magazine’s first ever Reader’s Choice Best of Awards tallied over 4,000 votes submitted by meeting professionals from all over the Pacific Northwest (including British Columbia and Alaska) to select the “cream of the crop” from small service providers to veritable behemoths of the industry.
“It’s always a great feeling to be recognized by your industry peers,” says Jeff Blosser, executive director of the Oregon Convention Center. “Especially when your fellow nominees are so highly regarded in the region.”
According to the magazine, OCC’s commitment to providing exceptional experiences for guests and clients has earned them a place among the best of the best. OCC was also voted runner-up for the best Green Event Venue in Oregon. According to Matt Pizzuti, director of sales and marketing, OCC’s commitment to customer service and environmental sustainability set the venue apart from the competition. “We are a very easy place to do business,” says Pizzuti. “We have some of the best staff in the country and I believe that is reflected in how we are regarded in the convention industry.”
As the largest convention center in the Pacific Northwest, OCC is also the greenest: it is LEED Silver-certified and purchases green power offsets. The center’s two grand ballrooms, 50 meeting rooms, 255,000 square feet of exhibit space and experienced staff can handle up to 10,000 guests. It leads the industry in sustainable operations and business practices as the first to earn LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building) in 2004 and in 2008, the first to be recertified LEED-EB Silver. Totaling one million square feet of space, it hosts an average of 650 events and over 700,000 visitors annually.
To learn more about the OCC visit www.oregoncc.org.
The Oregon Convention Center, Portland Expo Center and Portland Center for the Performing Arts are managed by Metro. For more information, visit www.oregonmetro.gov.
Contact:
Alicia Crawford Loos
Public Relations
503.274.6591
alicia@pcpa.com
