ePoint :: News from the Oregon Convention Center

OCC Executive Director Transition Update

You may have heard that Oregon Convention Center Executive Director Jeff Blosser will soon be leaving to run the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. I want to thank Jeff for his unwavering dedication and outstanding leadership of the Oregon Convention Center. He opened the center in 1990 and over a span of 22 years, inspired the OCC team to achieve excellence in customer service, business innovation and sustainability. The city, region and entire state has benefitted from the center's valuable role as economic driver, creator of jobs and valued community partner. I know you join me in wishing him well in his new endeavor.

Jeff leaves some big shoes to fill and we are currently working on a transition plan for the coming months. We are fortunate and I am thankful for the strong team of managers and talented staff at OCC, important factors in ensuring that we continue to provide the top notch customer service you have come to know and expect.

We will soon embark on a recruitment process to replace Jeff and it is my goal to have a new Executive Director in place by the end of the calendar year. I will be serving as Interim Executive Director upon Jeff's departure. My focus will be to work closely with Assistant Executive Director Karen Totaro and her team to manage the daily operations of the center. We will all work together to ensure a smooth transition. This new management structure will take effect after Jeff's last day on October 7, 2011.

I am excited at this opportunity and look forward to working with you to ensure that your upcoming event is a great success! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Teri Dresler

Teri Dresler
General Manager, Metro Visitor Venues
Teri.Dresler@oregonmetro.gov
ph. 503.797.1790

Karen Totaro, CFE
Assistant Executive Director
Oregon Convention Center
KarenTotaro@oregoncc.org
ph. 503.731.7901

New Oregon Convention Center Plaza

For years, meeting planners who fell for Portland's parks, green spaces and miles of trails had to leave the convention district to find an outdoor venue option for their groups. That changes this fall as the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) unveils a 30,000-square-foot, fully landscaped, multi-use outdoor space directly across the street from the center's main lobby.

The OCC Plaza has power and water hook-ups, and will balance an 11,000-square-foot paved area, perfect for booth set ups or open air receptions, with tree-lined streets and a grassy area. When not in use for an OCC event, the space will be open to the public and will offer a peaceful urban setting to convention delegates.