ePoint :: News from the Oregon Convention Center

Oregon Convention Center sustainability coordinator earns LEED accreditation with operations and management specialty

Portland, Ore. - Oregon Convention Center (OCC) sustainability coordinator, Brittin Witzenburg, was recently designated by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Accredited Professional with an Operations & Maintenance specialty.

By earning this designation, the Green Building Certification Institute recognizes her practical experience in identifying and implementing sustainable practices that reduce the environmental impact of the center over its functional life cycle.

“Brittin has played an instrumental role in making the Oregon Convention Center the sustainability leader it is. This accreditation confirms her professional acumen in the world of LEED certification,” said Scott Cruickshank, Oregon Convention Center executive director.

He added, “After achieving LEED certification and LEED Silver re-certification, our goal is LEED Gold re-certification in 2013. That is no easy task for an existing building totaling one million square feet, but I have every confidence in our ability to accomplish it.”

According to the Green Building Certification Institute, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professionals with a specialty in operations and management demonstrate the exceptional expertise of green building professionals implementing sustainability practices, improving performance, heightening efficiency and reducing environmental impact in existing buildings through enhanced operations and maintenance. Those who hold the LEED AP O+M credentials are considered the vanguards in their industry, transforming the built environment and possessing thorough knowledge of the LEED rating systems and their implementation.

The Oregon Convention Center will seek LEED Gold certification in 2013 and has invested in a number of efficiency measures in recent years to count towards the necessary points, including major light fixture upgrades, water facility retrofits, and improvements in waste reduction efforts.

The OCC is owned and operated by Metro and managed through the Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission. Visit www.oregoncc.org  for more information.

Contact:
Stephanie Soden, Metro Venues
503-797-1818 (office)
971-227-1195 (cell)
stephanie.soden@oregonmetro.gov

Lisa Grau-Mercer joins Oregon Convention Center sales team

Portland, Ore. - Oregon Convention Center (OCC) event manager Lisa Grau-Mercer will soon join the facility’s sales management team, executive director Scott Cruickshank recently announced.

“Lisa is the perfect fit for this sales manager position, given her vast facility experience and impeccable relationships with clients,” said Cruickshank. “She has an industry reputation for providing top notch customer service and she will serve as a great asset to the center’s sales team,” he added.

Grau-Mercer joined the Oregon Convention Center events department prior to the facility’s opening in 1990, leading hard hat tours for clients and VIPs, and later serving as the department director. After taking 5 years off to be with her family, she returned to the OCC in 2005 as an event manager, a position she currently holds.

“We are excited to have such a quality person join our team.  Lisa has the perfect combination of experience, creativity and enthusiasm that we were looking for,” says director of sales and marketing, Matt Pizzuti.

Grau-Mercer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and has lived in the greater Portland area for 25 years. She begins her new position on June 1, 2012.

Contact:
Stephanie Soden, Metro Venues
503-797-1818 (office)
971-227-1195 (cell)
stephanie.soden@oregonmetro.gov

Wheel of Fortune Portland shows to air - April 30-May 25, 2012

During the month of May, Portland and the Oregon Convention Center will be featured on Wheel of Fortune! Yes, Pat and Vanna were here, and they are just as nice as they seem on TV!

Four weeks of shows were taped at the OCC in late March and early April, and the first Portland show airs Monday, April 30th at 7:30 PM on KATU Channel 2!

Here’s the full schedule:

• Going Green Week (4/30-5/4)
• Portland Week (5/7-5/11)
• College Week (5/14-5/18)
• Great Outdoors Week (5/21 - 5/25)

Visit the official Wheel of Fortune website to check out photos, videos, and more!

WATCH WHEEL OF FORTUNE WEEKNIGHTS AT 7:30 PM ON KATU 2, ON YOUR SIDE!

Scott Cruickshank appointed Oregon Convention Center executive director

Today, Metro announced that Scott Cruickshank will serve as the new executive director of the Oregon Convention Center, marking the end of an exhaustive national search and extensive community stakeholder evaluation process.

Currently the general manager of the Grand Heritage Hotel Group, Cruickshank is responsible for the management of the Governor Hotel and Avalon Hotel and Spa in Portland, Oregon. He holds over thirty years of experience serving in various management positions throughout the tourism, meeting and hospitality industries in Oregon.

“Scott quickly emerged as a leading candidate throughout the selection process because of his vast management experience at renowned properties across the region,” said general manager of visitor venues Teri Dresler. “Combined with his expertise in convention sales and destination marketing, he is the top choice to lead the Oregon Convention Center now and into the future,” she added.

Cruickshank previously served as director of operations for Martin Hospitality, a management company overseeing popular properties in Cannon Beach, Oregon, including the Stephanie Inn, Surfsand Resort, Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge, and The Lumberyard Rotisserie and Grill. Prior to that, he was general manager of The Resort at the Mountain in Welches, Oregon, and general manager of Stuart Anderson’s Restaurants in various locations.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications Management from the University of Portland and is certified by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. He has served on the Travel Portland Board of Directors and Clackamas County Tourism Development Council, chaired the Villages of Mt. Hood Tourism Marketing Alliance, Tri-County Lodging Association and Oregon Lodging Associations, and currently serves on the Mt. Hood Community College Advisory Council. In 2005 he was named Oregon Lodging Association’s Lodging Operator of the Year.

Cruickshank begins at the Oregon Convention Center on April 23.

The Oregon Convention Center is the largest convention center in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and is a leader in practicing sustainability in operations and business practices. It was designated LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building) in 2004 and, in 2008, it was recertified LEED-EB Silver. Totaling one million square feet of space, it hosts an average of 650 events and over 700,000 visitors annually. The OCC is owned and operated by Metro and managed through Metro’s Exposition Recreation Commission. Visit www.oregoncc.org for more information.

OCC's pacificwild nominated for a BEST Award for sustainable food leadership

The folks at the Oregon Convention Center were recognized in Sustainable Business Oregon this week for their stellar work on sustainable food service by pacificwild, OCC's caterer. pacificwild is in the running the a City of Portland BEST Award (Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow). Wish them luck! Awards will be announced at the annual BEST Awards on April 25th.

Excerpt from Sustainable Business Oregon: Where to find Portland's sustainable food leaders...

Pacificwild Catering was created by its parent company, ARAMARK, as an exclusive brand for the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, and Portland Expo Center. ARAMARK has partnered with these venues since 1999, but created Pacificwild to put greater emphasis on local, sustainable food systems on a large scale.

Given the freedom to adjust ARAMARK standard practices based on the venue and client needs, Pacificwild partners with each facility to develop, train and implement sustainable practices within all departments.

Over the past 12 years, Pacificwild catering has consistently purchased from local businesses within the 44-block area surrounding the Oregon Convention Center. This represents approximately $1.8 million annually in food and beverage spending. When in season, 70 percent of Pacificwild’s produce is locally grown.

Through the purchase of a unique type of Energy Star oven, Pacificwild Catering has seen about 20 percent less shrinkage of proteins during the cooking process. This has reduced the need to order larger meat portion sizes to accommodate for the old cooking process. Pacificwild also switched appetizer serving methods — from large platters to small, hand passed small trays — in order to reduce leftovers and allow any leftover food to be donated.

Read more about the most sustainable businesses in Portland in the full story from Sustainable Business Oregon: http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/columns/2012/03/where-to-find-portlands-sustainable.html.

Read more about the BEST Awards and Portland's free Sustainability at Work assistance program: http://sustainabilityatworkpdx.com/recognition/best-awards/

For more information, contact Brittin Witzenburg, Sustainability Coordinator for the Oregon Convention Center at BrittinWitzenburg@oregoncc.org.

Oregon Convention Center recycling rate hits 82%

The Oregon Convention Center recycling recovery rate is a point of pride for OCC staff who work hard to ensure that recyclable and compostable materials get diverted away from the garbage. The average recycling rate for the facility for the first six months of the current fiscal year is 72.3%. The facility had a particularly good month in December, with a recycling rate that reached 82%.

Brittin Witzenburg, OCC's Sustainability Coordinator, tracks the amount of materials collected at the facility for recycling and composting. Here are some highlights of the mid-year report:

    * Organics (food waste and other compostable materials): 25.65%
    * Donated pre-consumer food waste: 7.8%
    * Comingled recyclables (i.e. beverage bottles, cans, office paper): 9.21%
    * Wood: 8.34%
    * Cardboard: 11.13%

Other materials collected at OCC include: yard debris, vinyl (tablecloths, banners), plastics, metal, glass, and electronics. They also donate usable materials to area reuse outlets.

For more information on the OCC recycling program and more about our sustainability efforts, visit www.oregoncc.org/sustainability.

 

Oregon Convention Center Selects Meridian’s Mobile-Software Platform

Meridian moves into the convention center industry with the Portland International Auto Show

Every day, convention centers welcome busy visitors trying to find the myriad conferences and trade shows set up in various wings of their buildings. In the mobile-phone-laden city of Portland, the Oregon Convention Center will be the first convention space to offer search tools and indoor navigation to those visitors’ mobile phones. Teaming with mobile-software company Meridian, the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) is kicking off its smart-phone tools at the second largest event in the state: the Portland International Auto Show held Jan. 26 - 29, 2012.

Once downloaded for free in the Android Marketplace and Apple App Store, the Meridian app will show visitors mobile tools specifically designed for both the Portland International Auto Show and the OCC.

Visitors to the Auto Show will want to choose that tailored option, as the app will allow them to search and view multimedia about various automobiles, exhibitors, food and beverage vendors, events and information on the OCC’s facilities. What’s more, visitors can use Meridian to receive turn-by-turn directions from wherever they are in the building to anywhere they are going.

In addition to providing their visitors with helpful mobile apps, the staff of convention centers find Meridian useful because it comes with a content management system (CMS). This CMS, Meridian Editor, makes it easy for convention centers to take charge of their own mobile experiences to quickly change out mapping and content as they see conferences and tradeshows move daily in and out of their facilities. And influential events such as the Portland International Auto Show enjoy Meridian’s CMS because they can customize the mobile experience to their brand and customers in minutes.

“Our visitors will see the benefits of the Meridian app immediately upon downloading it,” says Matt Pizzuti, OCC Director of Sales & Marketing. “Not only does it put information about every event in the building right in your hand, but it can give you walking directions to the one you're here for – or even to where the nearest open cafe or concession stand is."

"The entire facility is over a million square feet," Pizzuti explains, "and Meridian provides an advanced but easy-to-use navigation tool, something we've always needed inside the building."

“The Portland International Auto Show fills the entire convention center – not a hall or room is unused. Having the Meridian app will greatly assist our attendees to see all that we have to offer, as well as locate the restrooms and healthy food options,” said Greg Remensperger, Executive Vice President of the show. “It is the ease of use that sold us, both as the presenter and for the attendees. Meridian has thought of everything when they put this together”.

“Meridian’s goal is to help locations engage their visitors, and there are few types of businesses who see more visitors than convention centers,” said Kiyo Kubo, Meridian’s CEO. “Our flexible software platform helps both convention centers and the visiting shows customize their mobile experience in seconds with features like indoor navigation they can’t find anywhere else.”

Links to downloading the Meridian app or signing up as a new location in the app can be found here: http://www.meridianapps.com/signup

About The Oregon Convention Center
The Oregon Convention Center is the largest convention center in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and a top meeting destination. 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. Visit www.oregoncc.org for more information.

The Oregon Convention Center joins the Portland Expo Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts and Oregon Zoo in a family of visitor venues owned and/or operated by Metro regional government. www.oregonmetro.gov.

About The Portland International Auto Show
The Portland International Auto Show is presented by the Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association, founded in 1914 as the advocate organization for the economic, educational and charitable activities related to the region’s automobile industry.  Every year, automakers bring their latest and greatest vehicles to the auto show, which represents a unique opportunity for auto enthusiasts of all ages to see in one location what's available or soon to be available in the marketplace. The show is held at the Oregon Convention Center.

About Meridian
With offices in Portland, Ore. and San Francisco, Meridian is a mobile software supplier of location-based services. Meridian's flagship product is the first mobile-app that engages visitors with turn-by-turn directions and other location-based services wherever they are in participating locations. The founders of Meridian bring to the software company 10 years of experience working with enterprises on developing location-based services for mobile devices. You can learn more about Meridian at http://www.meridianapps.com

For more information, please contact:
Jeff Hardison
Meridian
503.757.7311 (mobile)

Oregon Convention Center opens new Portland Roasting café

The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) opened the first of two brand new cafes operated by Roast Magazine’s 2012 Macro Roaster of the Year, Portland Roasting Coffee.

In a grand opening event held earlier this week, representatives from the coffee company, convention and tourism industries, and local food product companies celebrated the introduction of Portland’s highly touted coffee culture to visitors from across the globe through a coffee tasting, or “cupping” ceremony, in which small cups of freshly roasted coffee are infused with boiling water and evaluated for aroma and flavor profiles, among other elements.

“Portland has earned the reputation as a city with distinct taste for quality, small-batch coffee and a commitment to sustainability,” said Karen Totaro, OCC’s assistant executive director. “By offering Portland Roasting as our exclusive coffee in our catering and cafes, convention visitors from around the world can literally taste the essence of Portland during their stay.”

The new café was designed with the Pacific Northwest aesthetic in mind; a large slab of reclaimed Oregon old-growth fir frames the entrance and also serves as the platform for tables and the coffee bar inside. While the beans are sourced from locations throughout the world through fair trade agreements, the coffee is roasted just blocks from the OCC at the company’s headquarters, and delivered in compostable bags by bike. Café cups and utensils are biodegradable and a host of local food companies are represented in the baked goods and refreshments offered to café customers.

Totaro cited Portland Roasting’s dedication to environmental stewardship, ranging from global water protection and resource initiatives to operating a zero-carbon facility, as primary reasons the partnership works for OCC.

“We take sustainability very seriously at OCC and we’re proud to be considered a sustainability leader in the convention center industry,” said Totaro. She added, “Partnerships with local companies such as Portland Roasting, who share our commitment to sustainability, help us continue to walk our talk.”

Portland Roasting Coffee’s second OCC café is scheduled to open in early 2012.

About Portland Roasting
Portland Roasting has been a steadfast pioneer of Portland coffee culture since 1996, navigating the coffee-growing regions of the world to bring the best of each season’s crop to Oregon.

The first coffee company to deliver its products to clients by bike, the company provides coffee through wholesale, retail and online channels as well as through private businesses and institutions. Portland Roasting’s sustainability platform includes the Farm Friendly Direct program and the Northwest’s first biodegradable Ecotainer. Visit www.portlandroasting.com for more information.

About the Oregon Convention Center
The Oregon Convention Center is the largest convention center in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and a top meeting destination. 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. Visit www.oregoncc.org for more information.

The Oregon Convention Center joins the Portland Expo Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts and Oregon Zoo in a family of visitor venues owned and/or operated by Metro regional government. www.oregonmetro.gov.

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.

Oregon Convention Center Launches New Website

The new Oregon Convention Center (OCC) website (www.oregoncc.org) is now online with an updated look and easier navigation for visitors, event planners and exhibitors. The website redesign reflects OCC's commitment to excellent customer service, with improvements that were determined by the needs of its users.

"We are competing with other convention centers from all over the nation for business and the website is often our first opportunity to tell our story about why Portland is the best City for their convention," said Jeff Blosser, executive director of the Oregon Convention Center. "We want the Oregon Convention Center to be their choice destination from the very first interaction."

Visitors will find video clips throughout the site that highlight the center's many features and amenities. The site also offers an interactive virtual tour, with 360 degree imagery of all facility locations, and event planners can use the OCC Space Finder tool to find the perfect location for their event. Social media and newsfeed users will have more options to follow OCC activities according to their preferences. A new events calendar offers full event details and locations, which can be printed or saved to an Outlook calendar, along with convenient links to event websites and online ticket purchasing. More new content and features will be added in the coming months, including enhanced social media profiles, new videos and mobile offerings.

Whether you are a visitor, event planner or exhibitor, OCC strives to provide excellent customer service in every area of its operation, and the new website is no exception.

"We want every interaction with OCC to be a positive experience," said Matt Pizzuti, sales and marketing director of the Oregon Convention Center. "The new website provides all of the necessary information for events to start off on the right foot."

The website redesign project was largely driven by client feedback and requests. Development of the new site was also informed and reviewed by Corbin Ball Associates, a leading consultant in meetings technology.

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