Exhibiting in Orlando: Orange County Convention Center

By Michael Flavin | Last updated October 17, 2026

Orlando is a lot more than theme parks. It's one of the biggest convention towns in the country, and most of the big shows land in one building: the Orange County Convention Center. The rest of the action is in the big resort convention hotels. Here's what I'd want to know before I booked travel or shipped a booth to Orlando.

Orange County Convention Center (OCCC)

The Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention center in the country. It's two buildings, West and North-South, with about 7 million square feet in total. Here are the numbers that matter to exhibitors, from the OCCC's own facts page:

• 2,055,222 square feet of exhibit space (1,104,940 in the West Building and 950,282 in North-South)
• 471,119 square feet of meeting space in 70 meeting rooms, which divide into 226 breakouts
• The 62,182 sq ft Valencia Ballroom and the 2,643-seat Linda W. Chapin Theater
• 174 loading dock slips and 6,227 parking spaces
• Nearly 200 events a year

It's two big buildings, so check which one your show is in before you book a hotel or plan meetings.

Construction note: The OCCC broke ground on its $560 million Grand Concourse expansion in December 2025. It adds 44,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000 sq ft ballroom, and Visit Orlando says it wraps up in 2029. Check your show's info for any construction impacts.

Other Orlando venues I'd keep on your radar

• Hyatt Regency Orlando. It's connected to the OCCC by walkway bridges, which is about as close as you can get. It has 1,641 rooms and 315,000 sq ft of function space, so it's also a common spot for side meetings and customer dinners (Hyatt).
• Rosen Shingle Creek. 1,501 rooms and 524,000 sq ft of total event space, including the 95,000 sq ft column-free Gatlin Ballroom and 195,000 sq ft of exhibit space (Rosen Shingle Creek).
• Orlando World Center Marriott. More than 500,000 sq ft of event space indoors and out, 104 event rooms and the 105,000 sq ft Cypress Ballroom (Marriott).
• Gaylord Palms (Kissimmee). More than 500,000 sq ft of meeting space, including the 178,500 sq ft Florida Exhibition Hall (Marriott).
• Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. This was the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. It has 231,000 sq ft of meeting space, three ballrooms and 34 meeting rooms, and the biggest ballroom is the 35,098 sq ft Waterside Ballroom (Signia by Hilton).
• Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. 1,005 rooms, 69 meeting rooms and 255,000 sq ft of event space, including the 28,800 sq ft Osceola Ballroom (Omni).
• Caribe Royale Orlando. 1,217 suites plus 120 villas and 260,000 sq ft of indoor and outdoor event space, with a 50,000 sq ft Palms Ballroom (Caribe Royale).

Shows at this venue

• Surf Expo January: Jan 6-8, 2027, Orange County Convention Center
• PGA Show: Jan 26-29, 2027, Orange County Convention Center

Local labor rules and EACs

Who does what. Florida is a right-to-work state. At the OCCC, the building itself is the exclusive provider of electricity, aerial rigging and lighting, water, gas, compressed air and cable TV, and the labor for those services is built into the utility prices (OCCC exhibitor services). The OCCC's electrical conditions do let exhibitors and their EACs run power around inside their own booth once it's delivered.

What you can do yourself. I couldn't find a single OCCC policy that spells out what your own staff can set up, which tools you can use or what you can hand-carry. Those rules come from your show and its general contractor, so check your show's exhibitor manual. One building rule worth knowing: per the OCCC's exhibitor guidelines, covered booths over 300 square feet and all multi-level booths need fire watch personnel (or a sprinkler system), and you pay for it.

Using your own exhibit house (EAC). If you want your own exhibit house or installer to set up your booth instead of the show's general contractor, that's an Exhibitor Appointed Contractor, or EAC. Whether it's allowed, and how, is set by your show. Normally you file the show's EAC form with the general contractor or show management, and the EAC sends a certificate of insurance. Deadlines are often around 30 days before move-in, but go by the date in your exhibitor manual. The OCCC also publishes its own Exhibitor/EAC Conditions on the guidelines page, covering things like tape, signage and cooking.

Exhibitor need-to-knows

My exhibitor logistics 101 guide covers the basics that work the same in most buildings, like the advance warehouse, material handling, targeted move-in, hotel blocks and hiring local staff. Here's what's specific to Orlando.

These are the practical things I'd want to know before exhibiting in Orlando. Where I could check a venue- or city-specific detail against an official source, I've linked it. The rest is general advice that works in any convention city.

Advance warehouse or direct to show?

The OCCC won't accept freight or package deliveries (UPS, FedEx and so on) itself, and carriers won't deliver to individual booths. During the show's lease, shipments have to go to the attention of the general contractor or to the on-site FedEx Office business center (OCCC Event Planning Guide). FedEx Office charges a handling fee per package for items shipped to it, and the OCCC's FedEx Office page lists the label format to use.

Move-in and move-out

The OCCC has a few outdoor areas it can use for temporary truck staging, depending on what else is going on in the building and with approval from OCCC Event Management (OCCC Event Planning Guide). For most shows, your general contractor runs the marshaling and targeted move-in, so use the schedule in your manual. The OCCC campus is spread over two buildings, so make sure your carrier knows whether you're in North-South or West.

Peak seasons and big annual shows

Orlando's convention calendar stays full, and several big shows are regulars at the OCCC, including the PGA Show in January and IAAPA Expo in November. School holidays and spring break also fill the theme-park hotels, so book early if your show falls during one.

Hotel strategy

Orlando is spread out. Most shows run shuttles from the block hotels along International Drive, and some of those hotels are close enough to walk. The easiest commute is a hotel connected to the OCCC by pedestrian bridge, like the Hyatt Regency Orlando. If you stay at a Disney or Universal resort, plan for a real drive every morning.

Neighborhoods for client dinners

Near the convention center, I'd look at International Drive and the Dr. Phillips "Restaurant Row" area along Sand Lake Road. If you have more time, Winter Park and downtown Orlando are good options, and Disney Springs works for groups. Visit Orlando has ideas by area.

Last-minute printing and supplies

FedEx Office is the OCCC's exclusive business center, with full-service locations in the North-South and West Buildings. They handle posters, signs and graphics, copies, business cards, office supplies and shipping for packages up to 150 lbs. Per the OCCC FAQ, the West Concourse location is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and North-South hours depend on the event.

Wi-Fi and internet

The OCCC offers free Wi-Fi in public spaces and meeting rooms (the network is "OCCC Free Wifi") (OCCC FAQ). Its planning guide says clients can't install and run their own Wi-Fi systems, and other wireless transmission systems need the OCCC's written permission, so ask before you bring a router. For booth service, Smart City Networks' OCCC exhibitor ordering guide (effective October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026) lists its basic wired Premium Internet service at $1,095 if you order by the advance deadline, $1,395 after that and $1,674 on site. Smart City's guide says a personal hotspot will work, but it runs on a shared cellular network, so it can slow down or drop when the hall is busy.

Food sampling and outside food

You can give away food and beverage samples at the OCCC only if your company is the legal manufacturer or distributor of the product, and you have to fill out a Booth Sampling form. Samples are limited to 4 oz. of beverage and 3 oz. of food, and you can't sample or give away products outside the exhibit hall or in meeting rooms. Alcoholic samples need a special permit from the State of Florida (OCCC Event Planning Guide). Everything else goes through the building's exclusive caterer.

Weather and time of year

Orlando is hot and humid for much of the year, and summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms that can delay flights and outdoor setups. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so for shows in that window, keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center and know your show's weather policy.

Sales tax on show services

In Orange County, sales tax is Florida's 6% state rate plus a 0.5% county surtax, for 6.5% total (Florida Department of Revenue). The OCCC's guide says exhibitors who are allowed to sell taxable goods or services on site have to register as a dealer with the Florida Department of Revenue.

Getting there

According to Visit Orlando, the OCCC is about 15 minutes west of Orlando International Airport (MCO), about 20 minutes southwest of downtown and about 10 minutes northeast of Walt Disney World. If you're driving, there are 6,227 parking spaces on campus. If you can get a room at the Hyatt Regency, you can walk over on the bridges and skip the shuttle.

Orlando works for shows of almost any size. Just figure out which building and which hotel you're in early. This city is spread out, and the resort hotels can be a real drive from the convention center.

Sources

1. https://www.occc.net/
2. https://www.occc.net/About-Us/Media-Relations/Convention-Center-Facts
3. https://www.occc.net/Expansion
4. https://www.orlandomeeting.com/orange-county-convention-center/
5. https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/orlrc-hyatt-regency-orlando
6. https://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/
7. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mcowc-orlando-world-center-marriott/events/
8. https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mcogp-gaylord-palms-resort-and-convention-center/events/
9. https://www.hiltonbonnetcreek.com/meetings/
10. https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/orlando-championsgate/meetings
11. https://www.cariberoyalemeetings.com/
12. https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/right-to-work-resources
13. https://www.occc.net/exhibitor
14. https://www.occc.net/Exhibitor-Guidelines-Information
15. https://www.occc.net/Portals/0/Library/docs/Orange%20County%20Convention%20Center%20-%20Event%20Planning%20Guide.pdf
16. https://www.occc.net/Planner-Service-Partners-Business-Center-Fedex-Office
17. https://www.pgashow.com/
18. https://iaapa.org/expos-and-events/iaapa-expo
19. https://www.visitorlando.com/
20. https://www.occc.net/About-Us-FAQs
21. https://smartcitynetworks.com/orange-county-convention-center-exhibitor-ordering-guide.pdf
22. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
23. https://floridarevenue.com/Forms_library/current/dr15dss_26.pdf