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Business View Magazine
The Oregon Convention Center
Showcase of the rose city
The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) opened in 1990,
on the east side of the Willamette River in Portland, Or-
egon, sometimes known as the Rose City. At that time,
it was considered a midsized center, says its current
Deputy Director, Matt Pizzuti. “It had 150,000 square
feet of exhibit space, a 25,000 square foot ballroom,
and 24 meeting rooms – not a huge facility by any
means,” he admits.
Today, the OCC is the largest convention center in the
Pacific Northwest, due to a $116 million, 2003 expan-
sion, funded by an increase in the local hotel/motel
