50 Business View Magazine - June 2016
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
