Business View Magazine - June 2016 55
gious groups, to the high tech market, to medical, to
local shows like wrestling, Taekwondo, and cheerlead-
ing. And we do some large consumer type events as
well like the auto show.”
Pizzuti believes that the OCC’s success at attracting
business is largely due to the many in-house services
it offers. “We chose the model of doing as many things
as we possibly could, in-house. We have our own elec-
tricians; we have our own audio/visual team; we have
our own internet and telecom team; our own set-up,
housekeeping, and cleaning staff; parking manage-
ment staff; admissions folks; security. You name it –
we do it all in-house. So, the advantage for clients is
that they get a really high-quality product because our
folks are here all the time and know the building really,
really well. They know what works and they know how
to arrange things so that clients have the easiest time
possible in the facility,” he explains. “And it’s cost ef-
fective. We’re able to keep costs down because you’re
negotiating with one entity.”
One of the OCC’s challenges over the years has been
the lack of a nearby hotel that could serve as its con-
vention headquarters. “A lot of groups love Portland
and want to come here,” says Pizzuti, “but they look
at housing their attendees and there’s nothing right by
the Convention Center. That has been a deterrent to
