CITY GUIDE
Orlando, Florida
Orlando trade show planning
An independent city guide for exhibitors using Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center: identify the correct building and use current OCCC and event documents to plan freight, services, and travel.
THE SETTING
Start with the actual venue, not a search result.
The Orange County Convention Center is the key reference point for Orlando trade-show searches. Its official facts page lists 7 million square feet across the West and North–South buildings, more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, 174 loading-dock slips, and thousands of parking spaces. That scale makes venue orientation a planning task, not a footnote. Confirm the assigned building, hall, entrance, dock, and exhibitor check-in location in the show’s current materials.
ON THE GROUND
Turn city logistics into a booth operations plan.
Start with OCCC’s exhibitor-guidelines page and the organizer’s exhibitor kit. OCCC identifies Exhibitor Services for rigging and utilities, and publishes separate guidance for ordering and payment, EAC conditions, fire-marshal rules, electrical work, rigging, plumbing, covered or multilevel booths, and special activities. The planning guide says freight belongs at appropriate building docks, not main guest entrances. Confirm current dock procedures, marshaling, labor, vehicle, and safety requirements before dispatch.
BEFORE YOU SHIP
Use the current event manual as the final word.
Build the plan around the show’s assigned hall and move-in schedule. Submit booth drawings, utility loads, signage, suspended elements, freight dimensions, and EAC details through the channels named in the current organizer and OCCC documents. A dated OCCC planning guide references early rigging submissions; treat that as a planning signal rather than a universal current deadline. Coordinate airport arrivals, hotel transfers, crew calls, and delivery windows against the actual event schedule, not a generic Orlando itinerary.
EXHIBITOR CHECK
- OCCC lists 7 million square feet total, including 2,053,820 square feet of exhibit space across the West and North–South buildings.
- The official venue lists 174 loading-dock slips and publishes exhibitor guidelines for ordering, EACs, fire safety, electrical, rigging, and specialty utilities.
- The official OCCC calendar lists events by date and building, which is useful for high-level Orlando convention-calendar research.
COSTS & TIMING
Model the full project, not the booth line item.
Budget in workstreams: booth production and freight; advance versus onsite orders; electrical, internet, utilities, rigging, and signage; approved labor or EAC support; travel, lodging, parking, meals, storage, and contingency. OCCC’s published guide describes possible early-order savings but does not establish a current price or universal discount. Request the live rate card and deadline from the organizer or authorized contractor, then use the calendar to identify overlap and travel pressure—not as a substitute for the official show schedule.
SOURCES & VERIFICATION
Start with the primary record.
We use official venue, city, destination, and organizer resources for orientation. The most current event manual and designated service-contractor materials control the work.