ORLANDO, Florida -- The Orange County Convention Center is moving forward with its planned expansion.
- Orange County Convention Center expanding
- $605 million budget for the project has been approved
- 280,000 square feet of space will be added
A $605 million budget has been approved for improvement projects set for the Orlando facility's North-South building. The expansion includes the addition of a new concourse that will connect the North and South concourses. The area will feature an 80,000-square-foot ballroom and additional meeting space.
The expansion also calls for a 200,000-square-foot multipurpose room that can hold between 18,000 and 20,000 people. The room will also feature retractable seating.
"We spent the last two years talking with clients and evaluating our own campus to find the best projects that will help us maintain our spot as the No. 1 meeting destination in the county," said Jessie Allen, the convention center's interim executive director, in a statement. "Securing the funding will enable us to ramp up for an exciting time of development and growth at the Center of Hospitality."
The Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention center in the U.S., behind Chicago's McCormick Place. The expansion will add to the convention center's 7 million square feet of space.
Every year, the convention center holds more than 200 events, with nearly 1.5 million attendees.