For more information, contact Sandy Eitel at 312.423.7271 or seitel@pcma.org.

Orlando Donates Meeting Space for 2008 PCMA Convention Center Auction

Orange County Convention Center and the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Partner With PCMA for 2008 Auction to Benefit PCMA

Seattle, Washington, January 15, 2008 - The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Orlando CVB) sponsored this morning's General Session at the Professional Convention Management Association's (PCMA) 2008 Annual Meeting and announced an exciting opportunity for meeting professionals. The OCCC and the Orlando CVB have partnered with PCMA for the 2008 PCMA Convention Center Auction, marking the second time a convention center has auctioned its meeting space to benefit PCMA.

"Our strategic partnership with PCMA is an exciting opportunity to showcase Orlando's unparalleled convention center and all of the meeting and convention amenities Orlando offers today's meeting planner," said Tom Ackert, Executive Director of the Orange County Convention Center. " Orlando is on the move with a variety of developments around the convention center that will provide new meeting and convention opportunities for groups of all sizes."

"In today's competitive environment, it's more important than ever to be educated about our industry and to share ideas and experiences," added Gary Sain, President and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Our PCMA partnership has allowed us to network more closely with both a broad audience at the annual meeting and a targeted group of industry leaders at the 2007 PCMA Leadership Conference to not only shape the Orlando experience, but the overall industry experience to keep it strong and exciting."

The auction officially kicked off this morning and won't close until 11:59 p.m. CDT on June 30, 2008. The auction package up for bid includes 1.0 million gross square feet of exhibition space; discounts off hotels and service; and credits towards special events with Gold Key Partners WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando Resort. The package is good for 10 days between 2008 and 2012, based on availability. Interested meeting planners should visit www.pcma.org for complete information and to register to bid.

Orlando is the second largest meetings, convention, and trade show market in the country. It offers the second largest convention center at 2.1 million square feet complemented by another 3 million square feet of meeting space at convention hotels. In addition:

• Orlando is rolling out the red carpet for a slate of new luxury hotel projects over the next three years including such well-known brands as the Waldorf=Astoria, Four Seasons, Intercontinental, and Westin.
• The Orange County Convention Center area is enjoying a tremendous boom in new amenities with a new 1,400-room Hilton hotel currently under construction adjacent to the center and the completion of a $40 million renovation to Pointe Orlando, the area's dining, shopping, and entertainment complex, bringing The Capital Grille, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, and B.B. King's Blues Club, among others, to the convention center corridor.
• Medical meetings, conventions, and trade shows are big business for Orlando. Over the past 10 years, Orlando has hosted more medical meetings than any other destination in North America. With the addition of the Burnham Institute, the UCF Medical School and a Veterans Hospital, medical tourism will continue to drive Orlando's meetings market.

The PCMA Convention Center Auction launched last year at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Toronto. The online auction proved overwhelmingly successful for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and raised a significant amount of funds for PCMA. These Funds are used for projects, products and services designed to advance the meetings and convention industry and specifically benefit PCMA members.

For complete information, terms and conditions, and to place a bid, visit www.pcma.org.

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource center and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, and multi-management firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org.

The role of the PCMA Education Foundation is to support the mission of the PCMA through fundraising and grant giving focused on education and research that will benefit the meetings and conventions industry. Established in 1985, the Foundation supports educational programs to improve professionalism in the meetings industry and to provide a university-level meeting management curriculum. The Foundation funds educational programs for meeting managers, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, and other members of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research of industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually funds new programs to encourage the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.