For nearly 40 years, the Orange County Convention Center has withstood many economic challenges including 9-11 and the recession of the late 2000s, but nothing has compared to the current pandemic. By mid-March, nearly 30 of the venue's events had been canceled or postponed. However, despite reeling from the economic impact of the coronavirus, the OCCC is determined to help continue supporting its community by combatting the pandemic by whatever means possible.

Once the severity of the crisis became apparent, the OCCC immediately partnered with local and state health officials, local government and law enforcement, and the Florida National Guard to assist Central Florida by developing a drive-thru testing location in its remote parking lots. The venue's transportation team has been supporting the planning and logistical operations. Since the site opened, it has conducted nearly 5,000 tests. And it recently expanded its testing capacity to 400 tests per day, which is up from 200. "Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Deming's guiding principles of innovation, collaboration, and inclusiveness is a testament of our commitment to our community and how we will work with state and local partners to get through this together," said OCCC executive director, Mark Tester.

In case of a local surge in COVID-19 cases, the OCCC is prepared to play an even larger role. "We're working with our region's counties to request that the Orange County Convention Center be designated as a federal medical facility site, should we significantly exceed our region's hospital capacity," said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

In addition to its testing efforts and preparation for possible patient care, the OCCC's exclusive food and beverage partner, Centerplate, donated more than 1,000 pounds of food to local organizations in Central Florida. The food service provider has also been offering OCCC employees discounted cases of water and juices, and it even hosted a meal-packing event to provide prepackaged meal kits to its employees who have been impacted.

"Although the center and the industry has never experienced this magnitude of cancellations or setbacks in one stretch, the OCCC has always bounced back and this time will be no different," Tester said. "The OCCC is dedicated to flattening the curve with a goal of coming back ahead of the curve, stronger than ever."