Quick answer
The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is the second-largest convention venue in the United States, split across North and South buildings. It hosts the majority of Orlando's major national trade shows.
Orlando has quietly become one of the most important convention cities in the country. The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is the second-largest convention venue in the United States, and Orlando's combination of hotel capacity, a major international airport, and year-round warm weather makes it a first-choice host for shows that want strong attendance. For an exhibitor, that means Orlando hosts a deep and varied calendar — from attractions and pet products to healthcare IT and pro AV. Below are the Orlando shows that consistently justify a booth. Dates, halls, and host-city rotations change year to year, so confirm the specifics against each organizer before committing, and treat the notes here as a planning starting point rather than a final schedule.
IAAPA Expo
What it is: the global marketplace for the attractions industry — theme parks, water parks, family entertainment, and everything that supplies them. Where & when: Orange County Convention Center, annual, November . Who exhibits: rides, games, food-service equipment, and technology suppliers to the entertainment industry. Booth reality: IAAPA is a spectacle floor with large working displays and equipment, so islands, rigging, and heavy power dominate the anchor halls.
Global Pet Expo
What it is: a leading pet-products trade show for retailers and buyers. Where & when: Orlando , annual, typically spring. Who exhibits: pet food, supplies, and accessory brands. Booth reality: a merchandising-heavy floor where product blocking and clear brand identity carry more weight than raw footprint.
HIMSS Global Health Conference
What it is: the premier healthcare information and technology event. Where & when: rotates among major convention cities and has been held in Orlando . Who exhibits: health IT, EHR, medical software, and connected-device vendors. Booth reality: a high-design, meeting-driven floor where private demo rooms and build quality matter more than size.
InfoComm
What it is: the largest professional audiovisual and integrated-experience show in North America. Where & when: rotates, with an Orlando edition scheduled . Who exhibits: display, audio, control-system, and AV-integration vendors. Booth reality: live AV demos define the floor — power, signal, and controlled-audio environments shape every booth plan.
ICSC Florida
What it is: the regional retail-real-estate and commercial-development event for the Florida market. Where & when: Orlando , annual. Who exhibits: developers, retailers, brokers, and retail-service providers. Booth reality: a relationship-and-meeting show where hospitality and conversation space outperform theater programming. See our ICSC Florida show page for booth specifics.
Other Major Orlando Shows
Orlando's OCCC calendar also carries Surf Expo (watersports and beach lifestyle), AHR Expo in its Orlando editions (HVACR), MEGACON on the consumer side, and a rotating roster of national medical, education, and technology conferences . If your industry runs a major US event, there's a good chance it lands in Orlando at least once in any given rotation.
Timing the Orlando Calendar
Orlando's warm climate keeps its convention calendar busy year-round, but the biggest events still cluster — IAAPA in November and a run of large shows through the spring anchor the peak periods. When several major shows land close together, hotel blocks, airlift, and show-services capacity all tighten across the city, and booth build slots fill earlier.
The practical rule is to book a major OCCC show 12 to 16 weeks out. That lead time secures the economical advance-warehouse freight timing, locks discounted show-services rates before deadlines compress, and gives design and fabrication room to breathe rather than forcing a rushed build into a peak week.
Planning a Booth for the OCCC
The practical thing to know about Orlando is that the OCCC is enormous and split across two buildings (North/South), so booth navigation and hall assignment matter — an attendee shouldn't have to work to find you. Freight into Orlando is straightforward, and the city's labor environment is generally more flexible than Chicago's, but drayage and show-services costs still apply and should be confirmed before crating. Sizing follows the same logic as any market: demos and spectacle reward larger islands; relationship selling rewards meeting space. For pricing and configuration by footprint, see the Orlando booth rental hub.