Officials from the National Training and Simulation Association, Orange County Government and the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) today announced a 10-year extension of their agreement to host the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando through 2030.

Approximately 20,000 people from more than 50 countries participated in I/ITSEC 2017. I/ITSEC is the world's largest modeling, simulation, and training conference.

The new contract represents an extension of I/ITSEC’s previous agreement to host the conference in Orlando from 2015 through 2020.

I/ITSEC officials cited a number of reasons for hosting the conference in Orlando through 2030:

• Central Florida has become one of the nation's largest centers for technology advancement associated with developing training systems supporting national security.

• Central Florida has built a tremendous partnership between local, state and national government entities dedicated to our warfighters and first responders. 
• I/ITSEC is an international conference and Orlando has a fantastic capability to welcome and support foreign nationals attending our conference.  

“On behalf of the entire Central Florida region, I am delighted to celebrate the signing of this contract extension for the Interservice Industry Training Simulation and Education Conference – known as I/ITSEC, as well as the tremendous opportunity that this newly extended contract represents,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. “Not only does I/ITSEC help to solidify our role as the epi-center for modeling, simulation and training, the conference brings attendees from high-value, high-wage sectors from across the globe, providing us with an incredible opportunity to showcase our workforce, the National Center for Simulation and Team Orlando assets to the world.  We’re deeply proud of the success of this key economic sector, and also of the strategic work and recommendations of our MS&T Blue Ribbon Commission.”

Orange County Convention Center executives are excited to have I/ITSEC leaders continue to make Orlando their home away from home.

“It’s always great news for us, and our hospitality community, when we extend a contract at the OCCC,” said Jessie Allen, the Center’s Interim Executive Director, “Knowing that we get to keep I/ITSEC here an additional decade is a banner achievement for our world-class facility.”

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 

About I/ITSEC

The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) is the world's largest modeling, simulation, and training conference. Held near the beginning of December in Orlando, Florida, USA, I/ITSEC consists of peer-reviewed paper presentations, tutorials, special events, professional workshops, a commercial exhibit hall, a serious games competition, and STEM events for teachers and secondary students. I/ITSEC is organized by the National Training and Simulation Association (NTSA), which promotes international and interdisciplinary cooperation within the fields of modeling and simulation (M&S), training, education, analysis, and related disciplines at this annual meeting. The NTSA is an affiliate subsidiary of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). Hence, I/ITSEC also emphasizes themes related to defense and security.

About the Orange County Convention Center

Celebrating 35 years of success, the Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention facility in the United States. Each year, the OCCC attracts more than 200 events to the Central Florida area. As a result, roughly 1.5 million attendees contribute approximately $2.2 billion to the area's economy each year.