Ocean City Convention Center Director Announces Retirement

Ocean City, MD - Ocean City's Roland E. Powell Convention Center is getting a new leader soon. Convention Center Director Larry Noccolino has announced his retirement after 14 years with the Town of Ocean City.

Noccolino joined the Town in May 2012. He came to Ocean City after a long career in the hospitality, convention, and club management industries.

His time at the Convention Center covered a period of major growth for the facility. When he arrived, the Town was already in the first phase of a large expansion project that added the Bayfront Ballroom and the Dockside Exhibit Hall.

A second phase was completed in 2014 and brought the Ocean City Performing Arts Center to the site. The third and final phase wrapped up in January 2021, adding about 30,000 square feet of exhibit space along with the 15,000-square-foot Bayfront Gallery.

Together, these projects gave the Convention Center more room and more flexibility.

The added space allowed the venue to host a wider range of meetings, conventions, events, and performances throughout the year. That growth played a role in supporting Ocean City's year-round tourism economy.

Over the years, Noccolino worked with many groups that held events at the Convention Center. Those included the Maryland Municipal League, the Maryland State Firefighters Association, the Maryland Association of Counties, and the Maryland State Education Association.

Cheer and dance competitions, the Seaside Boat Show, and numerous other conventions and conferences also passed through the Convention Center during his tenure. Each event helped bring visitors and business to Ocean City throughout different seasons of the year.

Looking back on his career, Noccolino spoke fondly of the people he worked alongside. "I have been blessed with two incredible staffs, not only here at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center but also at the Valley Forge Convention Complex," said Noccolino. "Forty-plus years of working with people that I called family will be missed dearly."

His comments reflect a career that spanned more than four decades in the convention and hospitality world. Fourteen of those years were spent guiding one of Ocean City's most active venues through steady expansion and change.

Noccolino's last day with the Town of Ocean City will be September 4, 2026.