Built from the owner’s perspective
Conventional Wisdom grew from a working relationship formed during the landmark 1990 master planning effort at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Co-Founders David O’Neal and Rick Schmidt worked together as owner and project manager, respectively, on a phased expansion that established the facility as the first of its kind to span more than 1 million square feet of contiguous exhibition space and positioned it among the nation’s leading convention destinations.
The experience revealed a clear need in the industry for specialized, owner-focused advisory services grounded in operational knowledge and real-world performance. Striking a balance of operations and owner insights with architectural design and master planning, David and Rick went on to form Conventional Wisdom in 1997 with the mission of providing strategic advisory services and a uniquely balanced approach to help owners, developers, and public entities make informed decisions from the early planning stages, through design and asset management across the entire facility’s lifecycle.
Advancing the practice
Over the years, Conventional Wisdom has continuously studied industry trends, evaluated event performance data, and pioneered crowd modeling methodologies to inform strategic decisions grounded in measurable, real-world outcomes. Balancing form with function, we partner with owners and project teams worldwide to ensure each phase of development is informed by practical, defensible judgment.
A trusted strategic partner
Since its inception, Conventional Wisdom has served as a trusted advisor on more than 325 facilities spanning convention and exhibition centers, sports and entertainment venues, and comprehensive event districts worldwide.
Conventional Wisdom’s growth has been driven not by marketing campaigns, but by reputation earned through independence, integrity, and the consistent delivery of common sense solutions to complex challenges.
We view our responsibility as more demanding than traditional consulting: to serve as the owner’s trusted advisor and voice of reason throughout complex decision-making—balancing diverse stakeholder interests and stewarding limited public funds with clarity and impartial judgment.
Today, the firm continues to evolve while maintaining its founding principle: protect the owner’s interest and guide decisions that will define performance for decades to come.
- 1990 – 1,000,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition hall space
1,000,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition hall space, the first of its scale, master-planned by co-founders David O’Neal and Rick Schmidt for the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.Master planning the first 1,000,000 square foot contiguous exhibition hall (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando)
- 1992 – Integrating large, multi-purpose rooms
Integrating large, multi-purpose rooms into the meeting space program for convention facilities at McCormick Place in Chicago.
- 1996 – Developing and administering the qualifications-based selection process
Developing and administering the qualifications-based selection process for modified design-build project delivery using Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) in San Diego.
- 1998 – Programming the first “green” facility
Programming the first “green” facility for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh Design Competition (co-sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council)
- 2005 – Simplified standardization for 10x10 booth setup
Simplified standardization for 10×10 booth setup by scoring the exhibition floor, first implemented at the Virginia Beach Convention Center in 2005, receiving Trade Show Executive’s Industry Innovation Award in 2007.
- 2006 – Integrating a high-end conference center as a stand-alone business unit
Integrating a high-end conference center as a stand-alone business unit into an urban convention center at the Phoenix Convention Center.
- 2008 – Incorporating requirements of the new generation of facility users
Incorporating requirements of the new generation of facility users to modify the basic programmatic assumptions and shifts in the supporting hospitality infrastructure.
- 2008 – Planning a phased convention center and district elements
Planning a phased convention center and district elements as part of the world’s largest public-private partnership in Songdo Convensia, Incheon Province, Republic of Korea.
- 2010 – Developing new crowd modeling and event profiling methods
Developing new crowd modeling and event profiling methods for delineating functional spaces in facility programming to balance multiple use types and enable cost-effective flexible design.
- 2013 – Negotiating a facility management contract
Negotiating a facility management contract that included occupancy, economic impact and asset maintenance as part of the incentive fee scoring criteria at Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.
- 2015 – Supporting planning and design of a public-private partnership development
Supporting planning and design of a public-private partnership development that included a convention center, hotel, and offices in the same high-rise building at the Nova Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- 2018 – Performing annual asset management inspections
Performing annual asset management inspections of facility conditions, while jointly establishing capital repair and replacement plans, project scopes, and budgets at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.
- 2020 – Developing pricing models to support the return of business after the Covid-19 pandemic
Developing pricing models to support the return of business after the Covid-19 pandemic that reduced risk to the clients and supported the historic rate structure for the Colorado Convention Center.
Browse our work to see how we bridge the gap between architectural vision and operational success.
Don’t just build a facility; create a competitive destination. Reach out to discuss the common-sense solutions that maximize your investment.