Meeting in Ohio is like catching up with lost friends; there are many new things to discover, and yet each city—from historic Cincinnati and Toledo to the rock and arts mecca of Cleveland and the diverse flavors of Columbus—has a comforting, easygoing feeling that will put planners immediately at ease.
Southwest Ohio
In Cincinnati, the newest marketing slogan, “Plan for More,” is more than just a catchphrase. With approximately $2 billion in downtown renovations and expansions, the city truly has more to offer meeting planners, says Dan Lincoln, CEO for the Greater Cincinnati CVB.
“It ties into all the new enhancements,” he says, “from the completely renovated Duke Energy Center to new attractions and restaurants coming into downtown.”
The Duke Energy Center, formerly the Cincinnati Cinergy Center, received a name change last summer after a $135 million renovation and expansion, giving the facility 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space. Lincoln says that with the expanded convention center, Cincinnati can now target 75 percent of meetings business in the country.
Development in Cincinnati’s compact, historic downtown is also gaining momentum. The heart of downtown, Fountain Square, just received a redesign plus several restaurants, and new attractions include the Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, whose board of directors includes luminaries like Colin Powell, Oprah Winfrey and Desmond Tutu.
With the impressive new projects and more than 3,000 rooms within a few blocks of the convention center, it’s no wonder Cincinnati has started booking large meetings like the National Baptist Convention and the NAACP Conference.
“A lot of people may not have a firsthand perception of Cincinnati,” Lincoln says. “But we guarantee that when attendees come here and see the architecture, the history, the beautiful hills, they will have a memorable, wonderful experience.”
Aside from the Duke Energy Center, planners can take advantage of popular meetings hotels such as the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, which recently upgraded guest rooms and added a 2,350-square-foot meeting room; the Westin Cincinnati, which finished a renovation of guest rooms and public areas in 2006; and the Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, which will receive a public space upgrade later this year.
North of Cincinnati in Sharonville, options include the Sheraton Cincinnati North Hotel, located across the street from the Sharonville Convention Center, and the Drury Inn and Suites Cincinnati North, which opened last year with more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
In Mason, situated a bit farther northeast, the 404-suite Great Wolf Lodge debuted at Paramount’s Kings Island in late 2006. The resort offers a 40,000-square-foot conference center, a 75,000-square-foot indoor water park, a spa, and a fitness center.
Dayton, just south of Cincinnati, has also been busy revitalizing its downtown with new attractions such as the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, the RiverScape MetroPark and Fifth Third Field, home turf for the Dayton Dragons minor-league baseball team.
Meanwhile, Dayton is known for its two favorite sons, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and a rich aviation heritage.
The city is home to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, a popular site for group events. The museum offers a special “Dinner Under the Wings” program for groups.
The Wright Brothers are also celebrated at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, a collection of historic sites that includes a 1905 Wright Flyer exhibit. Starting in May, visitors can tour Hawthorn Hill, the home of the historic aviators.
The city’s main group venue is the Dayton Convention Center, which offers 150,000 square feet of space. Other options include the David H. Ponitz Sinclair Center, Hara Arena, Conference and Exhibition Center, and the Exposition Center at Dayton International Airport.
Downtown properties such as the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which connects to the Dayton Convention Center via skywalk, the Doubletree Hotel Dayton Downtown and the Dayton Marriott give planners additional options for meetings.
Central Ohio
In the capital city of Columbus, diversity is the key to successful meetings.
Visitors can enjoy the trendy scene in the Short North arts district, or head just a few miles south and discover the Old World atmosphere of a German village. Near the convention center, the North Market has been filling visitors’ stomachs and shopping bags since 1876 with a wide variety of ethnic food, locally grown produce and handcrafted gifts.
The North Market is a top attraction, according to Shellie O’Toole, director of convention sales and services for Experience Columbus, the Greater Columbus CVB.
“Our culinary scene is extraordinary, and the North Market is part of that,” she says. “You can find cuisine from 10 different countries there, all delicious and diverse.”
Handling meetings of 750 to 2,500 is no problem in Columbus, which hosts a good deal of association business, according to O’Toole.
“We have the friendly Midwestern atmosphere, plus the world-class attractions and facilities you’d expect in a first-tier city,” she says.
Following revitalization projects and the debut of new hotels in downtown Columbus in recent years, there will be even more to experience after the next round of developments.
In spring 2008, the Greater Columbus Convention Center plans to wrap up a renovation of Battelle Hall, which will add a 50,000-square-foot ballroom to the center’s existing 1 million-plus square feet of space.
Additionally, two of the city’s popular meetings properties, the Hyatt Regency Columbus and the Crown Plaza Hotel Columbus–Downtown, will undergo renovations within the next two years, while The Columbus, A Renaissance Hotel, also recently completed a $15 million renovation.
Another upcoming project is a downtown revitalization that will include luxury condos, shops and cafes, as well as a multimedia board, similar to the one in Times Square, that will top the development at Broad and High Streets, along with an NBC live-broadcast studio behind glass.
Meanwhile, the new Huntington Park, the future home of the Columbus Clippers baseball team, is expected to open in spring 2009.
With downtown Delaware on the National Register of Historic Places, plus antique shops, museums and even the birthplace of a president to explore, Delaware County is a perfect setting for relaxed meetings.
Just 20 miles north of Columbus, the area is home to the Rutherford B. Hayes birthplace, the circa-1870s Nash House Museum and three levels of winding cave paths at Olentangy Indian Caverns.
Meeting facilities in Delaware County include the Conference Center at NorthPointe, with 120 guest units, 40 meeting and breakout rooms and a 6,000-square-foot ballroom; and the Delaware Hotel, which recently completed a property-wide renovation. Larger events can be held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
In Marion County, things are definitely popping at Heritage Hall. The former post office hosts three different museums, each highlighting a unique chapter in the area’s history: the Wyandot Popcorn Museum; an exhibit dedicated to hometown son and 29th President, Warren G. Harding; and an exhibit honoring athlete Jim Thorpe, the leading player of the local all-Native American NFL football team of the 1920s, the Oorang Indians.
Area facilities include the Carousel Convention Center, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Palace Theater.
East of Columbus is Zanesville and Muskingum County, an art lover’s dream, with galleries, studios, an artists’ colony, and the Zanesville Art Center, filled with European, Asian and American works.
Area meeting facilities include the Holiday Inn Muskingum Valley Conference Center and Veterans Complex at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds, which opened in 2006.
Southwest of Columbus, another top option for gatherings is Deer Creek Resort and Conference Center, surrounded by 3,100 scenic acres. The property plans to finish a renovation of its meeting facilities this year.
Northeast Ohio
From music to the movies, everyone experiences a bit of Cleveland in their daily lives. Home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and hometown of stars such as Halle Berry, Tim Conway, Bob Hope, and director Wes Craven, Cleveland has a rich heritage in the performing arts, as well as a strong sports market.
The key to the city’s vitality is ongoing development, according to Kelly Brewer, vice president of sales for the CVB of Greater Cleveland.
“Overall, our product stays fresh,” Brewer says. “Something new is always happening downtown.”
In May, the CVB will move its offices into an historic building on the corner of Public Square and will also open a high-tech visitors center there, according to Brewer.
Other new projects include recent developments in the East Fourth Street district, including a House of Blues, a retro bowling alley and renovations at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center. Discussions are also under way for a new convention center that would boost the city’s meeting space by 400,000 square feet.
The No. 1 off-site venue is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, according to Brewer.
“Both planners and attendees love it,” he says.
The facility offers a variety of group activity packages, from simple meeting space to renting the entire museum for private viewings and events.
Aside from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the city’s cultural landscape includes the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is in the midst of a major expansion and renovation.
Attendees enjoy the historic Warehouse District, a popular entertainment area, as well as just exploring all the things to see and do in downtown Cleveland, Brewer says.
“We have a compact downtown area, so people don’t have to be cooped up in a hotel all day, or even use taxis,” Brewer says. “It’s easy to get around, and there’s so much to see.”
The city’s largest group venues are the Cleveland Convention Center, featuring 375,000 square feet of function space; the International Exposition Center, with more than 1 million square feet of space near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport; and Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University.
Popular meetings hotels include the InterContinental Hotel and Conference Center Cleveland, the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center, the Hyatt Regency Cleveland, and the Cleveland Marriott East in the outskirts of town.
Just south of Cleveland, the newly renovated Sheraton Independence Hotel, formerly a Clarion hotel, opened in June 2006 with 179 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Akron and Canton, located south of Cleveland, are two destinations actively pursuing more meeting business. The communities have paired up in a marketing initiative to sell the entire area as an easily accessible destination, a logical move since the Akron-Canton Airport is one of the five fastest-growing airports in the country, according to Gregg Murvis, vice president of the Akron/Summit CVB.
“With the new Gateway Event and Conference Center near the airport, our area has a new way to appeal to both drive-in and fly-in business,” he says. “Working with other communities like Canton sends a significant message to planners that we care about their interests.”
The region boasts a diverse lineup of attractions for groups to enjoy during leisure time or as off-site venues, including the Akron Art Museum, which will reopen in July following a major renovation and expansion, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, offering dinner excursions; and the Pro Football Hall of Fame and McKinley Presidential Library and Museum in Canton.
Akron’s major group venue is the John S. Knight Center, while meetings properties include the Crowne Plaza Hotel Akron–Quaker Square and the Radisson Hotel Akron City Centre.
Facilities in Canton include the Canton Memorial Civic Center; the Barrett Business and Community Center at Walsh University, which opened last year with 18,000 square feet of function space; the Gateway Event and Conference Center; and the Professional Education and Conference Center at Kent State University’s Stark Campus.
Among the area’s meetings hotels are the Hall of Fame Inn, which will become a Courtyard by Marriott in July following an $8.5 million renovation, and the Hilton Garden Inn Akron–Canton Airport, which opened in November.
In the Mahoning County community of Youngstown, attendees enjoy the Butler Institute of American Art and historic sites like Lanterman’s Mill. Groups can gather at the Chevrolet Centre arena, the Country Inn and Suites by Carlson and the Ramada Inn and Suites.
Northwest Ohio
Perched on the southwestern point of Lake Erie in northern Ohio, Toledo offers an intriguing blend of historic sites and futuristic design.
The Toledo Museum of Art’s new Glass Pavilion recently received Travel and Leisure’s design award for “Best Museum,” and the Veterans’ Glass City Skyway bridge is slated to open in June.
While the future is bright for Toledo, the city remembers its past with the Victorian, Edwardian and Arts and Crafts architecture of its historic Old West End district, as well as the Fort Meigs State Memorial, which withstood British attacks in the War of 1812.
A strong market for regional and religious meetings, Toledo usually hosts 300 to 3,000 attendees, but it can handle up to 8,000 for larger meetings.
“We’re a quality destination that’s both affordable and accessible,” says Jim Donnelly, president of the Greater Toledo CVB. “Planners find Toledo a positive experience all the way around.”
This summer, the city will break ground on a new 10,000-seat arena slated for completion in 2009. The arena will be home to two sports teams, and it will also offer meeting space and connect to the SeaGate Convention Center via skywalk.
Work also continues on the Marina District development, a riverwalk project that will include retail and dining establishments, as well as residential units.
The city’s main group facilities include the SeaGate Convention Centre, connected to the Radisson Hotel and Hotel Seagate, and the Eleanor N. Dana Conference Center, connected to the Hilton Toledo.
South of Toledo is the charming city of Bowling Green, which offers unique attractions like the Little Red Schoolhouse, showcasing educational memorabilia, and the National Construction Equipment Museum, spotlighting the history and advancement of construction equipment.
Meeting facilities include the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, the Hampton Inn and several sites on the campus of Bowling Green State University.
For More Info
Akron/Summit CVB 330.374.7560
www.visitakron-summit.org
Bowling Green CVB 419.353.9445
www.www.visitbgohio.org
Canton/Stark County CVB 330.454.1439
www.cantonstarkcvb.com
CVB of Greater Cleveland 216.621.4110
www.clevelandmeetings.com
Dayton/Montgomery County CVB 937.226.8211
www.daytoncvb.com
Delaware County CVB 740.368.4748
www.visitdelohio.com
Experience Columbus 614.221.6623
www.experiencecolumbus.com
Greater Cincinnati CVB 513.621.2142
www.cincyusa.com
Greater Toledo CVB 419.321.6404
www.dotoledo.org
Marion County CVB 740.389.9770
www.visitmarionohio.com
Zanesville–Muskingum County CVB 229.245.0513
www.valdostatourism.com
