Ohio adopted the tagline the "Heart of It All" in the 1980s. While state tourism authorities have been known to employ hyperbole from time to time, in this case they were stating the obvious. Ohio, especially Northern Ohio, is the gateway between the Midwest and the Northeast. Its highways are flowing with transcontinental commerce, and its principal cities—Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Toledo—are within a one-day drive of half of the U.S. population. Lake Erie provides more than 300 miles of coastline along the northern border, dotted with busy seaports handling millions of tons of cargo.
The region is also at the heart of many of the Midwest’s top attractions. Three different wine trails wind through Northern Ohio. A thick cluster of amusement parks and water parks with Sandusky at its epicenter ensure that no visitor need leave the state without screaming "wheeeee!" at the top of their lungs. For golf enthusiasts, it’s impossible to swing a 9-iron without hitting a four-star course.
To the blessings of excellent location and unparalleled accessibility, Northern Ohio is adding ambitious development projects designed to make it a medical mecca, a cultural capital and an essential event destination.
Greater Cleveland
The largest metro region and the second-largest city in Ohio, Cleveland is located on Lake Erie. In recent years, the city of a half-million has scored high in national rankings as a business travel destination, a safe city, an arts haven and a fun place to visit.
Cleveland must surely rank high among cities investing in convention development as well.
"For sheer scale and ambition and impact, it’s hard to top what’s unfolding in the heart of downtown Cleveland over the next few years as the convention center is wholly renovated and revitalized in concert with the addition of an industry-anchoring Medical Mart," says Dan Williams, vice president of sales at Positively Cleveland.
Williams says the revamped convention center will boast approximately 300,000 square feet of high-quality exhibit space. A 160,000-square-foot conference facility and ballroom will incorporate more than 50 meeting rooms and offer wireless connectivity, multisite videoconferencing, high-definition display systems, technology labs and intelligent classrooms.
The $425 million Medical Mart, scheduled for completion in late 2013 or early 2014, will offer showrooms for medical products and services. It is designed as a perfect location for medical trade shows, meetings and conferences among the international healthcare industry. Cleveland already has a strong draw for medical meetings, with 62 hospitals, 600 bioscience companies and top-ranked cardiac care.
Meanwhile, equally ambitious development at University Circle is bringing additional retail, arts and entertainment to one of the city’s most important cultural and medical hubs. The $300 million Uptown development kicked off in May with the groundbreaking of a 50,000-square-foot Cleveland Institute of Art expansion. Cleveland Museum of Art unveiled its new 139,200-square-foot East Wing in June 2009. The museum’s expansion will continue through 2013, and when completed the museum will encompass 588,000 square feet. Plans also call for a new Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit Authority station. All in all, the project will transform eight unused urban acres into an attractive and accessible destination.
Elsewhere in town, Cleveland’s Warehouse District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, broke ground on a new streetscape. Improvements to the hip nightlife neighborhood will include widened sidewalks, street furniture, landscaping, bike lanes and historic markers.
Changes are also under way at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Its $25 million AirMall development promises 76,000 square feet of dining and retail designed to make travelers forget they’re at an airport. The airport also added free Wi-Fi in late 2009.
In the past year, there have been more than $45 million in renovations to Greater Cleveland meetings hotels, including significant upgrades at The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, Cleveland Airport Marriott Hotel and Quail Hollow Resort, which is located in Painesville. Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel is kicking off a major renovation in 2010. Reflaggings have included the Holiday Inn Lakeside to the Doubletree Hotel Cleveland/Lakeside; Sheraton Independence to the Skyline Hotel of Independence; and Hampton Inn North Olmsted to La Quinta Inns & Suites.
Another prominent meetings hotel is the InterContinental Cleveland, which is located on the campus of the Cleveland Clinic and features the Bank of America Auditorium and Conference Center, as well as an 8,800-square-foot ballroom and eight meeting rooms.
Cleveland’s largest group facilities include the 375,000-square-foot Cleveland Convention Center and the 985,000-square-foot International Exposition Center. Downtown, Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University provides seating for 15,000.
Meanwhile, the 215,000-square-foot Great Lakes Expo Center opened in nearby Euclid in early 2010.
As far as the CVB is concerned, one of Cleveland’s biggest draws for meetings is the surprising amount of bang it offers for a very sensible amount of buck.
"We’re consistently affordable," Williams says. "While other destinations are slashing their prices in hard times, Cleveland has always been a very reasonable destination in terms of pricing, especially when you consider all the first-tier assets and amenities we have here. And, for right now at least, the lead time for meetings continues to decrease. Companies and organizations are shortening the time between booking and holding meetings as they ‘wait and see’ about finances, potential attendance and other factors related to the current economy."
Positively Cleveland is encouraging this trend by extending its "Drive Your Meeting to Cleveland" promotion into 2010. Planners who sign and hold an event with a minimum of 50 room nights by Dec. 31, 2010, will receive a number of meeting amenities and entry into a drawing for a new vehicle. If you book and hold by June 30, you receive an extra drawing entry.
Cleveland also offers an inventory of attractions that makes a powerful argument for increasing attendance. The city boasts PlayhouseSquare, the second-largest performing arts center in the nation, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, three major sports teams, more than 100 public golf courses, and all of the water activities available on Lake Erie.
Truly distinctive off-site venues include the Terrace Club at Progressive Field and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
"While you might come because we’re affordable, accessible and accommodating, it’s the good times you’re going to remember," Williams says. "This is a city with a rich history, populated by friendly people with a lot of things to do. We’re also going to roll out the red carpet for you for here. Clevelanders are friendly people, and we have a seasoned convention services team in place."
Akron
With easy access via turnpike, interstate and a fast-growing airport with the lowest average fares in the state, the Akron area is very conveniently located. Greater Akron is also home to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the only national park in Ohio. The popular Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs from Cleveland through the park into Amish country.
The region, which offers outstanding venues for sporting events, was recently awarded the 2014 Gay Games. More than 15,000 amateur athletes will be competing in facilities in Greater Akron and Cleveland.
"Greater Akron and Summit County offer meeting and event planners a broad array of venues, from full-service hotels to the surprisingly unconventional," says Mary Tricaso, director of sales at the Akron/Summit CVB.
John S. Knight Center is the area’s premier convention facility, with 123,000 square feet of space. Larger meetings hotels include Quaker Square Inn at the University of Akron, the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, Radisson Akron City Centre and Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls.
Local attractions offering meeting space include Blossom Music Center, the theater at Akron-Summit County Public Library or the St. Lucie car aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
Canton
Twenty-four miles south of Akron and equidistant from Akron-Canton Airport, Canton emphasizes value for money and unexpectedly urban amenities that could be a cure for the low-attendance blues.
"Many meeting planners are being faced with the financial realization that attendance is declining for many venues," says John Kiste, executive director of the Canton/Stark County CVB. "This makes Stark County a more attractive location than ever. Our overall quality at a low price is just what the value-conscious meeting planner is seeking. We have top-notch restaurants and accommodations, attractions to rival a major city, numerous new jazz clubs, wineries and specialty shops, and a CVB willing to assist the event from planning through successful completion."
Top meeting venues include the IACC-accredited conference center at Kent State Stark University and the 16,000-square-foot Canton Memorial Civic Center. Meetings gain an artistic flair at alternative venues such as Palace Theatre and the Cultural Center for the Arts.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is a must-see for any sports fan. Ohio has been home to eight presidents, and the William McKinley Presidential Museum is located in Canton, where he practiced law and is buried.
Lake Erie & The Shores
The shores and islands of Lake Erie, centered on Sandusky, could make a good claim to being Ohio’s leisure capital. It’s certainly one of the state’s most important tourist destinations as home to the record-holding Cedar Point amusement park, six water parks and a thriving wine country. The area, which offers more than 8,000 hotel rooms and 400,000 square feet of meeting space, is a major destination for sports competitions and boating festivals.
"Where else in Ohio can you take a ferry over to an island to enjoy fishing, kayaking, wineries and a cave, and go up in a 352-foot-tall memorial?" asks Amanda Smith, group sales coordinator for Lake Erie Shores & Islands. "Our shores and islands are what make us memorable. We are easy and fun to work with, both at the CVB and our hotels. We make sure every angle is covered so that your group is comfortable, yet making memories at the same time."
The past year has seen a great deal of growth among the area’s attractions and meetings-friendly resorts.
Kalahari Resort, among the largest waterparks in the U.S., has added new activities and attractions. Cedar Point has added new rides. American Legends Park broke ground on a multimillion-dollar project aimed at drawing youth baseball team championships. Great Wolf Lodge has become Green Seal-certified.
Toledo
Already the trade and media hub for Northwestern Ohio, Toledo is also a rapidly expanding meetings and conventions destination.
The $105 million Lucas County Arena opened in October 2009. The 8,000-seat, multipurpose facility connects to SeaGate Convention Centre in Toledo’s downtown. The new LEED-certified center is home to the Toledo Walleye hockey team and an entertainment venue that will host hundreds of big-name acts each year. SeaGate offers 75,000 square feet of function space.
Newly renovated meetings hotels include Crowne Plaza Toledo, The Park Inn, Hilton Toledo and Holiday Inn French Quarter.
The city has also invested in new attractions. Hands-on science center Imagination Station opened in October 2009. The facility will encourage visitors to explore scientific concepts with fun, interactive exhibits, and is also available for hosting receptions.
With price tags to fit any budget, a scenic riverfront and plenty to do, Toledo is sure to catch the eyes of more planners in the next year.
"Toledo is a very affordable city," says Julie Bolfa, convention sales manager at Destination Toledo CVB. "With new and renovated hotels, Toledo is sure to please any meeting planner. Toledo has a beautiful downtown riverfront complete with water taxi service to the Docks Riverfront Dining Complex. The Sandpiper canal boat offers scenic river cruises. Meeting attendees will enjoy shopping, restaurants and entertainment at our open-air malls."
To the south, the bustling college town of Bowling Green offers a renovated downtown and unique venues such as Clazel Theater, Snook’s Dream Cars Automobile Museum and Stone Ridge Golf Club.
— Travel writer Kelly Crumrin is a frequent contributor to Meetings East.
