Last month, Cleveland was one of three U.S. cities to be added to the 2018 “Best of World” list published in National Geographic magazine. The travel magazine compiled a list of 21 destinations worldwide for adventurers who are searching for new and unusual sights, sounds, food dishes, and more. In short, the amenities that convention attendees are seeking in a destination.
This isn’t the first time that Cleveland has been singled out recently as a convention attendees’ dream city. One year ago, a Forbes magazine headline proclaimed “Why Cleveland is America’s Hottest City Right Now,” and pointed out that the city’s rebirth has been happening at street level for years.
With dozens of convention locations to choose from around the world, Cleveland and more specifically the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland and Global Center for Health Innovation (the Center) bring meeting planners, attendees, and exhibitors the entire package, including a proven track record of hosting big-league events, prime meeting space, a connected campus, and a thriving entertainment scene.
A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF HOSTING BIG-LEAGUE EVENTS
Now in its fifth year of operation, the Huntington Convention Center and Global Center has hosted more than 1,000 conventions, trade shows, and special events, including serving as the media center during the 2016 Republican National Convention and the 2017 American Bus Association National Convention.
Managed by SMG, the nation’s largest and most experienced convention center and facility management firm, the Huntington Convention Center will host 45 major events in 2018, including NCAA Wrestling Fan Fest, National Pavement Expo, Content Marketing World, Wizard World Comic Con, UBM Advanced Design & Manufacturing, Python Software PyCon, Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, National NeedleArts Summer National & Tradeshow, Fastener Fair, BFG Grower and Garden Expo, and two large volleyball tournaments (JVA Rock-n-Rumble and AAU North Coast Cup).
PRIME MEETING SPACE
Located in Downtown Cleveland, the Huntington Convention Center offers 225,000 square feet of exhibit hall space divisible into three halls, 34 state-of-the-art meeting rooms, and a 32,000-square-foot, column-free Grand Ballroom. The convention center is connected to the Global Center for Health Innovation, offering an additional 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The Center’s flexible space is perfect for hosting everything from small executive meetings to large-scale conventions.
CONNECTED CAMPUS
Comprised of the Huntington Convention Center, Global Center, Hilton Downtown Cleveland and Public Auditorium - Cleveland’s Convention Center Campus offers more than one million square feet of total meeting and event space.
The attached 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel features a 32-story tower filled with guest rooms, meeting space, ballrooms, and multiple dining and entertainment options with a tunnel connection to a 1,200-space renovated parking garage opening in early 2018. The Public Auditorium offers an additional 35,000 square feet of meeting space and is connected through the Center’s exhibit halls. The Huntington Convention Center and Global Center are also situated within walking distance of 18 hotels totaling nearly 5,000 rooms and a thriving entertainment scene.
A THRIVING ENTERTAINMENT SCENE
Within a short walk from the Convention Center is a vibrant downtown scene, including the NBA powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, the 2016 American League champion Cleveland Indians, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, six James Beard award-winning chef-inspired restaurants, a thriving entertainment, arts and music scene, and Playhouse Square, the nation’s largest theater district outside of New York City. A short drive away are two of the nation’s finest, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, along with the world-famous Cleveland Clinic, the second-ranked hospital system in the nation.
COME SEE US IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland continues to attract convention industry headlines and draws thousands of convention attendees to the shores of Lake Erie in the midst of a rapidly-growing downtown region.
Think you know Cleveland? Come see for yourself!
For more information:
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland and Global Center for Health Innovation
Dave Johnson, Director of Public Relations and Marketing
djohnson@clevelandconventions.com
clevelandconventions.com and theglobalcenter.com
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