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AREA GUIDES OHIO TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AND HAVE FUN TOO! BY CLETUS RAMSEY The Buckeye State offers the best of both worlds: top meeting destinations with all the facilities, amenities and serv- ices sophisticated planners and their attendees rightfully expect, plus loads of fun and interesting things to do, see and experience. Meeting professionals will marvel at the plethora of world-class convention facilities from which to choose, not to mention an impressive inventory of luxurious and affordable accommodations to be found through- out the state.When theworkday is done, theywill find the choices just as plentiful. CLEVELAND Amodel of urban renewal, the city of Cleveland on the shores ofLakeErie is a success story fueled by an ongoing com- mitment to growth and vision for the future.Withmore than $10 billion invest- ed in downtown development in the past decade,Cleveland is shaping up to be one of the hottest business and leisure travel destinations in theUS. Located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, the Cleveland Convention Center has undergone a massive expan- sion and is surrounded by first class hotels and restaurants and iswithinwalk- ing distance of several entertainment and sightseeing venues. The Convention Center’s meeting rooms can accommo- date groups from 10 to 10,000 and the GrandBallroomcan accommodate up to 4,000. The Convention Center Complex offers over 375,000 sq. ft. of usable exhi- bition space, which can be arranged to accommodate over 1,500 individual exhibits. Needmore reasons to book your busi- ness into Cleveland? Cleveland offers competitive pricing and lower costs than most major U.S. 74 cities. According to R u n z h e i m e r International’s Guide to Daily Travel Prices, Cleveland features lower airfare and lower hotel rates as well as lower costs for food and entertain- ment. In the end, the affordable package of amenities offered in Cleveland translates into dollars saved on travel necessities like lodging, meals and transportation. Cleveland has a condensed package of Cleveland North Coast Harbor, a place of panoramic urban skyline views of a Lake Erie. 4,652 guestrooms in 19 downtown and midtown hotels. Nine hundred rooms are adjacent to the Cleveland Convention Center and more than 3,000 rooms are available within a five-mile radius of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Cleveland Plus contains approx- imately 22,000 rooms representing an array of well-recognized hotel brands. Clearly, your attendees benefit from a wide variety of choice and budget. And, a compact room block maximizes time, allowing delegates to be more productive while providing more networking oppor- tunities and exhibitor visibility. Cleveland is located within 500 miles of 43% of the United States population. It’s accessible by two airports, Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE) and Akron-Canton (CAK), as well as Amtrak. Greater Cleveland African-American Chamber of Commerce (216) 991-4801 WHOYOUGONNACALL? Positively Cleveland (216) 875-6600 www.positivelycleveland.com WHOYOUGONNACALL? CINCINNATI Cincinnati USA’s Duke Energy ConventionCenter recently underwent a $135million expansion and renovation to become the Midwest’s best-in-class cen- Cincinnati CVB – (800) 543-2613 www.cincyusa.com Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce (513) 751-9900 african-americanchamber.com Black Meetings & Tourism November/December 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com Photo Credit: Positively Cleveland ter.The expansion means Cincinnati can accommodate 75 percent of the existing convention, conference and meetings market in theUnited States. The 750,000 gross sq. ft. facility boasts 200,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibition space, the largest ballroom in the Midwest at 40,000 sq. ft., an additional 17,400-sq. ft. ballroom, 31meeting rooms able to accommodate 24 to 4,100 dele- gates, and ample access (loading dock with 17 berths and three semi-truck por- tals. Located in the heart of Downtown Cincinnati USA, the Duke Energy Convention Center is less than three blocks from 3,000 hotel rooms and 5,000 parking spots, most connected by Skywalk.Attendees and exhibitors alike will be energized by dozens of new restaurants,nightlife options and destina- tion shopping just steps away from the Center. The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky InternationalAirport (CVG) is amere 10 minutes away. CVG offers nearly 200 daily flights to more than 80 non-stop destinations including several daily inter- national flights.