Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/26753
AREA GUIDES CLEVELAND MIDWEST MEETINGS DESTINATION JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER Amodel of urban renewal, the city of Cleveland on the shores of Lake Erie is a success story fueled by an ongoing commitment 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. This city’s main meeting facility – the Cleveland Convention Center – is con- veniently located in the heart of down- townCleveland, surrounded by first class hotels and restaurants and within walk- ing distance of several entertainment and sightseeing venues. It is only 15min- utes from Cleveland Hopkins InternationalAirport. With 21meeting rooms accommodat- ing groups from 10 to 10,000 – including a grand ballroomthat can accommodate 4,000 guests (1,600 for a formal dinner), this venue is popular for fundraisers,con- ventions, conferences, weddings, and exhibitions. The Convention Center Complex offers over 375,000 sq. ft. of usable exhibition space which can be arranged to accommodate over 1,500 individual exhibits. The performing arts area of the Convention Center was constructed in the grand opera tradition and features a spacious 21,780-sq. ft. registration lobby, a 10,000-seat auditorium, the 3,000-seat ClevelandMusicHall and 600-seatLittle Theater. The facility maintains 300 indoor Convention Center parking spaces. Additional parking is within a short walking distance and the facility is well-served by public transportation. Coming soon is the long awaited Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center, adding to the city’s growing prowess as a prime meeting destination. 50 Cleveland Convention Center When the facility opens in 2013, the con- tent of theMartwill reflect the technolo- gy drivers impacting current trends in healthcare such as access, cost reduction and improved outcomes. Located in downtown Cleveland, Cleveland MMCCwill feature a four-story,235,000- sq. ft. Medical Mart facility, which will display some of themost recent technol- ogy available in today’s healthcare mar- ket, and an adjoining convention center with 230,000 sq. ft. of Class-A exhibit space. The Convention Center will fea- ture 30-ft. ceilings and 90-ft. spacing between columns with a spacious truck dock,capable of handlingmultiple shows simultaneously. The facility will also include more than 90,000 sq. ft. dedicat- ed to meeting rooms and a spacious Grand Ballroom featuring a spectacular view overlooking Lake Erie. In order to create a unique urban park and improved community space on Cleveland’s historic Malls, the plane of Mall B will become a grassy slope rising more than 20 feet towardLakeErie,pro- viding a natural amphitheater for civic events and recreational activities. Beneath the apex of the hill, a low glass- fronted building will welcome visitors to the Convention Center. Running north and south, tree-lined promenades offer a wide variety of park-like options and possibilities within a series of “urban Photo Credit: Cleveland CVB rooms.” There are close to 4,000 hotel rooms near theCenter and nearly 35,000 rooms in the region. The Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center is a popular STATS HOTEL Crowne Plaza City Centre ClevelandMarriott Downtown at Key Center ROOMS 472 400 HyattRegency Cleveland atTheArcade 293 Renaissance Cleveland Hotel The Ritz-Carlton,Cleveland 491 208 Intercontinental Hotel & Conference Center 299 Hilton Cleveland East/Beachwood 403 Holiday Inn – Cleveland South/Indepen- dence 364 EXHIBITION FACILITIES CLEVELAND CONVENTION CENTER total exhibit space largest hall meeting rooms 375,000 sq. ft. 21,770 sq. ft. 21 WHOYOUGONNACALL? Positively Cleveland CVB (216) 875-6600 www.positivelycleveland.com Greater Cleveland African-American Chamber of Commerce (216) 991-4801 Black Meetings & Tourism January/February 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com