Looking for a meeting destination that offers arts, culture and rock and roll; diverse dining and a friendly environment? It’s time to consider Cleveland. Located within 500 miles (a two-hour or shorter flight) of nearly half the country’s population, Cleveland is an unconventional but increasingly more popular choice.
Business travelers can step outside their hotel or the convention center and easily walk to locations throughout the lakeside city. World-class experiences without the world-class ego are accessible to visitors, including:
- One-of-a-kind attractions like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
- Award-winning, chef-owned restaurants serving familiar to fancy fare
- The largest performing arts center outside of New York
- Three professional sports teams
- And an urban park in the heart of the city – just 10 of more than 55,000 acres in the region.
But before the fun begins, Cleveland offers peace of mind to meeting planners who need to know the convention package basics are covered.
State-of-the-Art Meeting Facilities Await
Opened in 2013, the 750,000-square-foot Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland is a high-tech complex that includes direct access to the Global Center for Health Innovation, Cleveland Public Auditorium and the new, 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown. The Convention Center features:
- 225,000 square feet of exhibit space
- 30 meeting rooms totaling 93,000 square feet
- 32,000-square-foot column-free ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lake Erie
- Mobile phone reception throughout the facility
For out-of-the-ordinary meeting spaces, planners have choices … from music venues like the world’s only Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to arts and culture sites like Cleveland Museum of Art or sports venues including Quicken Loans Arena.
We’ve Got the Room
After meetings and events, travelers can relax at one of the 18 hotels in Downtown Cleveland or the many hotels in Cleveland’s suburbs.
From chic boutiques to convention-sized spaces, Downtown Cleveland offers nearly 5,000 hotel rooms within a 15-minute walk of the convention center, while the region boasts nearly 24,000 rooms. Recent downtown hotel openings include:
- Hilton Cleveland Downtown: 600 rooms; 55,000 square feet of meeting space
- Kimpton Schofield Hotel: 122 rooms; 3,800 square feet of event space
- Drury Plaza Hotel: 189 rooms; 3,900 square feet of meeting space
Dine, Recline and Do Business
Outside the walls of meeting rooms and hotels, Cleveland offers a combination of a thriving dining scene and diverse entertainment options. Visitors will walk away satisfied at any of the 100 eateries in Downtown Cleveland where options include restaurants like Mabel’s BBQ, Lola Bistro, and The Greenhouse Tavern – all owned by James Beard Award-winning chefs in the East 4th Street entertainment district. Waterfront dining in the redeveloped Flats East Bank and neighborhoods filled with ethnic eateries and breweries are also possibilities.
For post-dinner fun, attendees have plenty of selections – from a show in the Playhouse Square theater district to slots or table games at JACK Cleveland Casino to cocktails and conversation at one of the city’s lounges and clubs. In Cleveland, you don’t have to follow the herd to have fun.
