CLEVELAND (Sept. 27, 2017) - Northeast Ohio's 2017 meetings and conventions calendar wraps up with more than 40 meetings throughout October, November and December. These events will bring more than 18,000 visitors to the region. In 2017, Destination Cleveland helped bring approximately 250 meetings and conventions to the region.
"The success of 2017 events like American Bus Association's Annual Meeting and Marketplace, Experient's EnVision and Content Marketing World affirm Cleveland's status as a sought-after destination that offers meeting planners the right mix of required logistical elements and after-meeting entertainment," said Mike Burns, senior vice president of convention sales and services at Destination Cleveland. "Our meetings package continues to fuel interest with planners and attendees, and 2018 will further showcase the city's ability to host a variety of events."
Highlighted below are several meetings throughout the fourth quarter that have significant attendance, chose Cleveland as a host city because of visitor-related developments in Downtown Cleveland or were brought to town through the advocacy of local ambassadors. The estimated economic impact of just the nine meetings listed below is more than $11 million.
Oct. 5-7 Ohio Association for Adult and Continuing Education COABE (Coalition on Adult Basic Education) Regional Institute
About: The COABE Regional Institute will bring together members from Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia to share their expertise and best practices in adult education. Sessions for attendees will focus on adult basic education/high school equivalency (ABE/HSE), curriculum and instruction and English for speakers of other languages. The group will hold a special evening event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Significance: This is the first time that the Ohio Association for Adult and Continuing Education is hosting this regional event in conjunction with their annual conference. A Cleveland-area board member made a concerted effort to bring this event to town.
Estimated Attendance: 600
Headquarter Hotel: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
Primary meeting venue: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
Oct. 9-12 Rubber Division - American Chemical Society International Elastomer Conference*
About: The International Elastomer Conference gathers professionals from a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, healthcare and construction. The conference will feature events such as the International Rubber and Advanced Materials in Healthcare Expo, the International Rubber Conference, a career fair, educational symposiums and an expo with more than 200 exhibitors.
Significance: The conference, which brings in attendees from around the world, is slated to return to Cleveland in 2019.
Estimated Attendance: 5,500
Headquarter Hotel: City wide
Primary meeting venue: Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Oct. 17-18 Howard Hanna Convention 2017
About: The annual Howard Hanna Convention, also known as HannaCon, will feature education sessions, workshops and networking opportunities for Howard Hanna employees. It will include sessions with some of the top speakers in the real estate industry, as well as a "Vendor Village" comprised of more than 75 vendors.
Significance: This convention is returning to Cleveland after several years in other cities. Howard Hanna is the third largest real estate company in the U.S., and the annual convention will bring agents from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Virginia, Michigan, West Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland to Cleveland.
Estimated Attendance: 3,000
Headquarter Hotel: The Westin Cleveland Downtown
Primary meeting venue: Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Oct. 18-22 Council of the Great City Schools Annual Fall Conference 2017
About: The Council of the Great City Schools Fall Conference will bring together urban school superintendents, school board members, deans of colleges of education and senior school district administrators to focus on advancing the state of urban education. This event assembles the nation's largest urban public school systems, which includes 68 member school districts. Speakers at the conference include actress Rosario Dawson and CNN contributor Van Jones. Special evening events will be held at the Cleveland History Center, Pickwick and Frolic and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Significance: Cleveland was chosen to host this national conference due in large part to advocacy by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) Communications Team in collaboration with Destination Cleveland, in a protracted effort to bring the conference to Cleveland for the first time in 40 years, with ample space at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.
Estimated Attendance: 1,000
Headquarter Hotel: Hilton Cleveland Downtown and Drury Plaza Hotel Cleveland Downtown
Primary meeting venue: Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Oct. 23-25 Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit 2017*
About: Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit brings together various stakeholders in the healthcare community to discuss the state of medical innovation and look at future developments. This year's summit will specifically focus on Genomics and Precision Medicine, and sessions will include the State of Healthcare Innovation with moderator Maria Bartiromo from FOX Business Network and the Top Ten Medical Innovations for 2018. An evening reception will be held at Hilton Cleveland Downtown.
Significance: The Medical Innovation Summit is repeat business for Cleveland, and, as time has gone on, the conference has been able to grow due to the capacity of the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.
Estimated Attendance: 1,000
Headquarter Hotel: Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Primary meeting venue: Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Oct. 23-25 Meeting of the Minds 2017 Annual Summit
About: The Meeting of the Minds Annual Summit focuses on innovations in urban sustainability and connected technology. Workshop tours of locations like Cleveland's neighborhoods, NASA Glenn Research Center, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's HealthLine system and the city's lakefront and riverfront will give attendees behind-the-scenes perspectives from local leaders and opportunities to discuss scalability, transferability and replicability across cities and sectors. Receptions will be held at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation.
Significance: Meeting of the Minds will bring opinion-shapers, policy-makers and leading thinkers from around the world to Cleveland. Cleveland was chosen as host because of its recent urban revitalization, the economic forces including our healthcare systems and manufacturing industry, and the IT initiatives taking place in the city. Locals including Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and organizations such as DigitalC and The Cleveland Foundation advocated for this event to be held in Cleveland.
Estimated Attendance: 400
Headquarter Hotel: Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center
Primary meeting venue: Global Center for Health Innovation
Nov. 5-6 Beauty Systems Group Fashion Focus Cleveland 2017*
About: At Beauty Systems Group Fashion Focus, beauty professionals can learn from more than 60 beauty companies through demonstrations and classes. Topics include men's grooming, hair coloring techniques, brow and lashology, product innovation and business development. Liquid in the Warehouse District will host an evening event for the event's attendees.
Significance: Beauty Systems Group is returning to Cleveland for its second year and has already booked its conference for 2018. Based on its successful event in 2016, the group is hoping this will become an annual event that will grow year-over-year in Cleveland.
Estimated Attendance: 800
Headquarter Hotel: Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Primary meeting venue: Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Nov. 7-10 North American Breweries Annual Sales Meeting
About: Labatt USA's parent-company North American Breweries, which also owns Genesee Brewing Company, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Pyramid Brewing Company, Portland Brewing Company, Imperial and Seagram's Escapes, will host its annual sales meeting in Cleveland. More than 700 employees and wholesalers, are expected to attend the conference at Hilton Cleveland Downtown. Evening events highlight Cleveland landmarks including Punch Bowl Social, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium.
Significance: North American Breweries chose Cleveland because Cleveland is one of the companies' top regional sales markets for Labatt Blue. North American Breweries' local sales team and distributors, along with Destination Cleveland, played a key role in securing the conference location. For North American Breweries, Cleveland provides an easily accessible location with attractive hotels, strong entertainment districts and signature landmark destinations like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Estimated Attendance: 700
Headquarter Hotel: Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Primary meeting venue: Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Nov. 10-12 Family Medicine Education Consortium Inc. Annual Meeting
About: The Family Medicine Education Consortium's annual meeting gathers family medicine physicians, medical residents and medical students to share information about educational, clinical, policy and research issues affecting primary health care. More than 200 presentations are offered, as well as a residency fair, clinical camps for medical students and a variety of industry exhibitors. The group will hold an evening event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Significance: This event is returning to Cleveland after last being held here in 2012. The annual meeting will bring attendees from a 14-state area from Ohio to Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. More than 150 residency programs and 60 departments of family medicine are located in this geographic region.
Estimated Attendance: 650
Headquarter Hotel: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
Primary meeting venue: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
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*Citywide convention
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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland's convention and visitors bureau. This private, non-profit organization's mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. Cleveland welcomes more than 17 million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.