CLEVELAND (June 29, 2022) –
Destination Cleveland, the destination marketing and management organization for greater Cleveland, today announced a four-year commitment by the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society to host its
International Elastomer Conference (IEC) in Cleveland in odd-numbered years beginning in 2023. The agreement is the largest multi-year booking ever secured by Destination Cleveland. Each conference has an expected attendance of 4,000 and an estimated economic impact of $7.8 million, for a total potential economic impact of over $31 million over the contract period.
The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland (HCCC) will host the event and the connected Hilton Cleveland Downtown will be the headquarter hotel. The IEC events in Cleveland will be held October 16-19, 2023; September 8-11, 2025; September 27-30, 2027; and October 1-4, 2029.
The region’s position as a hub for advanced manufacturing, conveniences offered in the convention facilities, strong support from hospitality partners and the city’s history of hosting successful events for the association led to the selection. A significant benefit for event organizers is the ease of shipping heavy machinery and large equipment through the Port of Cleveland and unloading at the convention center with a convenient path to the exhibition floor.
“Cleveland has proven to be a very successful host city, including strong participation from both attendees and exhibitors during our past events there,” said Rubber Division, ACS Executive Director and CEO Lakisha Miller-Barclay. “Our IEC is now very well positioned to be successful throughout the remainder of this decade."
The announcement builds on the city’s recent success of hosting major events including the 2021 NFL Draft, 2021 National Tour Association Travel Exchange and 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend. Looking ahead, Cleveland will host the Best Western Annual North American Convention in October 2022, Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Annual Conference and Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) in 2023, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting & Exposition in 2024 and the National Retail Federation in 2024 and 2026.
“This agreement adds to the incredible momentum our city is experiencing as we rebound from the impact of the global pandemic,” says Gordon Taylor III, vice president of convention sales and services at Destination Cleveland. “Our team and local partners continue to deliver events that surpass expectations. We see more and more planners turning to Cleveland to create memorable and distinct experiences for both event organizers and attendees.”
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ABOUT DESTINATION CLEVELAND: Destination Cleveland is Cleveland’s destination marketing and management organization. This private, non-profit organization’s mission is to drive economic impact and stimulate community vitality for Greater Cleveland through leisure and business travel. In 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic reduced visitation by 30 percent, with 13.8 million visits occurring. Prior to the pandemic, Cleveland hosted 19.6 million visits annually, with the County experiencing annual visitation increases that surpassed the domestic travel growth rate for nine consecutive years. United is the official airline of Destination Cleveland. For more information, visit www.thisiscleveland.com.