Few events are as high-profile as a national political convention. So when the Republican National Convention (RNC) announced that it would stage its 2016 event in Cleveland, bringing some 50,000 people with it, the entire city was abuzz.
“I think one of the biggest reasons Cleveland landed the 2016 Republican National Convention is the fact that our community came together to show how much we wanted to host this historic event,” says Mike Burns, senior vice president of convention sales and services at Destination Cleveland. “We knew the RNC was looking for a host city that could provide the overall convention, hotel and transportation services that would translate into a good visitor experience for every delegate. And, with Cleveland in the middle of a $3 billion revitalization, we knew our world-class arts and culture, culinary and other entertainment options would present the delegates with a unique mix of assets that cannot be found in any other mid-market city.”
Indeed, Cleveland’s diverse array of venues was a big selling point, according to Burns.
“Delegates will have the opportunity to walk right outside of their hotel or the Quicken Loans Arena and be within walking distance of attractions like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, restaurant and entertainment districts like East 4th Street or the Warehouse District—it’s all right there.”
Burns points out that while the RNC will likely bring wider coverage of the destination than most events, the city is no stranger to hosting large groups.
“Cleveland has hosted a bevy of national events over the past couple of years, including the 2013 National Senior Games and 2014 Gay Games, along with major conventions such as Content Marketing World, HIMMS Connectathon and Case Management Society of America. And we are currently gearing up and preparing for the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which takes place April 18 at Public Hall in downtown Cleveland.”
The greatest advantage to hosting the 2016 RNC is the opportunity to showcase Cleveland as a leisure and business destination on national spotlight, according to Burns.
“Another advantage is the estimated economic impact it will bring to Greater Cleveland,” he says. “While it’s tough to project exactly what this number will be for the 2016 RNC in Cleveland, we do know that the 2012 RNC in Tampa had an economic impact of more than $200 million in direct spending.”
In short, there’s a lot of excitement in Cleveland.
“National political conventions are the Super Bowl of the meetings and conventions industry,” Burns says. “It doesn’t get any bigger and better than this for a convention destination.”
