CLEVELAND—The facility management firm SMG has just been chosen by Cuyahoga County to manage both the Cleveland Convention Center and the adjoining Global Center for Health Innovation and will assume their duties on November 15. The choice came after Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., a Chicago-based firm currently managing the centers, conducted an extensive interview and selection process.
The convention center, which has about 320,000-square-feet of meeting and exhibit spaces, had its official opening in June of this year. The Global Center for Health Innovation, an exhibit hall formerly known as the Medical Mart, will officially open today with a formal, invitation-only ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m., followed by guided tours of the facility. The four floors will have showrooms occupied by companies such as Cardinal Health, GE Healthcare, University Hospitals/Philips, and HIMSS.
City and county officials hope that both centers will once again make Cleveland a destination for convention-goers. Hope remains high, and earlier this year, officials also announced that they will raise hundreds of millions to build a new hotel near the site and connect the whole complex to the lakefront.
“The Cleveland Convention Center facility has quickly established itself as a great place to host a trade show, convention, conference, or special event and has truly put Cleveland back on the map as a convention destination,” says Gregg Caren, an executive vice president of SMG.
The company has far more experience than MMPI in running these types of facilities. SMG manages 233 facilities throughout North America, including 72 convention centers, 71 arenas, 60 theaters and performance venues, nine stadiums, and 23 equestrian centers.
“Much like a national hotel brand, SMG will provide immediate exposure for the new venue through print and electronic media, representation at key industry events, and national client relationships,” Caren adds.
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
