The National - New Management

[rand1com]

Originally Posted by BobC

Interesting how in the article they mentioned the likelihood of the National coming back to Cleveland in 2024, but at the Huntington Convention Center, not at the IX Center where it has always been held at before. No one else seemed to catch or mention that.

The Huntington Convention Center is in downtown Cleveland, not anywhere near Hopkins Airport, and nowhere near as easy and accessible to get into and out of as the IX Center. The Huntington Convention Center is also much, much smaller than the IX Center, with an exhibition floor area of approximately only 225,000 SF, along with an adjoining ballroom space of about 32,000 SF. The IX Center building is over 2.2 million SF in total size, with around 1,000,000 SF for the exhibition floor. That is a huge difference. When the IX Center originally opened in 1985, it was then billed as the largest single building exhibition facility in the world at that time. The Huntington Convention Center has 1,200 parking spaces in an adjacent garage, but claims that upwards of another 5,000 parking spaces are withing walking distance. However, those additional other spaces are also used by Clevelanders going to work and visiting downtown for whatever other reasons. They may not be as accessible as some would like/think during the weekdays. And a lot of Cleveland parking garages are notorious for jacking up their parking fees during special events, like the National would be. Meanwhile, the IX Center has a 3,500 parking space surface lot with absolutely no competition for spaces. Everyone in that lot is going to the IX Center, period.

I can easily see the City of Cleveland behind a low-ball offer to the National organizers as an attempt to get the National downtown so they can more fully utilize the Huntington Convention Center, which was constructed in 2013. It has been under-utilized since it was finished, and if so, this is an obvious attempt to get the major hotels, restaurants and other downtown attractions a lot more activity and business as a result. The City of Cleveland had actually been trying to get rid of the IX Center in the past as they acquired the property in 2001, with the intention of knocking it down to extend the Hopkins Airport runways for more international flights with bigger jets. The lack of hotel/motel rooms and other amenities directly around the IX Center has always been the biggest knock against Cleveland as a site for the National, almost the exact polar opposite of how things are in Chicago. Of course, moving the National downtown to a much smaller, more congested downtown location will also likely mean much higher lodging costs, more traveling time to get around and back and forth to the airport, more traffic and other such issues, if they do end up using the Huntington Convention Center instead of the IX Center going forward.

If it does end up that the National comes back to Cleveland in this new downtown space, will be interesting to see how it is taken by those coming to it. Will likely end up costing people more for lodging, with more travel, parking and location hassles/costs, and maybe a lot more issues for dealers trying to get in and out of the facility, a lot more congestion and maybe fewer dealers or less dealer space, given the comments about focusing more on corporate businesses at the Nationals going forward. I don't think you can easily, if possibly at all, match the size and space available at the IX Center to put on the National. Would possibly put the question of what really is most important to attendees at the National right up front for everyone. Is it the large size and easy layout of the exhibition floor, along with easy access and parking at the facility and proximity to the airport and freeways, or is it having all the amenities that one wants available within walking distance of the National facility so you have lots to do after the National is over every day?

No way it goes to a venue with 250,000 square feet of space. I guarantee that. I have done the National for 13 years and any venue less than 350,000 square feet will not be considered. They are looking for closer to 400,000 Square feet. If it goes to Cleveland, it will be at the IX center.