Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland

Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland
Huntington Convention Center main entrance in 2022
Interactive map of {{#if empty|Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland|Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland}}
Address	300 Lakeside Avenue
Location	Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Coordinates	41°30′13.5″N81°41′41.1″W / 41.503750°N 81.694750°W / 41.503750; -81.694750
Owner	Cuyahoga County
Operator	ASM Global
Opened	2013
Construction cost	US$465 million
Former names	Cleveland Convention Center (2013–2015) FirstMerit Convention Center of Cleveland (2015–2016)
Enclosed space
• Total space	410,000 sq ft (38,000 m2)
• Exhibit hall floor	225,000 sq ft (20,900 m2)
• Breakout/meeting	41
• Ballroom	32,000 sq ft (3,000 m2)
Website
www.clevelandconventions.com

Not to be confused with Huntington Place.

For other venues with a similar name, see Huntington Center.

The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland is a convention center located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. Built by Cuyahoga County, Ohio, beneath the Cleveland Mall, it opened on June 7, 2013. The older Cleveland Convention Center, built in 1964, was demolished to make way for the new structure.

About the convention center

Ballroom reception in 2023

By 1996, the Cleveland Convention Center was losing business to other cities. Potential users felt it was too dimly lit, the ceilings were too low, there were not enough meeting rooms, and the facility felt old. ^[1] In September of that year, the Cleveland Convention and Visitors' Bureau (CCVB) issued a report calling for a new convention center, one nearly 60 percent larger and with five times as much meeting room space. ^[2] This plan set in motion 13 years of discussion, planning, and voter initiatives to build a new convention center. These efforts proved fruitful in 2009, ^[3] when Cuyahoga County signed an agreement with the city of Cleveland on May 4 to purchase the existing convention center for $20 million. ^[4] The deal called for cutting Public Auditorium off from the convention center, so it would stand on its own again. ^[5]

Plans for the new convention center were approved by city planning officials in October 2010, ^[6] and demolition of the old convention center began on January 13, 2011. ^[7]

The new convention center opened on June 7, 2013. ^[8]

The naming rights to the facility were purchased by FirstMerit Bank in September 2015, ^[9] and later assumed by Huntington Bank in April 2016 following their merger with FirstMerit. ^[10]

References

1. Koff, Stephen (February 20, 1996). "Center Hinders Convention Trade". The Plain Dealer. p. A1.
2. Lubinger, Bill (September 14, 1996). "Plan Would Double Convention Center Space". The Plain Dealer. p. A1.
3. Stoessel, Amy Ann (July 21, 2013). "Crain's headlines show history has a way of repeating itself". Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
4. Nichols, Jim (May 5, 2009). "Convention center price: $20M". The Plain Dealer. p. A3; Spector, Harlan (November 19, 2010). "Cuyahoga signs, paving the way for construction". The Plain Dealer. p. B1.
5. Johnston, Laura (May 14, 2010). "County agrees to pay $20M for convention center". The Plain Dealer. p. A1.
6. Litt, Steven (October 2, 2010). "Planners approve revised convention center plans". The Plain Dealer. p. B1.
7. Johnston, Laura (January 14, 2011). "Med mart contractors breaking new ground". The Plain Dealer. p. B5.
8. Litt, Steven (June 13, 2013). "Cleveland's new Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation aren't stand-alone icons, and that's a good thing". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
9. Farkas, Karen (September 21, 2015). "Naming rights for Cleveland Convention Center fetch $10 million over 20 years". The Plain Dealer . Retrieved December 9, 2025.
10. Williams, Mark (April 6, 2016). "Huntington buys naming rights of Cleveland Convention Center" . The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved December 9, 2025.