CLEVELAND — A bustling weekend is ahead for Downtown Cleveland.
A number of meetings, conventions, and events are underway downtown, including the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. conference.
Emily Lauer with Destination Cleveland says these events are, without a doubt, a big part of what helps the city's economy continue to thrive.
"They bring their checkbooks and they spend money on lodging, food and transportation," Lauer explains. "Particularly for events held at Huntington Convention Center, that's really important as we see downtown continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic."
The Huntington Convention Center will be a sea of green and pink this weekend as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., one of the nation's largest Greek-letter organizations, will host its 92nd Annual Great Lakes Regional Conference.
There are more than 355,000 initiated members, some 3,000 are scheduled to attend the event in Cleveland.
The convention is estimated to bring in about $1.5 million to Cleveland's downtown economy. Destination Cleveland reports that since the Huntington Convention Center opened nearly ten years ago, more groups are choosing Cleveland as a host city.
"The convention center meets their needs. The hotels that are downtown are all within a ten-minute walking distance, making it so easy for convention goers to get to the facility, then back to their hotel, and then our entertainment district throughout downtown that compliments the footprint of our city," Lauer says.
Also this weekend, the Huntington Convention Center will play host to the Cleveland Tattoo Arts Expo.
In 2022, Cleveland saw about 69% of convention business return post-pandemic, with more than 300,000 coming to the city for more than 200 events.
"In 2023, we're a little bit lighter because we would've booked those in 2020 and 2021, but we already have 110 groups on the books and that's 100,000 room nights," Lauer adds.
A total of 70 groups have booked their conferences in Cleveland for the period between 2024 to 2029.