Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland

What Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland does

The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland is a 520,000+ square-foot convention and meeting facility in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, located at 1 St. Clair Ave NE and operated under a management contract by Legends Global. The venue comprises 225,000 sq ft of Class A exhibit hall space, two ballrooms (including a 20,000 sq ft Atrium Ballroom), 50+ breakout rooms, four luxury hospitality suites, and an 11,200 sq ft Rooftop Terrace unveiled in 2024. The facility is LEED Gold certified and sits within a connected campus that includes the 600-room Hilton Cleveland Downtown, the 10,000-seat Cleveland Public Auditorium, and the 1,200-space Huntington Park Garage, with nearly 5,000 walkable hotel rooms in proximity.

The center's product platform is built on integrated venue-management technology (Ungerboeck-powered Exhibitor Services Portal and Threshold360 virtual tours), a 4-acre green rooftop, and The Real Farmville, a 19,000 sq ft on-site urban farm supplying Levy Restaurants' farm-to-table catering program. Other technology features include a Grind2Energy food-waste-to-energy system, smart lighting with daylight harvesting, and a facility-wide digital signage system. Exclusive service partnerships with Levy Restaurants (F&B), Edlen Electric (electrical and plumbing), and Mills James (AV) form the operational backbone, alongside a 2024-launched Express Meeting Package targeting smaller corporate meetings.

Revenue mechanics span venue rental (quote-based, not publicly disclosed), shared revenue with Levy under the exclusive F&B mandate, transaction fees from parking referrals to the Huntington Park Garage, and managed service revenue from exhibitor services and event utilities. Go-to-market is a B2B sales-led motion: event planners submit RFPs through the website, dedicated Event Managers coordinate each engagement, and demand is supplemented through a referral partnership with Destination Cleveland. Primary customer segments are corporate event planners, exhibitors, and associations, with a growing secondary segment of wedding parties and social-event hosts.

Name

Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland

Legal name

Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland

Website

https://clevelandconventions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland is a 520,000+ sq ft publicly owned convention facility in downtown Cleveland, managed by Legends Global, that rents exhibit halls, ballrooms, breakout rooms, and outdoor event space to corporate event planners, associations, exhibitors, and wedding hosts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Convention and Event Venue Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Convention center services
• Event venue rental
• Trade show facilities
• Corporate meeting spaces
• Exhibition hall hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Venue Rental: Rental fees for meeting space, ballrooms, exhibit halls, breakout rooms, and hospitality suites. Pricing based on event requirements, room configuration, and duration.
2. Food & Beverage Services: Exclusive catering by Levy Restaurants including event catering, wedding menus, and on-site food outlets (Starbucks, Bagel Boulevard). Revenue shared with Levy as exclusive F&B provider.
3. Parking Services: Revenue from Huntington Park Garage (1,200 spaces) and surrounding parking facilities. Convention center does not own parking but directs clients to nearby options.
4. Event Services: Additional services including electrical, plumbing, air/water utilities, audio-visual (Mills James), IT/telecommunications, booth cleaning, rigging, and security. Provided by exclusive service providers like Edlen Electric.
5. Express Meeting Package: Discounted daily room rental bundled with setup configurations, standard power, AV equipment (lectern, microphone, TV monitor/screen), and WiFi for corporate meetings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Huntington Convention Center rents meeting, exhibition, and event space to corporate event planners, trade show organizers, professional associations, and social/wedding clients. It bundles venue space with exclusive food and beverage (Levy Restaurants), audio-visual (Mills James), electrical and plumbing services (Edlen), parking access, and on-site amenities such as the LEED Gold green rooftop, The Real Farmville urban farm, and luxury hospitality suites.

Product overview

The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland is a convention and event venue operated by Legends Global, offering over 520,000 square feet of prime meeting and event space. The core product includes Exhibit Halls (225,000 sq ft of Class A exhibit space), two ballrooms (Atrium Ballroom at 20,000 sq ft and Grand Ballroom), over 50 breakout rooms, and four luxury Hospitality Suites. The venue provides integrated services including food and beverage through Levy Restaurants, A/V support through Mills James, and electrical services through Edlen. Notable amenities include The Real Farmville (a 19,000 sq ft urban farm), a rooftop terrace, on-site Starbucks, UPS Store, and Bagel Boulevard. The venue is LEED Gold certified, ADA compliant, and connected to Hilton Cleveland Downtown. Additional offerings include an Express Meeting Package for streamlined corporate meetings, an Exhibitor Services Portal for booth ordering, and comprehensive wedding packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Real Farmville: A 19,000-square-foot urban farm featuring chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, and bees, along with gardens that yield herbs, vegetables, seasonal flowers, eggs, and honey. Provides hyper-local ingredients for the culinary team.
• Rooftop Terrace
• The Atrium
• Hospitality Suites

Products and services

• Huntington Convention Center Venue Rental
• Exhibit Halls
• Atrium Ballroom
• Rooftop Terrace
• Hospitality Suites
• The Real Farmville (Urban Farm)
• On-Site Amenities and Retail Outlets
• Levy Restaurants Food and Beverage Catering
• Express Meeting Package
• Exhibitor Services Portal
• Wedding Packages and Hosting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ guests served annually through farm-to-table dining
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Legends GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. Legends Global is the world's leading producer of entertainment experiences and global leader in venue and event strategy and management, with a portfolio of 325+ prestigious venues worldwide.
• Hilton Cleveland DowntowncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner600-room connected hotel providing accommodation for event attendees. Part of the connected convention campus with enclosed walkway access.
• Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected venue featuring a 10,000-seat stadium-style auditorium, expanding event capacity and capabilities.
• Levy RestaurantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive food and beverage provider at the Huntington Convention Center. Award-winning culinary team with farm-to-table philosophy, sourcing from The Chef's Garden, West Side Market, and the on-site Urban Farm.
• Edlen ElectriccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExclusive provider of electrical and plumbing services within the convention center.
• Mills JamesmajorTechnology or IntegrationAudio-visual services provider for events including weddings, providing sound systems and AV equipment.
• Destination ClevelandmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tourism partner providing attendance building, keynote speakers, promotional collateral, media relations, and housing assistance for events.
• The Chef's GardenminorOthersLocal organic farm partner providing hormone- and antibiotic-free ingredients for Levy Restaurants' farm-to-table menus.
• West Side MarketminorOthersLocal market providing fresh ingredients from artisans and vendors for event catering.
• Change Please CoffeeminorOthersPartnership supporting job training and housing for people experiencing homelessness.
• Habitat for HumanityminorOthersNonprofit partner receiving donated leftover materials from events, with 10,000+ lbs donated in 2023.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indiana Convention Center: Indianapolis-based convention and event facility of comparable Midwest scale (~566,000 sq ft exhibit space), directly competing for rotating association events, sports conventions, and trade shows in the same regional market.
• McCormick Place: Chicago's 2.6M sq ft convention complex and the largest convention center in North America. Directly comparable public convention center competing for the same Midwest association and trade-show RFPs as Huntington Convention Center, with similar event-services structure and connected hotel campus.
• Charlotte Convention Center: Charlotte, NC's ~600,000 sq ft publicly operated convention center with attached hotels. Comparable scale, public-asset ownership model, and corporate/association event mix to Huntington.
• Huntington Place (Detroit): Detroit's 723,000 sq ft convention center with similar scale and Midwest location. Operates under comparable public/private governance and competes head-to-head with Huntington for regional association conventions and corporate events.
• Minneapolis Convention Center: 480,000+ sq ft publicly operated convention center in Minneapolis. Comparable Midwest venue targeting corporate meetings, association conventions, and trade shows with similar facility type and event-services structure.
• Duke Energy Convention Center: Cincinnati's 750,000+ sq ft convention center located within driving distance of Cleveland. Comparable Midwestern, multi-ballroom, attached-hotel convention center competing for Ohio/regional association and corporate event share.
• Colorado Convention Center: Denver's 584,000 sq ft convention center with comparable scale, attached-hotel campus, and event-services structure. Direct Midwest-adjacent competitor for association and trade-show rotations.
• Wisconsin Center: Milwaukee's purpose-built convention center (188,000 sq ft exhibit hall). Mid-tier Midwest peer competing for similar regional events with comparable attached-hotel dynamics and corporate-meeting positioning.
• Greater Columbus Convention Center: Columbus, Ohio's 1.7M sq ft convention campus with attached hotels. Same-state competitor for Ohio-headquartered corporate events and association meetings, with a similarly diversified event-services revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center: Dallas convention center managed by Legends Global (the same operator as Huntington). Larger-scale venue in a more attractive destination market; useful as both peer and proof point of Legends Global's venue-management playbook.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cleconventions
• Facebookfacebook.com/cleconventions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleveland-convention-ctr

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland