New Great Lakes Expo Center in Euclid will host several shows that were once in the IX Center.
Mayor Bill Cervenik talks with WTAM's Darren Toms
(Euclid) – There’s a new player in the convention center business.
The old Super K-Mart on Babbitt Road in Euclid is being refitted and will open as The Great Lakes Expo Center in 2010. It will open by hosting the 67th Annual Cleveland Home & Garden Show January 22-31. It was formerly at the IX Center.
The Great Lakes Expo Center is a 215,000 square-foot facility boasting 10 acres of free parking. Expositions, Inc. will manage the Great Lakes Expo Center and entered into a five-year lease of the Babbitt Road facility, with options to renew for a total term of 10 years.
Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik stated, “The City is very excited about the project. The Great Lakes Expo Center will provide another strong anchor for the business corridor, bringing thousands of visitors to Euclid. Expositions, Inc. brings many years of experience to this new facility and a proven track record related to their popular and successful shows.”
The City is also negotiating a shared use of a portion of the Great Lakes Expo Center for indoor and outdoor activities, which would be coordinated by the City’s Recreation Department. According to Mayor Cervenik, “The facility has the potential for joint use to provide much needed space for year-round recreational programming at a minimal cost to the City.”
Chris Fassnacht, President of Expositions, Inc., made the decision to move his Company’s Shows from the IX Center, including the 67th Annual Cleveland Home & Garden Show and the 73rd Annual Cleveland Sport Travel & Outdoor Show, as a matter of perfect timing.
“Quite simply, the increasing cost of doing business (at the IX Center) was making it nearly impossible to make a profit,” says Fassnacht. “Not only were attendees tiring of escalating costs, but so were our exhibitors. The Great Lakes Expo Center will offer better value and significantly lower costs, and, in recessionary times like these, this is exactly what attendees and exhibitors want and deserve.”
According to Fassnacht, the Great Lakes Expo Center will be busy 12 months a year hosting events as wide ranging as Bridal Fairs and Custom Car Cruise-Ins to Cheerleading Competitions, Indoor Soccer tournaments and even Mixed Martial Arts events. A Sports Fan Fest celebrating collegiate and professional teams of Northeast Ohio is also on the horizon. “By 2011, we anticipate hosting at least 125 events per year,” says Fassnacht.
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