The Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center
The following article was penned by Lauren Rini, Ohio rep with RepOne Inc. in Columbus Ohio. A former Clevelander, she writes with authority about the soon-to-be medical industry mecca.
Most Miserable City To Live In: It was a callous allegation (albeit an accurate one) made by Forbes in 2010 about the lakefront city of Cleveland, Ohio. As a former Clevelander myself, I can attest to having felt a bit gloomy when visiting Cleveland – and that’s not a result of the recent, highly publicized betrayal by LeBron James (in fact, let Miami have him, and his mother). The city’s bitter climate, poorly utilized lakefront and perpetually gray skies collectively lead to a rather sedentary life. And a lack of options for active living contributes to a population that’s not going to make any “Healthiest Cities to Live In” lists, at least not this year.
From the dust of the industrial center whose Cuyahoga River once caught fire due to excessive pollution, has arisen the impressive Cleveland Clinic, a healthcare superpower that’s regularly rated among the top five hospitals in the country in numerous areas of specialty. In addition to the unrivaled-in-the-Midwest Cleveland Clinic, other Northeast Ohio hospital systems (for instance, University Hospital and MetroHealth) have come to be internationally praised, with the likes of Arab sheiks, movie stars and even Oprah Winfrey flocking to Cleveland seeking medical treatment for a vast array of illnesses.
Building on Cleveland’s acclaim as a first-rate healthcare center (did I mention Oprah?), the new Medical Mart and Convention Center will soon loom over Lake Erie. The January 14th,, 2011 groundbreaking also broke the mold when it comes to the city’s ability to attract healthcare conventions, trade shows and summits.
Boasting a massive, one-million-square-foot stretch just east of the city’s downtown, the MMCC will feature permanent showrooms in a number of specialties, such as OBGYN, cardiology, healthcare furnishings and many more. Furthermore, the space can host multiple conventions at any given time, and can simultaneously offer space for smaller meetings of any size. The Mart even features a 35,000- square-foot ballroom with views of Lake Erie. The MMCC’s proximity to what its website deems “medical leadership,” (in the form of the city’s well-respected hospitals and 400 biosciences companies) is a major selling point for national conventions.
And here’s the obvious question, with (perhaps) an obvious answer: What will the Cleveland MMCC do for the future of our industry? No less than this: put you face-to-face with targeted potential customers on a poly-annual basis. The MMCC should help us conduct business more efficiently, with state of the art amenities tailored to the medical industry. In fact, the MMCC will be the world’s first facility to offer permanent showroom space combined with convention space tailored specifically to healthcare. A project of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), the Mart promises to “bring buyers and sellers together,” and has done so with marts geared towards other industries in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. If all goes according to plan, I foresee an abundance of major conventions being held in Cleveland following the Medical Mart and Convention Center’s completion in 2013. And let’s face it: in our industry, we’re nothing without our ability to network.
See you there!