I-X Center's final show marks turning point for Cleveland convention market
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The 60th annual Piston Powered Auto-Rama will run March 27-29 at the I-X Center, marking the last consumer show inside Cleveland's sprawling exhibition hall.
The big picture: The I-X Center has hosted more than 50 million visitors since it opened as an exhibition facility in 1985.
- Its closure will reshape the local convention and trade show market.
State of play: In a world without the I-X Center, major exhibitors will have to book shows at either the Huntington Convention Center downtown or — in a few years — at the new Browns stadium.
- The planned facility in Brook Park includes a 350,000-square-foot grand concourse designed to host trade shows and exhibitions.
Reality check: Neither of these facilities offer the vast, flexible space and scheduling latitude of the I-X Center, and they may struggle to accommodate large consumer shows.
Threat level: Michelle Burke, president of the Ohio Marine Trades Association, warned in an op-ed this fall that the loss of the I-X Center would be devastating for trade associations and small businesses associated with them.
- "The loss of this facility is not just about nostalgia. It's about the future of our economy, our industries, and our ability to compete."
The latest: A proposed deal to convert the 2.2 million-square-foot I-X Center into a manufacturing site for a Fortune 100 tenant has fallen through, NEOtrans reported last week.
The last word: Auto-Rama organizers are pitching the event as the I-X Center's curtain call, offering "a final opportunity for guests to walk the same floors where generations gathered before them."
- "This show has always been about people as much as it is about cars," Auto-Rama manager Steve Legerski said in a statement.
- "Knowing this will be the final show inside the I-X Center makes this year incredibly emotional."