Destination Cleveland Is Committed to Welcoming Groups Responsibly

As conference organizers begin to imagine a return to live regional events, Destination Cleveland and its partners are committed to the health, safety, and comfort of their attendees and local staff members. Planners can count on Destination Cleveland’s team members, who are ready to support them as they create unforgettable events.

Collaboration between partners and adopting new approaches are important to the success of any event. With that in mind, Destination Cleveland, working with its partners in the region, recently began offering zero-attrition fees and zero-cancellation fees at nearly 20 participating hotels for groups that choose Cleveland for their meeting or convention between October 2020 and June 2021.

In another new initiative, Destination Cleveland partnered with some of Northeast Ohio’s renowned health-care institutions, including the Cleveland Clinic, The MetroHealth System, and University Hospitals, to create the CLEAN COMMITTED program that launched June 10. The program urges the area’s tourism and hospitality businesses to adopt a standard set of cleanliness practices in addition to following federal, state, and local guidelines to enhance the safety of guests and staff members. To date, the program has been embraced by hundreds of businesses, which are listed in a CLEAN COMMITTED directory on the CVB’s website.

The program includes the distribution of CLEAN KITs, which contain a face mask, hand sanitizer, and recommended practices for people to follow when visiting public spaces, to qualifying businesses. Event organizers can work with their Destination Cleveland partners to have the kits distributed to their event attendees.

The CLEAN COMMITTED program goes hand-in-hand with the “Rediscover CLE” campaign that encourages regional residents and guests to responsibly explore the Cleveland area and patronize the nearly 500 restaurants, attractions, hotels, and other businesses and organizations that have signed up for the program. It’s all part of Destination Cleveland’s effort to help the Northeast Ohio region out of the COVID-19 crisis.

“We know there are many factors we cannot control in the current environment that contribute to traveler interest in and comfort level to get out and explore,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland. “What we can do is help in the most responsible way possible: by providing a program for business owners that signifies to residents and visitors that health, cleanliness, and safe practices are a top concern.”

Because travel restrictions, health and safety guidelines, and safe practices for events continue to evolve during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Destination Cleveland team is keeping up-to-date to expertly guide organizers as they plan and execute their events. The team is a reliable source for collecting and understanding the increased cleaning and sanitation efforts, social-distancing protocols, updated floor plans, and adjusted food-and-beverage options provided by Destination Cleveland’s hospitality, lodging, and venue partners, including the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland. They also are able to help arrange seamless and flexible technology solutions for hybrid meetings and other updated event formats.

Cleveland is a perfect destination to be the live center of hybrid events, or the home to completely live events when they return. In the most recent PCMA COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard survey, a majority of business events professionals and suppliers said they believe smaller, regional events will be the first live events to thrive once the pandemic crisis passes. Because it is located within a relatively short driving distance of half the country’s population, Cleveland is poised to become a magnet for regional events.

And once attendees have arrived safely in the city, they can get around conveniently on foot, avoiding group transportation needs. The interconnectivity of the downtown convention district and proximity of nearly 5,000 guest rooms in downtown hotels and numerous attractions allows attendees to safely and quickly navigate the city.

When that time comes, the Destination Cleveland team is here for organizers and looks forward to welcoming groups back to Cleveland.