CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Auto Show, a long-time, popular event at the I-X Center, is moving to the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland in December.
Show organizers announced Tuesday that the event will run Saturday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 12. The event traditionally has been held in late February, but was postponed this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the abrupt closure of the I-X Center last fall.
Louis A. Vitantonio, president of the Cleveland Auto Show, said the event, which drew 350,000 attendees last year, is returning to its roots downtown. “We’ll make it a great event regardless of where it’s at,” said Vitantonio.
Before moving to the I-X Center in the mid-1980s, the event was held at the city’s old convention center, which was replaced in 2013.
Vitantonio said he’s looking forward to welcoming show attendees to Cleveland’s vibrant downtown, noting that the December dates could overlap with Browns or Cavaliers games, and other city activities.
Even so, the new location will pose some challenges, including parking, which was cheap and plentiful at the I-X Center. Vitantonio said he was hoping to work out some deals with nearby parking lots and garages to make parking easier.
In addition, at just over 400,000 square feet, Cleveland’s convention center is considerably smaller than the I-X Center, the cavernous, former tank and bomber factory near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Vitanonio said set-up in the new space will take longer because entry areas aren’t as large, but event staff will be able to work through the challenges.
“We are going to utilize the entire facility – not just the exhibit hall, but the ballrooms and hallways,” he said. “We’re going to find ways to fit cars in all areas of the building.”
He hopes to use adjacent Public Auditorium, as well, although those details haven’t been worked out with the city.
He expects the show this year will feature about 500 cars, compared to about 800 at the I-X Center. The event’s popular Ride N’ Drives, where visitors can test drive new cars, will continue, through the streets of downtown.
Meanwhile, the Auto Show has litigation pending against the I-X Center Corp., the private company hired by the city to run the Cleveland-owned building.
In September, the I-X Center Corp. abruptly closed shop, citing a loss of business related to the pandemic, leaving several major event organizers looking for a facility to host their consumer shows in the years ahead. Since then, the I-X Center Corp. entered an agreement to lease 700,000 square feet with GOJO Industries, which makes hand sanitizers, to house the company’s inventory.
Late last year, the Automobile Dealers’ Educational Assistance Foundation, which operates the Auto Show; the Great Lakes Recreational Vehicle Association, which runs the Ohio RV Super Show; and Marketplace Events, which runs the Great Big Home and Garden Show and the Cleveland Home and Remodeling Expo, all sued the I-X Center Corp., alleging breach of contract.
Separately, the I-X Center Corp. last month sued the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, which runs the Progressive Cleveland Boat Show and Fishing Expo, asserting that it shouldn’t be held liable for shutting down the facility amid a global health pandemic.
“If ever there was a force majeure event, this is it,” the I-X Center says in its suit. “The I-X Center Corp.’s closing of its major events operations arose out of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government orders. Under the parties’ agreement, this excuses I-X Center Corp.’s obligations entirely and imposes no obligations on I-X Center Corp. to do anything more.”
News of the Auto Show’s relocation comes as a bit of good news at the downtown convention center, which has been largely empty for the past year, due to the pandemic.
“The Huntington Convention Center team is delighted to bring the Cleveland Auto Show back to downtown Cleveland,” said Ron King, the center’s general manager. “Decades ago, the Cleveland Auto Show was held in the old downtown convention center and we’re excited to reintroduce our building to many Northeast Ohio residents who haven’t had the pleasure to visit the building since it opened in 2013.”
Tickets are $16 for adults, or $13 in advance. Show hours are currently planned to run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, with Sunday hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information: clevelandautoshow.com
Vitantonio said the Auto Show’s 2022 event is scheduled for the convention center, as well, also in December.
Plain Dealer reporter John Caniglia contributed to this story.
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