An Event Planner's Cleveland, Ohio Meeting and Event Planning Recommendations

Image: Matt Shiffler Photography

Last year, I was on the planning team for a multi-day nonprofit conference and in charge of, among other things, site and vendor selection. With little firsthand knowledge of the city, I was grateful to have partners like the HelmsBriscoe and Destination Cleveland teams who helped to narrow down a wide variety of options and select vendors that were right for us. Below are my top 3 vendors I highly recommend from my time working in Cleveland, for anyone looking to plan an event there in the future:

Westin Cleveland Downtown - The Conference Services Team, as well as the team from Encore, helped make our event a huge success. Their commitment to understanding our group, and to exceeding our expectations while ensuring we stuck to our budget was very much appreciated. They were flexible, available and helpful onsite and always making sure that our event’s success was top of mind. I’d take any opportunity to work with this particular team again, with a Cleveland-based or bound Client.

Matt Shiffler Photography - Matt is a multifaceted photographer and gallery owner who is as interesting as he is talented. From his stunning nature photography to the personal lens with which he covers meetings and events, it was such a great experience working with him. In fact, we wound up working together again after this meeting.

Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar - Lisa and her team were wonderful to work with, the food was delicious, and venue was the perfect location for us, relative to our hotel. This waterfront space worked well for our opening reception & dinner, and allowed us to offer guests the option to walk to dinner and experience a little bit of Cleveland firsthand. They even helped us set up a themed signature cocktail which was a hit with the group.

All in all, the two and a half day conference was a success, and I’d spend time in Cleveland again in the future, for sure. The one thing I’d do when I go back, that I missed the first few times? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!