Three major assets — the IX Center, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, and the $3.6 billion Huntington Bank Field mixed-use development — sit within roughly one mile of each other in Brook Park. Today they function as isolated nodes. Strategically integrated, they could form one of the most powerful event, hospitality, and convention ecosystems in the country.
"A stadium, a massive exhibition facility, and an international airport within a single mile radius, all accessible via the same freeway interchange. No comparable Midwest market can say that."
The AssetsWhat's Already There
Over 1,000,000 sq ft of exhibition space. One of the largest convention facilities in the US. Draws 2M+ visitors per year. City-owned, with a 10-year reclaim option.
Direct national and international air service. At the geographic center of the corridor. I-71, I-480, and the Ohio Turnpike all intersect at the same interchange.
$3.6B mixed-use development. 900+ hotel rooms, 800K+ sq ft of retail. Designed as a 365-day "super theater" for NFL, concerts, Final Fours, and Super Bowls. Opening 2029.
The CaseWhy Integration Creates Exponential Value
1. A Mega-Event Infrastructure No Midwest City Has
When a city bids for a Super Bowl, a Final Four, or a major trade show, organizers need hotel rooms, exhibition space, stadium capacity, and airport access within a coherent district. By 2029, with 900+ hotel rooms planned around the stadium alone, Cleveland gets very close. Tie in the IX Center and Hopkins' direct air service, and Cleveland becomes a genuine competitor for events that currently go to Indianapolis, Dallas, or Atlanta by default.
2. The Airport Adjacency Is a Legitimate Differentiator
Convention and event planners obsess over airport proximity. Las Vegas's entire convention dominance is partly built on this. The Brook Park corridor offers something most major cities can't: an NFL-caliber stadium, a massive exhibition facility, and an international airport within one mile — all on the same interchange. That belongs in every bid document Cleveland produces for the next decade.
3. The Hotel Gap Gets Filled — If Coordinated
Today, the IX Center's biggest weakness is a lack of walkable hotel inventory. The 900 hotel rooms planned around the new stadium, if marketed as a unified district, completely solve this problem. A convention attendee could fly into Hopkins, shuttle to a stadium-district hotel, attend an event at the IX Center, and catch a concert at Huntington Bank Field — all without a car and without leaving a one-mile footprint.
4. The IX Center's Future Is the Pivot Point
The current lease amendment contemplates converting the IX Center into a data center, leveraging its existing 25-megawatt electrical substation. But the City of Cleveland owns the property and retains a 10-year reclaim option. Before that window closes, planners should commission a formal study on whether a hybrid use — partial data center, partial event capacity — could preserve the convention infrastructure that the stadium district needs to be financially viable year-round.
"Game days alone won't sustain 900 hotel rooms and 500,000 square feet of retail. A nearby convention facility is the best generator of the steady weekday and off-season traffic that keeps this district alive."
5. Year-Round Revenue, Not Just Game Days
The Browns have been explicit: this is a 365-day venue designed for concerts, events, and major sporting occasions beyond football. The surrounding retail and hotels need year-round traffic to be financially viable. Convention business is precisely what generates that steady weekday and off-season demand. Without it, the district risks becoming a spectacular amenity that's empty most of the year.
Action PlanWhat Needs to Happen and When
Lay the Foundation
- Convene a tri-party working group: City of Cleveland, Brook Park, and Haslam Sports Group
- Commission a feasibility study on hybrid IX Center use (data center + event space)
- Engage Hopkins Airport on a formal ground transportation plan linking all three nodes
- Launch unified "Brook Park Corridor" destination branding
Build the Pipeline
- Launch coordinated mega-event bid strategy under a single brand
- Negotiate co-marketing between stadium district hotels and IX Center
- Ensure road infrastructure improvements serve both the stadium and IX Center sites
- Pursue Super Bowl, CFP, NCAA, and major trade show bids with unified package
Lock It In
- Exercise or negotiate the IX Center reclaim clause to preserve event capacity
- Establish Cleveland as a permanent Top 10 convention and mega-event market
- Explore people-mover or APM connector infrastructure to link all three nodes physically