CINCINNATI — The newly renovated Cincinnati Convention Center is attracting bookings, but the city faces a critical challenge as its longtime tourism leader has stepped down and a crucial hotel project remains under construction.
Julie Calvert, who led the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau for eight years, has left her position after overseeing the convention center's transformation into what she calls "among the most beautiful convention centers in the Midwest."
"I put so much of my own equity and pride and sometimes frustration, but mostly joy in getting this done," Calvert said. "I can't think of anything else better that I could do than what we've done here."
The renovated convention center features wide windows offering views of the city and has already begun booking events. However, Calvert warns of upcoming challenges in 2027 and 2028 due to the absence of a connected hotel.
"There's going to be groups that are going to say, hey, we really want to be in Cincinnati, but we really want that hotel," Calvert said. "Our next open year is 2032. We don't want that."
A 700-room Marriott hotel is planned for construction directly across from the convention center. The four-star hotel will take 28 to 32 months to build once groundbreaking begins.
3CDC, the organization overseeing the hotel project, confirmed work is underway and expects an official groundbreaking in March. The timeline means the hotel likely won't open until 2028 at the earliest.
The hotel shortage is compounded by ongoing renovations at the Westin hotel, leaving Cincinnati with limited accommodations for large conventions that require hundreds of rooms.
"It's paramount that a city have a thriving convention," Calvert said. "You won't survive without it."
Calvert believes Cincinnati must embrace multiple major projects simultaneously to maximize its potential. The convention center's new marketing campaign reflects this philosophy with the slogan "always bold."
"We need to always be bold, so bold in how we bring convention business, in how we service it, how we go after it," Calvert said. "This is a great city, and the city deserves to be talked about as bold and great. And I've been talking about it for 25 years. It's time for somebody else to talk about it."
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