CLEVELAND — As the debate heats up surrounding the Cleveland Browns and whether they'll stay at a renovated lakefront stadium or ditch the city for a new domed stadium in Brook Park, thousands of convention planners and vendors are in the city to see if it's a good place to bring future business.
"We definitely look for a city that has all the ingredients. One the convention center. Two the hotel package. Three the service. And four- you just have the different uniqueness that will make a meeting special and Cleveland has just that," said Michelle Mason, CEO of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
The ASAE projects that 20% of its attendees will book a meeting or conference in Cleveland within the next five years, generating anywhere from $200 to $500 million in economic impact.
"We have the kind of venues, large and small, at different price points that can handle all that. So that's why having the people here is so exciting for us because they can see it, touch it, feel it," said President and CEO of Destination Cleveland David Gilbert.
Monday, at a news conference with ASAE and other leaders, I asked about the ongoing Browns stadium debate that has the city offering a $461 million financial package for an overhaul to Cleveland Browns Stadium near the lakefront and the Browns organization releasing plans for a proposed $2.4 billion new stadium, complete with a dome, in Brook Park.
Is a covered stadium a better business draw?
I asked leaders, "Does that open it (domed stadium) up to having more business come to the city of Cleveland… more mega events… maybe a Super Bowl?"
"There's lots of issues, financial and otherwise, that will come into play," Gilbert said. "One of those things, as you mentioned, is what types of events can be held in a domed facility (and) a non-domed facility.
Michael Edwards, Ph.D., is an associate professor of sport management at North Carolina State University. He's long studied the impact mega sporting events have on host cities, among other topics.
Edwards said new covered stadiums in cold-weather states are popular.
"It certainly is going to allow you to stage multiple events (and) certainly get more use out of the facility," Edwards said.
Events ranging from concerts to trade shows. And what about a Super Bowl? Edwards said the NFL takes notice.
"They certainly like to incentivize teams and cities to build new dome stadiums with Super Bowls as an incentive to build those facilities," Edwards said.
Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Detroit have all hosted Super Bowls. The cities' stadiums are either domed or have retractable roofs. Cities like Pittsburgh, Denver, Chicago and Green Bay have missed out on securing Super Bowls.
But Edwards warns that the economic impact of hosting the Super Bowl isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
"Over and over we see a much more modest economic return to communities for hosting those types of events. So it's something you have to weigh," Edwards said.
Quinn McMurtry, CEO of MAC Productions, is attending the ASAE annual meeting. He said both stadium proposals have pros and cons, but fans and the local community should always be the focus.
"Covering up a stadium or moving it out to the suburbs, I think you would lose the vibrance of your city," McMurtry said. "I think you'd lose kind of the culture that you kind of started here in Cleveland."
RELATED: Cuyahoga County leaders say no to Brook Park for new Browns stadium
