Trade Shows Will Return to The I-X Center, Thanks to Haslam Sports Group

The I-X Center announced today that it will open its doors for trade and consumer shows once more. The announcement follows a new leasing agreement with the Haslam Sports Group, says Michelle Burke, the president of the Ohio Marine Trades Association, which hosts the annual Cleveland Boat Show.

The Cleveland Boat Show, Cleveland Auto Show and the Great Big Home + Garden Show, are expected to return, according to a news release. The Ohio RV Show is scheduled to take place Sept. 10-13, and the Cleveland Christmas Connection is on the schedule for Nov. 20-22.

“The I-X Center has long been a premier destination for consumer shows and industry trade events in this region,” said Lisa Vo, the general manager for the I-X Center, in a news release. “We are pleased to continue delivering the high quality events and experiences our clients and attendees expect, backed by the operational excellence that has defined the I-X Center for decades.”

The new leasing agreement with Haslam Sports Group allowed for the events to return, says Burke. The 70th annual Boat Show is set to come back to the I-X Center Jan. 14-17.

Burke says that the Haslam Sports Group reached out to her in 2025, after trade shows were told they were shutting down at the I-X Center, with interest in hosting future trade shows at its new Huntington Bank Field domed stadium being constructed in Brook Park.

"When I met with them, I said, 'Then you should rent the I-X Center and keep the shows there strong and solvent for the future. Because if they have to move Downtown, they're going to suffer,'" Burke says. "The Haslam Sports Group is interested in keeping these shows, as I said, strong and solvent, to move to the dome in 2030. They are the only lifeline that this show industry has been given since we were told in May '25 that we were shutting down."

Burke says that the Haslam Sports Group even factored events like the Cleveland Boat Show into its architectural plans for the new football stadium.

"Some of the people from my team meet with an entire roomful of their architects, asking us what are our needs as far as clearance size and space when it comes to our show. And in fact, what was very cool is, they actually increased the clearance so that we could get larger boats onto that field," she says. "So they are building with the shows in mind."

"The Haslams are heroes," Burke adds. "The Haslams saved the consumer and trade show industry for this region; really, for the state of Ohio. This was the largest book of shows in one place in the entire state of Ohio, and they saved that."

Meanwhile, the I-X Center building is still being marketed for future manufacturing-based redevelopment while the events take place, according to a news release.

The long-term future of the I-X Center has been in flux in recent months. In February, a deal to land a Fortune 100 company at the I-X Center space reportedly fell apart. Then, in late March, the I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama was marketed as the final consumer show to be held in the building.

In July, the I-X Center was a key component of a deal between the city of Cleveland and the city of Brook Park. Cleveland City Council agreed to give Brook Park 34 acres of land and $23.45 million in cash, in order to get full tax revenue from the I-X Center and a business park, which was previously shared between the two cities.

In a City Club discussion in June, before the deal was approved, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb hinted at plans of redeveloping the I-X Center.

“I was talking to a site selector, one of the best site selectors in the world, and they're targeting the I-X Center for a massive company to potentially come to Cleveland,” he said. “If this deal passes, our city council will get back 215 acres of land back to our control, all the I-X Center back to our control, and now I have the I-X Center … and that acreage to market and sell to companies around the world to choose Cleveland as their home.”

The I-X Center is located adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins Airport and near the new Huntington Bank Field location at 18300 Snow Road. The building opened as the International Exposition (I-X) Center in 1985, with several expansions in the following 40 years creating 2.2 million square feet of space in the building, according to the I-X Center’s website.

For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.

Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, featuring immersive stories, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.