When Forbes CEO Mike Federle was looking for a new city to host the magazine’s annual young professional summit, a place with a strong base of young professionals and entrepreneurs, Ohio came to mind first in a crowded field of possibilities.
At a private event at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Forbes announced it would bring its Under 30 Summit to Ohio. Cleveland plays host to the 2023 event, and the 2024 and 2025 events will take place in Cincinnati and Columbus, respectively. JobsOhio is set to serve as the title sponsor.
“Ohio stands at the forefront of America's renaissance in technology, infrastructure and industrial manufacturing, supporting a new generation of electric vehicles to cutting edge computer chips, and building on Ohio's rich history of innovation and entrepreneurship,” Federle told a crowd that included media members and professionals from Destination Cleveland and Greater Cleveland Partnership, Mayor Justin Bibb and Lt. Gov. John Husted.
Ohio is the perfect location, according to Forbes, due to its being the country’s seventh largest economy, third largest manufacturing sector and its influx of professional talent. The Forbes team was also attracted to Cleveland’s accessibility to the rest of the country and amenities that make a conference fun, such as breweries, professional sports teams and museums. Of course, the recent $20 billion investment from Intel in Southwest Ohio did not hurt.
The annual event brings more than 600 award winners and thousands of professionals from across the country and across the world. Most recently, including this past weekend, it was held in Detroit and featured appearances from Meg Thee Stallion, Hailey Bieber and Lyft co-founder John Zimmer.
Specific locations for the conference have not yet been announced, but attendees can expect places like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame to be among the dozens of institutions the event will touch.
"It’s fitting that we’re making this announcement at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame because we’re going to bring a ton of rock star entrepreneurs to Cleveland," says Forbes editor Randall Lane.
Coming off the announcement that Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will host flights to Europe starting in 2023, Mayor Justin Bibb says this announcement just builds even more momentum for the city.
"I believe with this conference we can expose different entrepreneurs to the promise of economic freedom and entrepreneurship," says Bibb. “It really fits into my agenda for making Cleveland a world-class, globally competitive city."
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