Brian Casey

3.21.11 | Chicago, IL | MMPI is pleased to announce Brian Casey has been named General Manager of the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center, effective May 2, 2011.

As General Manager, Casey will be responsible for attracting trade show business to the facility, as well as potential clients and events for the Cleveland Medical Mart. He will also oversee all departmental functions including construction, operations, finance, and leasing, while implementing the strategic positioning and marketing plans for the facility, its tenants and trade shows.

Casey joins MMPI with over 30 years experience in the trade show and meetings industry. Casey has served as President and CEO of the High Point Market Authority, since 2006. The High Point Market Authority oversees the entire downtown marketplace of High Point, North Carolina, including all permanent and independent showroom space, as well as the twice annual Market. In his current position, Casey is responsible for the marketing, operations for over 12 million square feet of showroom and exhibition space, as well as the profit and loss for the entire High Point Market Authority.

Prior to joining the High Point Market Authority, Casey was the owner of a convention and trade show services firm, Next Generation Events Group, Inc, a strategic sales, marketing and planning services firm dedicated to customized, revenue growth solutions, event operations and new launches for association and corporate events.

Before forming Next Generation Events Group, Inc., Casey served as executive vice president for Smith Bucklin, Inc., a premiere association management company. In this role, Casey was responsible for managing the professional convention and trade show services for 1400 association client meetings annually and 47 trade shows.

Prior to joining Smith Bucklin, Casey served as managing director of trade shows for the International Housewares Association for a dozen years. The International Housewares Exposition at that time was the sixth largest trade show in the country with nearly 1900 exhibitors occupying approximately 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space that attracted 60,000 people from all over the world. His primary responsibilities included sales, marketing and overall trade show and meeting operations for the development and management of the world renowned event.

“MMPI has worked with Brian Casey for years and knows first-hand his vast array of knowledge and experience in attracting and producing trade shows, while providing the highest level of customer service possible to his tenants,” said Mark Falanga. “Brian is an expert in the trade show and showroom business, and knows what is important to our customers. He will prove to be invaluable as we continue to successfully secure commitments from trade shows, meetings, and tenants for the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center.”

Casey is a former board member of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE), and the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. He also serves on the boards of the Economic Development in High Point, Chamber of Commerce of High Point, String & Splinter Club and High Point Partners. Casey is a past chairman of the Future Strategic Planning committee for the International Association of Exposition & Events (IAEE), as well as past chairman of Major American Trade Show Organizers (MATSO), past chairman of the IAEE Midwest Chapter, past chairman of the IAEE Programming Committee and past chairman of the national lAEE Membership Development Committee.

About Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center

Located in downtown Cleveland, Cleveland MMCC will feature a four-story, 235,000 square foot Medical Mart facility, which will display some of the most recent technology available in today’s healthcare market, and an adjoining convention center with 230,000 square feet of Class-A exhibit space. The Convention Center will feature 30-foot ceilings and 90-foot spacing between columns with a spacious truck dock, capable of handling multiple shows simultaneously. The facility will also include more than 90,000 square feet dedicated to meeting rooms and a spacious Grand Ballroom featuring a spectacular view overlooking Lake Erie.

In order to create a unique urban park and improved community space on Cleveland’s historic Malls, the plane of Mall B will become a grassy slope rising more than 20 feet toward Lake Erie, providing a natural amphitheater for civic events and recreational activities. Beneath the apex of the hill, a low glass-fronted building will welcome visitors to the Convention Center. Running north and south, tree-lined promenades offer a wide variety of park-like options and possibilities within a series of “urban rooms.”

Seattle-based LMN Architects, along with Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, created conceptual plans and design development drawings as the design architect. The Cleveland office of Turner Construction Company is the design-build contractor and Cleveland-based URS is the architect of record. Construction began on January 3, 2011 and completion is scheduled for Fall 2013.

About MMPI

MMPI is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.

MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 West Mart Center in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building, 7 W New York, and Piers 92 & 94 in New York City; the Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; the Washington Design Center in Washington DC.

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