The Healthcare Convention &Exhibitors Association (HCEA) “is the only organization solely dedicated to “improving the effectiveness and quality of all healthcare conventions and congresses, medical meetings and healthcare exhibit marketing throughout the industry.”

Cleveland, of course, is a prime city for health care with the nationally renowned Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and their medical schools.

One would think that Cleveland would be big NOW in the field of attracting conventions and exhibitions dealing with healthcare meetings and showings.

Here’s the list of where the top 20 healthcare meeting cities in 2008. Find Cleveland.

1) Orlando.
2) Chicago.
3) San Diego.
4) Washington, D. C.
5) Las Vegas.
6) Boston.
7) San Antonio
8) San Francisco.
9) Phoenix.
10) New Orleans
11) Seattle.
12) Atlanta
13) Philadelphia (tie).
14) Denver.
15) Baltimore. (tie)
16) New York City.
17) Los Angles. (tie)
18) Indianapolis.
19) Anaheim.
20) Nashville

I couldn’t find Cleveland.

Yet, our County Commissioner Three – Tim Hagan, Jimmy Dimora and Peter Lawson Jones along with Mayor Frank Jackson want to spend $1 billion for a medical mart and convention center. I also have to remind people that taxpayers will be on the hook for a new hotel and parking garage facilities, too.

Do we really want to spend that kind of money to compete with the cities listed above.

HCEA says that 92 percent of medical meetings reporting 4,000 or more attendees were hosted in these top destinations.

San Diego, by the way, has 18 medical conventions scheduled for 2009. It's warm there.

The above listing is available here: www.hcea.org/research_destinations.asp