**Schedule subject to change. We will continue to update this site, so please visit again for further details.

Overview

Thursday, September 20

4 – 6pm Registration – Renaissance Hotel, Cleveland

5 – 7:30pm Cleveland Connects – PPS’s David K. O’Neil joins a community conversation about how food-related businesses and urban farms are leading Cleveland’s rebirth. Click here for more information and free registration.

6 – 8pm Meet and Greet, Lobby Court Lounge in the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel

 

Friday, September 21

8am – 5:30 pm  Keynote, Plenary Panel, and Workshops – Renaissance Hotel, Cleveland

Lunch at Public Square Farmers market

6:30 pm – 8pm   Welcome Reception: The Market Garden Brewery (adjacent to the West Side Market) :

Take the Rapid (light rail) one stop from the conference hotel to the market.

 

Saturday, September 22

7:30 am – 9am Continental Breakfast

9am – 5pm Tours of Cleveland and regional markets (see below for details)

Please check back for additional Saturday evening events

 

Sunday, September 23

9am – noon   Workshop and Closing Plenary Panel – Renaissance Hotel, Cleveland

 

Saturday Market Tours

Saturday’s tours will explore vibrant neighborhood farmers markets, urban and rural markets, markets in Amish country, and one of the only markets located within a National Park. All tours will include a stop at Cleveland’s famous West Side Market.

Please select your tour on the registration page

Tour #1 – A Farmers Market in a National Park

A tour of Cuyahoga Valley National Park will highlight the Countryside Initiative, a one-of-a-kind program in North America where the National Park Service both celebrates the heritage of the Cuyahoga Valley and embraces sustainable farming and food production as an appropriate use of public lands.  Visit a farm that helped inspire the program and started one of the first CSA programs in the country, a top-rated farmers’ market on National Park property serving as an outlet for the Countryside Initiative and farmers from around the region, and visit two of the farms that are part of this unique program including a regional winery.

 

Tour #2 – Cleveland’s Urban Markets and Food Hubs

Cleveland is a leader in vacant land reuse and as a result, the urban farms and urban markets provide fresh local produce to Cleveland’s neighborhoods and the greater region. From a farm and garden serving as a long standing neighborhood institution, to a market that is a destination for food lovers all over the region, to initiatives that provide education and fresh produce to underserved urban families, you will get the chance to discover places that are not only making an impact on the city’s food system, but that are also supporting small businesses and the growing artisan community in the City of Cleveland.

 

Tour #3 – Rural Food Hubs and Agriculture

Stops on this tour include a local food storefront open year-round, a hyperlocal farmers’ market, and a certified organic Amish farm and food hub that distributes products to 10 states. Back in Cleveland, this tour will stop at a local artisan market that is focused on fueling the success of small businesses and marketing locally made crafts.

 

Tour #4 – The all Markets Tour

Get a taste of Cleveland’s Urban Markets and rural markets in Ohio’s Amish country, both making a difference in the region’s food and craft markets. In Amish country, learn about farms and markets that are creating a relationship between the consumer and the producer, and focusing on maintaining institutions that benefit and support small local farmers as well as the people buying their food. Then head back to Cleveland to see markets that are providing fresh quality produce and crafts to people living in the city, setting the stage for the vibrant food culture and local economy in Cleveland.

 

Receptions and Special Events

Networking is, for some, the most important aspect of the 8th International Public Markets Conference, and we are offering many opportunities for you to meet your fellow conference-goers and learn what’s happening at markets around the world. In addition to the tours and session breaks, we are planning three events that are included in your conference registration.

Thursday, September 20

The Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit which will be taking place over Thursday and Friday is available to Markets Conference attendees at a 50% reduced rate of $20.00. Register for the event here, but be sure to get a promo code from Brian Geraghty first – bgeraghty [at] pps [dot] org (212) 620-5660 x.314 or (917) 837-0249

Informal Happy Hour – time and location to be announced

Please check back for additional Thursday evening events.

 

Friday, September 21

Bon Appetit’s Lunch at the Market, 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Participants can pick up their boxed lunch then stroll through the Downtown Farmers Market at Public Square, just adjacent to the conference hotel. There will be plenty of time to have lunch (under a tent or al fresco), visit the market and network with fellow conference attendees.

Welcome Reception: PNC Bank Welcomes the 8th International Public Markets Conference to Cleveland, Market Garden Brewery, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Conference attendees are invited to enjoy light refreshments and libations from the local harvest and West Side Market at our opening reception sponsored by PNC Bank. During the reception, Cleveland authors Laura Taxel and Marilou Suszko will be signing copies of their yet to be released book, “West Side Market: 100 Years and Still Cooking.” The book celebrates the West Side Market’s centennial and includes unpublished, vintage and contemporary photographs of the Market. Stories and highlights from the Market’s past 100 years demonstrate why the West Side Market is considered one of the most significant pieces of Cleveland’s past, present and future.

Additional Market District activities will be going on all evening and include the lighting of the clock tower at West Side Market and your chance to visit the official 8th International Public Markets Conference Photo Booth!   The Market Garden Brewery is one stop on the RTA light rail.

 

Saturday, September 22

Continental Breakfast, 7:30 – 9am.   Enjoy a continental breakfast before heading out for a day of market tours, located just across Public Square from the conference hotel at the Cuyahoga Community College Hospitality Management Center at Public Square.

 

Get Out and Explore Cleveland!

There is no shortage of places to go and things to do near the conference hotel and around the West Side Market:

A short piece from NPR’s Morning Edition says that Cleveland is undergoing a “rep” makeover. Thanks to a new and energetic generation looking for an affordable urban lifestyle, residents and businesses formerly located in Cleveland’s suburbs are now flocking to the city’s urban core. Join us in celebrating this exciting time in the history of a great and vibrant city!

Ohio City, the neighborhood surrounding the West Side Market, will be in full throttle the evening of the conference’s opening reception, with street markets and outdoor entertainment. Visit one of scores of nationally-recognized restaurants and night spots located steps from the market. Check it out here!

Downtown Cleveland has a number of vibrant districts, such as East Fourth Street and the Warehouse District, where visitors will find dozens of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues all just a few blocks from the conference hotel.

And don’t forget the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

University Circle is home to several world-class museums, including the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Botanical Garden. On Saturday evening, consider visiting the Botanical Garden to take part of the annual Ripe! Fest, a celebration of food. University Circle is easily accessible by the Healthline, Cleveland’s Bus Rapid Transit corridor.

Cleveland’s Theatre District, Playhouse Square, is the country’s largest performing arts center outside of New York. There are several venues to choose from for a show, and the center is a short walk or trolley ride from the conference hotel.

On Thursday evening, the Cleveland Indians will play a home game against the Minnesota Twins at downtown’s Progressive Field, located just down the street from the conference hotel. Click here for more info on the game.

Please check back, as more events will be added soon!