Cleveland-Hopkins Airport will greet visitors flying in for the Republican National Convention with newly-constructed terminals filled with plenty of ads, but you won't see this city paying homage to any other.
Dallas' Convention and Visitors Bureau wanted to pony up $50,000 for ads welcoming delegates and corporations coming in to Cleveland during RNC week. The city was the runner-up to host the convention.
The ads would have been located in baggage claim, touting Dallas' "77,000 plush hotel rooms" and "12,000 delicious restaurants." You can see the mockup in the photo above.
Dallas CVB president and CEO Phillip Jones said it wasn't a case of sour grapes, it was just smart marketing.
"It would have been a pretty minimal buy, but I think the visibility and exposure we're getting around it is more than paying for the $50,000 many times over," Jones said.
Despite his best efforts, Hopkins turned them down.
"I'm disappointed. I guess there was more sensitivity than we realized surrounding the hotel rooms," Jones said, citing concerns that Cleveland hasn't been able to adequately accommodate visitors.
Interim Airport Director Fred Szabo would only issue a statement regarding the ads, which you can read below.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has received numerous advertising requests in anticipation of the Republican National Convention in the recent past. Each request was reviewed and those that were accepted met our standards for the limited advertising opportunities which were available.
