Chicago’s pro-business environment,central location, economic strength of the region, the commitment of its meetings and convention industry,and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau’s innovative attendance building and destination marketing programs have helped the city remain a premier destination for successful meetings. If you haven’t been to Chicago in the last10 years, you really haven’t been to Chicago. It’s a city that continues to reinvent itself.
A recent Economist article agrees, referring to Chicago as “…a city buzzing with life, humming with prosperity, sparkling with new buildings, new sculptures, new parks, and generally exuding vitality. ”The proof is evident in our customers' successful show experience in Chicago.Nearly every major trade show hosted in Chicago since May 2005 experienced record-breaking attendance and/or exhibit sales, a terrific accomplishment in light of a decrease in business travel due to incredibly high fuel prices and consolidation within the industry.
Thirty-three million domestic and overseas visitors came to Chicago in 2005 and that number will continue to increase as the city continues to reinvent itself. Business travelers represented 42% of this number.
Chicago’s regional audience is especially strong. Within a 300-mile radius of Chicago, a one-day drive, lies one of the most densely populated areas of the country – 16 percent of the U.S. population.
Clearly, our customers are taking advantage of Chicago’s central destination.Following a record-breaking show in April of this year, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) executives announced its Annual International Convention will again be held in Chicago in 2010.
The 2006 show was the largest gathering of biotechnology exhibitors in history, encompassing more than 1,700 companies, organizations, and institutions representing every aspect of the biotechnology industry.
The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau estimated that BIO 2006 generated$28 million in direct expenditures for the City of Chicago.Within 176,000 net square feet of exhibit space, the exhibit hall housed a cornfield,an Indy Racing League racecar and driver,and exhibitors from 43 states and 36 nations.
Nearly one-third of the attendees were international participants, with more than 1,000 attendees from Canada, and hundreds more from the United Kingdom,Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.“
The BIO decision was a ‘no brainer’ for them, because the show broke all records for attendance, sponsorship,participation by government officials,overseas visitors, and academic topics and sessions, to name just a few,” said David Miller, iBIO’s President and CEO.
“And, of course, McCormick Place was a big hit, particularly among those who had never been to Chicago before; several attendees told me personally it was the best venue the shows ever had in its 14-year history.”
A number of shows that posted historical attendance and exhibitor sales have also recommitted to Chicago for future years, including: American Library Association, Clinical Chemistry,Digestive Disease Week, International Home and Housewares Show, National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Annual Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The 2006 NRA Show attracted more than73,500 attendees and exhibitors from all 50 states and 110 countries, and generated more than $106 million in direct expenditures for the City of Chicago.
Per a new five-year agreement, NRA will remain at Chicago’s McCormick Place through 2011. Already the Western Hemisphere's largest foodservice and hospitality event, the show has been in Chicago for 56 consecutive years.“
Chicago is a world-class destination which provides outstanding business facilities and services coupled with the great culinary, cultural and entertainment attractions that our exhibitors and attendees expect,” said Steven C. Anderson,President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association.
“No other city tradeshow venue can, at this time, better satisfy the needs of the growing restaurant industry like McCormick Place.”McCormick Place,the largest convention center in the U.S., continues to offer more services and flexibility to the millions of customers it welcomes annually.
Some changes are more visible than others, but all are being done with the purpose of meeting customer demands.The new West Building will open ahead of schedule in August 2007.
Technology continues to be a focus. McCormick Place is the only convention center in the country with a connection to Internet2 allowing customers to access a variety of activities,including high-definition quality video broadcasting opportunities to multiple sites across the world. Its expanded Wi-Fi coverage can now manage more than 3,000 concurrent users at any given time – the most of any convention center in the country.You just can’t beat Chicago’s central location for connecting with the rest of the world.