With more than 2.8 million people living in Chicago, it’s the third largest city in the U.S. Although Chicago has an informal reputation as the capital of the Midwest, Chicago is also one of the leading business travel destinations for meetings, conventions and other special events. Chicago is becoming an international business travel destination. More than 3 million people live in Chicago, which is known for its architecture, love of food, and Lake Michigan skyline.
Although more than 30 million visitors arrive in Chicago for leisure travel, Chicago is focused on delivering excellent service for business travel and business events. In fact, revenues from business meetings and events is more than 2.5 times that of the leisure market in 2007, according to statistics from the Chicago Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Two factors contribute to this. First, Chicago hotels and venues recognize the value and importance of business travel, conventions and events and cater to this market. Second, location, location, location.
Chicago is centrally located within the U.S., and this makes it convenient for direct flights and access for attendees from all directions. And given the volume of travel that goes through Chicago’s airports, it’s not surprising that this is one of the busiest airports in the world: more than 917,000 air carrier flights operated in 2007, and passenger volume exceeded 77.5 million in 2007. This, according to data from The Chicago Airport System.
With its central location, Chicago is a popular business city for mid-sized conferences and large-scale conventions/congresses. Chicago also offers hundreds of options for hosting smaller gatherings and intimate occasions for its 12.31 million business travelers.
Unique venues for special events and meetings options include sports venues, outdoor garden/park, private clubs, restaurants, theaters, museums and zoos, as well as chartered boats and cruises on the lake.
Many venues are found in the downtown area, and popular neighborhoods for business events, shopping and activities can be found in the Loop, River North, Streeterville and Gold Coast neighborhoods.
Although hotel occupancy rates average nearly 70% in Chicago, overnight stays increase between June to October when occupancy rates average just above 85% (summer is the most popular time when visitors arrive in Chicago). It’s also important to note that more than 2,800 new and varied rooms will be added by the end of 2009, according to Choose Chicago. The Chicago metropolitan area has more than 100,000 rooms. This makes conventions in Chicago appealing.
McCormick Place is the most popular location to host large conventions and mega trade shows. But it’s worth noting that many organizations also choose to hold conventions, trade shows, large conferences and other events at Navy Pier, Hilton Chicago, Hyatt Regency Chicago and Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, as well as other large hotels.
Popular Business Travel Hotels
Ambassador East Hotel Chicago, Conrad Chicago, Four Seasons Ritz-Carlton Chicago, Hilton Chicago, Hotel Allegro, Hyatt Regency Chicago, Park Hyatt Chicago, Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, Swissotel Chicago, The Drake Chicago, The Fairmont Chicago, The James Chicago, The Peninsula Chicago, Trump International Hotel and Tower, W Chicago – Lakeshore.
Popular Event Venues and Dining
Adler Planetarium, Arlington Park, Art Institute of Chicago, Bin 36, Broadway in Chicago, Capital Grille, Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chop House, Frontera Grill, Gino’s East, Goodman Theatre, Goose Island Brewpub, Millennium Park, Morton’s Steakhouse, Navt Pier, Nick’s Fishmarket, Pizzeria Due, Ravinia Music Festival, Riva, Rosebud, Russian Tea Room, Shaw’s Crab House & Oyster Bar, Smith and Wollensky.
2007 Chicago Statistics
- Domestic Travel Volume: 45.15 million
- Domestic Leisure Travel Volume: 32.84 million (72.7%)
- Domestic Business Travel Volume: 12.31 million (27.3%)
- Estimated Domestic Group Meeting Travelers: 6.96 million*
- Overseas Travel Volume: 1.15 million
- Direct Domestic Spending: 9.743 billion (2006)
- Spending by Domestic Business Traveler: $5.8 billion
- Spending by Leisure Traveler: $2.2 billion
- Direct International Spending: 1.167 billion (2006)
- Total Chicago Hotels (city center): 84
- Total Chicago Hotel Rooms (city center): 30,547
* Does not reflect 5.3 million day trip travelers.
Source: Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau
McCormick Place Chicago Highlights (Convention Center)*
- Comprised of four buildings.
- 2.7 million square feet of exhibit space
- 1.2 million square feet on one level (nation’s largest convention center)
- Total Trade Shows and Conventions: 41
- Trade Shows and Conventions Delegates: 812,337
- Total Meetings: 57
- Meeting Delegates: 84,215
- Total Public Events: 14
- Public Events Attendance: 1,373,999
* McCormick Place 2007 data unless otherwise noted; does not reflect total number of events held at McCormick Place.
Top Activities
- Museums (more than 40)
- Theater (more than 500 productions annually)
- Shopping (check out The Magnificent Mile)
- Sports (baseball, basketball and football are most popular)
- Millennium Park
- Navy Pier (check out Riva)
- John Hancock Observatory (check out the Signature Room)
- Lincoln Park Zoo
Local Information
- Airports:O’Hare International Airport and Midway Airport
Chicago Weather (average high/low)*
- January: 32F / 18F
- February: 38F / 24F
- March: 47F / 32 F
- April: 59F / 42F
- May: 70F / 51F
- June: 80F / 61F
- July: 84F / 66F
- August: 83F / 65F
- September: 76F / 57F
- October: 64F / 46Ful
- November: 49F / 35F
- December: 37F / 24F
*Source: Weather.com
Photo: Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate sculpture is a Chicago icon at Millennium Park. Photo courtesy of © City of Chicago / GRC.
Originally Published on About.com; May Not Be Reproduced.
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