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Business Roundup: United States Spotlight on Chicago: your kind of town Premiere convention facilities The biggest quota of Fortune 500 companies Useful web sites DID YOU KNOW By: Mario Cacciottolo Chicago is known as The Windy City, Frank Sinatra's preferred choice of abode and, bizarrely, The City of Big Shoulders. It is also know as the best place in the US for meetings, conventions and trade shows. Premiere meeting and exhibition facilities Much of this is down to its location in the centre of North America, and its infrastructure which spawns easy transportation access, a flourishing hospitality industry and top class meeting and exhibition facilities, able to cater for groups of any type, size or taste. Each year Chicago attracts 35,000 conventions, trade shows and other such business orientated meetings. Overall around 4.4 million people, a figure that is rising, come to the city annually and spend approximately $5.3 billion during their stay. Last year Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the launch of the 'Chicago: We're Glad You're Here' program, designed to take the city's hospitality to the next level. This has seen the introduction of several visitor-friendly features such as better signage and welcome buttons, to increase the warmth of the welcome for the business traveller. The McCormick Place Complex has over 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space, which makes it the biggest convention centre in North America. It is an incredibly versatile set up, however, which means that the facility is available not just to the giant corporations, but also for those businesses of medium and small size. Chicago has a history of achieving significantly higher attendance levels than average (+8.2 percent) for your conference and exhibition, thanks to its impressive setting. It has two major airports, Midway and O'Hare, who between them handle more flights per day than any other US city, the latter possessing an international terminal that provides easy access for international visitors. It is also situated at the intersection of the country's busiest interstate highway system. All this adds up to a highly accessible city, one you can get to quickly and easily. The biggest quota of Fortune 500 companies The biggest quota of Fortune 500 companies and 25 percent of the wholesale purchasing power in the US are also within Chicago's limits. When you do arrive, you'll find new labour improvements that will prove to be of great help in setting up your exhibit. There is a unified pool of carpenters and decorators for faster installation and cost reduction. More savings can be made thanks to the relaxation of overtime policies. Such is the high level of skill to be found amongst the workforce that other cities have hired Chicago's labourers for temporary support in their own conventions. The city's hotels are geared up for all types of visitors in any kind of number. In addition to the excellent facilities already available, there has been over $300 million in new hotel construction, covering all price ranges. There are over 28,000 downtown hotel rooms available at convention rates, and 78,000 sleeping rooms in the immediate Chicagoland area. If you're not working or sleeping there's plenty to do, as there are exemplary shopping experiences waiting to be bought. Look for areas such as the Magnificent Mile and State Street. There are clubs, theatres and cultural events, as well as more four-star restaurants than any city in America. These also cater for a variety of ethnic cuisine, anything from Chicago's very own world-renowned pizza to Japanese and Thai. Useful web sites Check out www.choosechicago.com for plentiful information and links to other useful sites. If you want to plan your business trip/convention/exhibition, these are the places to start. DID YOU KNOW Famous Firsts in Chicago include the electric iron, cafeteria, window envelope, bifocal contact lens, winding watch and Cracker Jacks. New York Sun editor Charles Dana attributed the nickname 'Windy City' to the city in 1893. Politicians continuously extolling the virtues, in long-winded fashion, of the World's Columbian Exposition held the same year, annoyed him. Playboy Magazine began here in 1953, started by Hugh Hefner. The first issue featured Marilyn Monroe on the cover and sold for 50 cents. The musical expression 'Jazz' was coined here in 1914, and Chicago was the home of bandleader Benny Goodman. Chicago's Sears Tower is the world's tallest building, with 110 floors. The world's largest commercial building is also in this city, in the gargantuan shape of the Merchandise Mart, which covers 4.2 million square feet. © Copyright 2001. Galt Western Personnel Ltd. Unless otherwise specified, you may reprint this article, quote from it, use it in research or projects, duplicate it or distribute it. Credit of authorship and source MUST be given to galtglobalreview.com. Ownership of Copyright remains with Galt Western Personnel Ltd.     Return to Top      Business News / Business Roundup - Australia / Canada / Europe / United States / Careers / Classified / Information Technology / New Technology / Education News / World Facts / Book Reviews / Archives/Research