CHICAGO — There was a special sense of excitement in the air when the first major trade show since the pandemic, the Inspired Home Show, returned to Chicago’s McCormick Place from March 5 to 7. (Ironically, it was also the first show to be canceled two years ago.) Although attendance was down about 60% from 2019, it still drew 20,000 visitors over three days.
With the city ending mask mandates and proof of vaccination for “certain public spaces” in late February, Chicago’s convention train is back on track. But many observers say a full recovery is still a long way off.
The city has had to cancel more than 230 events due to COVID, costing it nearly $3.1 billion in economic impact. McCormick Place has 176 events on its calendar this year; it held 289 in 2019, Chicago Tribune reported.
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To help speed the convention industry’s recovery, Illinois has authorized $15 million in annual incentives for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to attract events to McCormick Place, according to the Tribune, which also said the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority projects that combined hotel and convention center revenue will return to pre-COVID-19 levels by 2023.
Meanwhile, competitors were on deck, which only added to the challenge. The situation was compounded by the recent announcement of the opening of the Sweets & Snacks Expo, which will celebrate its 25th anniversaryth anniversary in Chicago in 2022 and expected to generate $21 million for the city, will move to a rotation of Las Vegas and Indianapolis starting in 2024.
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Still, Choose Chicago’s new CEO, Lynn Osmond, is optimistic. “I’m excited about the incentives; they give us an edge and put us on a level playing field with others who are doing this,” Osmond said. A former president and CEO of the Chicago Architecture Center, Osmond believes the city has everything going for it compared to Orlando and Las Vegas. “You have to map out the assets that we have here: a robust culture, phenomenal restaurants, great neighborhoods, our sports teams,” she said. “We have all of that and we have to play it to our advantage.”
Contact Lynn Osmond at (312) 922-3432