Welcome to Chicago, the third largest metropolis in the United States, home of the Chicago Bulls and the youngest NBA MVP ever, Derrick Rose. Our beautiful city has a number of attractions and draws which keep tourists coming to visit year round.
Sinatra wasn’t wrong when he sang “this is my kind of town, Chicago is my kind of town, Chicago is my kind of people too, people who smile at you”. The best way to find this out for yourself, is to come for a visit. Between the miles of lakefront shoreline, our city’s rich history, and all of the beautiful architecture, it is enough to keep any visitor to Chicago completely enraptured.
Chicago’s architecture is world class. It’s not just the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) which makes Chicago’s skyline infamous. Our city also boasts the largest convention centre in North America, McCormick Place.
McCormick Place is a state-of-the-art convention centre located just moments from the coast of Lake Michigan and a mere two and a half miles from Chicago’s bustling downtown.
Named for Robert R. McCormick, the former editor of the Chicago Tribune, McCormick Center is comprised of four large buildings, the North and South Buildings, the West Building, and Lakeside Center. Together, these buildings make up 2.6 million square feet of exhibition space, 170 meeting rooms, 6 ballrooms, the Arie Crown which is a 4,249 seat theater, and 3 theaters with seating for 300 people. This impressive facility welcomes a number of exciting trade shows each year including The Chicago Auto Show, The International Home and Housewares Show, and the National Restaurant Association’s annual show to name a few.
The Chicago Auto Show
McCormick Place welcomes North America’s largest auto show, the Chicago Auto Show every February. Attending this impressive event is a must for any auto-enthusiast.
This year, the Chicago Auto Show played host to the introduction of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe. This impressive sports car is the seventh incarnation of the Chevrolet Corvette, and the first model to be branded as the Corvette Stingray since 1976.
In previous years, the Chicago Auto Show was the scene of the unavailing of cars such as the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, the 2012 Dodge Charger, and the 2013 Dodge Challenger Redline among many other exciting vehicles.
For a re-cap of this years show, and a look at the cars unveiled here, visit the Chicago Auto Show’s Webpage.
The International Home and Housewares Show
The International Home and Housewares Show is an annual event which has been put on by the International Housewares Association (IHA) every March since 1906. This event was first held at McCormick place in 1961 and enticed an impressive 33,000 visitors on the opening day of the exhibition.
Historically, this event has been a means of marketing for many up and coming housewares. At the exhibition in 1915, Corning Glass Works unveiled a glass which was designed to withstand the extreme heat of railroad signal lanterns. This innovation became Corning’s popular line of glass cookware, PYREX.
More recent products launched at the International Home and Housewares Show include Sam Farber’s Good Grips line in 1990, George Forman’s infamous grill in 1994, Procter and Gamble’s Swiffer in 1999, and the Roomba vacuum robot in 2005.
This year’s exhibition was held the weekend of March 2nd. To see a bit of what you missed, visit IHA’s official website.
National Restaurant Association’s Annual Show
Every May, McCormick Place hosts the National Restaurant Association’s annual show. This four day long event will be held May 18-21 and will be hosted by chef extraordinare, Anthony Bourdain.
This year’s line-up of chefs also includes judge of the show “Chopped” and former “Iron Chef” challenger, Maneet Chauhan as well as winner of “Top Chef Masters”, Rick Bayless, and the first and only female “Iron Chef”, Cat Cora, to name a few.
For a complete list of NRA Show 2013 events, and to register for this year’s show, visit the NRA’s official website.
The full list of events held at McCormick Place can be found on the convention centre’s official webpage.
Whether you are an exhibitor or an attendee of one of the many renowned events held at McCormick Place, the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel is a great place to stay while in town. Our beautiful and welcoming hotel is located a convenient distance from the Metra Train line which will take you right to McCormick place in as little as five minutes. Our convenient location, impressive views of Lake Michigan, friendly service, and comfortable accommodations makes the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel the perfect place to stay while visiting Chicago.