Welcome to St. Louis…an accommodating, affordable, fun city right in the middle of everywhere for your convention or meeting!

St. Louis is a rich, vibrant community steeped in history. It was founded by Pierre Laclede and August Chouteau in 1763 as a small fur trading post due to the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and was named for King Louis IX of France. Laclede and Chouteau traveled up the Mississippi River from New Orleans and most of the early settlers were French…you will see much French influence still present in architecture, street names, and decorative areas around the city. St. Louis became part of the United States due to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and was the starting point of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which was the 1st expedition to the Pacific Coast…hence the nickname “The Gateway to the West.” St. Louis was incorporated into a city in 1823, burned in 1849, hosted the 1904 World’s Fair (aka “Louisiana Purchase Exposition”) and the Olympics in the same year…and the rest is history!

DOWNTOWN
Today St. Louis is divided into 79 neighborhoods, each with a distinctive personality. The America’s Center Convention Complex is located in downtown St. Louis and convention participants have many options nearby!

Stop for your Starbucks coffee on your way to the convention center at the Hilton at the Ballpark, at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch, or on the corner of Olive & 6th. Local brews can also be found on your morning walk at 6 North Cafe (Market & 7th) and Cafe Breve (Chestnut & 9th.)

St. Louis is known for culinary treats such as toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, provel cheese, and pork steaks. Although settled by the French, there is a large Italian influence in restaurants today. Favorites include Lombardo’s Trattoria (20th just south of Market-inside the Drury Inn), J.F. Sanfillippo’s (Broadway & Lucas-inside Drury Inn Convention Center), and Kemoll’s (Broadway & Olive-inside Metropolitan Plaza). Keep your eyes peeled for a man on bended knee at Kemoll’s as it is a local spot for engagement proposals! What better place to find beef than in the Midwest? You will see an abundant of steakhouses all around the city, but the downtown favorite is Carmine’s (4th & Walnut-inside Drury Plaza Hotel). Local sports celebrities seem to like to open restaurants in St. Louis and Joe Buck and family’s J. Bucks (Clark & 10th) won’t disappoint when it comes to BBQ and other local casual fare. When it comes to Contemporary American cuisine, Clark Street Grill (Spruce & 8th-inside the Westin Hotel) and Harry’s (Market & 22nd) are downtown faves and great for people watching. St. Louis is also known for super thin crust pizza and Imo’s St. Louis Style Pizza (1 South Broadway-inside Hilton at the Ballpark) is a hometown hit that is now known throughout the United States. Check out the local “fro yo” spot Yo My Goodness (1 South Broadway-inside the Hilton at the Ballpark) for dessert. And when it comes nightlife and casual eats, you’ll be singing the blues at BB’s (700 South Broadway) and Broadway Oyster Bar (736 South Broadway) or enjoying a local brew at Schlafly’s Brewery & Tap Room!

WASHINGTON AVENUE LOFT DISTRICT
Immediately to the west of the convention center is the Washington Avenue Loft District. This community was established at the turn of the 20th century as the garment district. Unfortunately the industry and this area saw a decline after World War II…but Washington Avenue was revitalized starting in the late 1990′s and has popularized “loft living” in St. Louis!

Your morning…or afternoon…cup of coffee can be found at the Starbucks across the street from the convention center. Or if you would prefer to try a local brew, just walk a few blocks to Park Avenue Coffee (10th just south of Washington), Washington Avenue Post (Washington & 13th), or Gelateria Tavolini (Washington & 14th).

Locally sourced products are featured at Capri (Washington & 8th-inside the Renaissance Grand) and Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar (Locust & 10th). Another award-winning St. Louis steakhouse is Prime 1000 (Washington & 10th) and an award-winning fusion foodie haven is Mosaic Modern Fusion Tapas (Washington & 10th). There are also 2 notable local sushi restaurants in this neighborhood…Wasabi Sushi Bar (Washington & 12th) and Mizu Sushi Bar (Washington & 10th). Dessert is best served cold at Gelateria Tavolini (Washington & 14th). And when it comes to nightlife, you’ll find pubs and clubs…Irish pubs include The Dubliner (Washington & 10th) and Flannery’s (Washington & 14th) and clubs come and go so fast that walking down the street is the best way to find them!

LACLEDE’S LANDING
To the east of the convention center and on the riverfront of the “Muddy Mississippi” is Laclede’s Landing. “The Landing” is home to 15 unique restaurants, bars and nightclubs, as well as several retail shops, theaters, and attractions. This is the oldest district in St. Louis…cobblestone streets and all!

If you are staying at the Four Seasons or Hotel Lumiere, you can enjoy Pete’s Coffee & Tea before you ever leave the building.

You might not think of seafood when you think of St. Louis, but St. Louis Fish Market (901 North 1st Street-inside the Embassy Suites Hotel) does not disappoint as fresh shipments arrive daily. And the best steakhouse on this block is Al’s Steakhouse (1200 North 1st Street). If you are feeling lucky, Lumiere Place Casino is the place to be to the roll the dice and make a bet. West Coast favorite Burger Bar and best kept secret Asia are great places to eat, and if you want to catch the game head over to Stadium Sports Bar & Grill. Otherwise just walk up and down The Landing and step in to the bars and nightclubs wherever the mood strikes you…but be sure not to miss local brew house Morgan Street Brewery!

NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS
If you want to explore away from the downtown core, there are 4 nearby neighborhoods that are a destination unto themselves…full of history, architecture, restaurants, bars, coffee houses, dessert bars, shops, and more!

LAFAYETTE SQUARE was the 1st “suburb” of St. Louis (a whole 1 mile away from the original St. Louis settlement) and was the fashionable place to live in the mid-late 1800s, full of Victorian painted ladies surrounding a pretty park. Unfortunately the Tornado of 1896 destroyed the area, and many families decided to migrate to the west. Lafayette Square was saved by a small group of locals who had a fondness for old homes, and in 1972 the city of St. Louis deemed Lafayette Square the 1st historic district of St. Louis. The neighborhood is once again a hub of activity and family living! Restaurant favorites include 1111 Mississippi, Ricardo’s Italian Cafe, and SqWires as well as dessert favorites Baileys’ Chocolate Bar and Park Avenue Coffee.

SOULARD is the heart of “old Frenchtown” and sprang to life around 1840 when waves of immigrants started developing the land just south of downtown. New homeowners built on European-style narrow lots, and used popular-at-the-time American architecture styles including Italianate, Federal, and Second Empire. Unfortunately Soulard became a slum in the 1960′s as families got tired of crowded streets and urban sprawl started to take effect. Luckily urban pioneers began Soulard’s rebirth in the 1980′s and it is now home to St. Louis’ Mardi Gras and Bastille Days festivals. There are many upscale and casual restaurants and bars in the area including 1860′s Hard Shell Cafe & Bar, Franco,  Hammerstone’s, Joanie’s Pizzeria, Llywelyn’s Pub, John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, Old Rock House, and Tucker’s Place. Look out for the Cajun influence and the spicy fare, and be sure to cool off your palate at local brew house Square One Brewery & Distillery!

THE HILL is the original Italian neighborhood in St. Louis, settled in the 1890′s when immigrants from North Italy and Sicily came to work in the clay mines and smelters. It was named The Hill because it was the city’s highest point. It is a modest, self-contained neighborhood, where houses are passed down through families and life moves at a slower pace. Although St. Louis is home to many renowned Italian restaurants, many believe those that are on The Hill are the most authentic. Local favorites include Zia’s, Mama Campisi’s, Riggazi’s, Charlie Gitto’s, Gian-Tony’s, Giovanni’s. Don’t forget to stop by Gelato de Riso for authentic Italian dessert…and watch out for those bocce balls!

THE CENTRAL WEST END was the area where the wealthy and the business leaders escaped the crowded city to build stately homes on streets that were set up as private places starting in the 1870′s. This “westward expansion” and the building boom of the 1904 World’s Fair heavily contributed to the neighborhood. It surrounds the north and the east borders of Forest Park, and its beauty was heavily protected by its residents. Unfortunately the Depression and World War II started the decline of the area, and the highway system built in the 1950′s took people away from the CWE in another round of “westward expansion.” Fortunately home and business owners have reclaimed the original beauty of the area and it is now a commercial and residential hub of activity! You have your pick of just about any type of restaurant or bar in the CWE including Bar Italia Restorante, Dressel’s Pub, Eau Bistro, Herbie’s Vintage 1972, India’s Rasoi, Liluma, Little Saigon Cafe, Llywelyn’s Pub, Pi Pizzeria, Scape, Sub Zero Vodka Bar, The Tenderloin Room, and Wild Flower Restaurant.

Enjoy your time in my hometown…and let me know if there is any other information I can provide to enhance your visit!!

Copyright 2011. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

In cleaning up my “virtual office” over a holiday weekend, I reconnected with this article that Deborah Elms of Imprinted Originals wrote for her blog. I couldn’t have said this better myself…so I’ll let her tell you the story!

STEP RIGHT UP …. TO A NEW LEVEL OF PRESENTATION!

Skillfully used banter, a winning personality, and an engaging manner are all tools the smiling woman uses to draw people into your booth.

Then she presents a carefully crafted demonstration of your new product or most profitable service – as she has at regular intervals, unflaggingly and adroitly, for the past two days at your number one industry trade show.

Who is this woman, what is she doing there, and what can she help you achieve?

She could be one of any number of presenters but let’s say it was Emilie Barta, one of the top trade show presentation professionals in the country.

I spoke with Barta recently, after having made her acquaintance through trade show-oriented discussions in Twitter. Of course, I was looking for input on how she, and others like her, could help my clients.

“Launching a brand new product, introducing a new version of an existing product, doing something different than your competition, and ensuring that attendees know about your service offerings are just a few ways in which a professional trade show presenter can assist you in your trade show marketing efforts,” Barta told me.

She continued, “numerous studies have shown that trade shows offer one of the most cost-effective ways to reach a large number of prospects, all at one time, all in one place, so why not work with someone who can take full advantage of that situation?”

Why not just use your own staff?

First, this sort of focused, dynamic exchange may be a stretch for them, and you’d be better off hiring a high energy professional who is an expert at gathering a crowd of attendees and keeping them engaged while answering individual questions.

In addition, the time professional presenters have spent learning about your products and services means they can help pre-qualify prospects before handing them off to appropriate company employees.

This means your staff can focus their time where they will produce the greatest results: creating relationships with “hot leads” in more detailed conversations and connecting more deeply with existing customers.

Professional presenters can also help in trade show preparations.

They can assist with honing your message into an effective script, as someone who has been there/done that and knows what works.

They can provide invaluable input, working with your booth designer, on strategic staging layout to optimize traffic flow, interest and interaction with your booth staff. And they can even help select appropriate giveaways to reinforce your message well after prospects leave the trade show.

And one last thing I learned from Emilie Barta? Services such as hers probably cost a lot less than you think. A focused marketing message + great booth design + a well trained staff + a professional presenter = a recipe for success!

**Many thanks to Deborah Elms for interviewing me for the article and describing my passion with such eloquence!**

Copyright 2011. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

Panel discussions have gotten a bad wrap…but I think that they are very enlightening, PROVIDED that they are comprised of positive-minded individuals who have an engaging personality and are very open and honest in their story-telling.

I think one of the key things we are missing here is that we title these “panel DISCUSSIONS,” yet if every panel member comes with prepared answers to stock questions, how is that discussing? The best panels are comprised of individuals who all have a passion for the topic and share their thoughts and solutions with each other and the audience. And when the audience gets involved and shares their thoughts and solutions…a true collaborative learning environment is created.

The way to make a panel work? Turn it into a think tank where you have several thought leaders sharing their perspective to see a variety of solutions to the topic that you are discussing. Engage the audience by continuously allowing them to “chime in” with their opinions and ask questions. Have a professional host/moderator who can keep the conversation moving forward, build upon the momentum throughout the discussion, and ensure that many voices are heard. Interact with the virtual audience by giving their comments and questions a voice. And most of all…make sure it is a conversation/discussion and not a slew of commentators. Then it will work!

So next time you are putting together a panel…put together a think tank of walking/talking case studies instead!

**Many thanks to Michael McCurry’s blog post and Kevin Priger’s LinkedIn question for helping me to organize my thoughts for this post**

Copyright 2011. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

Whenever a video camera is turned on, people tend to do one of two things: they either light-up or they clam-up. With today’s success of video marketing and the plethora of opportunities to get your message out by being interviewed, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure a more comfortable experience.

• RELAX – Take a deep breath and remember that the interviewer is on your side and wants to assist you in getting your message out to the public.
• SMILE – Non-verbal cues assist a viewer in determining how they feel about what you are saying, so a natural smile will add a positive impression to your message.
• BE NATURAL – Don’t let a piece of equipment change your personality or how you act on a day-to-day basis. If you act natural, your message will be more readily received.
• HAVE A CHAT – The interviewer is merely asking you questions to assist you in getting your message out to the viewing public. So think of it as having a casual chat as opposed to a serious interview and you will naturally loosen up and be more conversational.
• REALIZE THE CAMERA IS ONE PERSON – Oftentimes interviewees put pressure on themselves by imagining that a huge audience is listening to them. But actually the camera is merely one person with whom you are having an intimate conversation.
• MAKE EYE-CONTACT – Now that you realize that the camera is only one person, make eye-contact with the interviewer and the camera as you would naturally do so while having a chat with two people.
• PREPARE YOUR MESSAGING – Make sure you know what you want to say before you say it, and repeat the messaging every time you are interviewed for consistency purposes.
• BE SHORT, SWEET, AND TO THE POINT – Remember that the majority of an interview ends up on the cutting room floor due to time considerations. So the quicker you make your points, the more of the interview will be included in the final project.
• NO MORE MARKETING MUMBLE JUMBLE - One of the easiest ways to be short, sweet, and to the point is to speak in actual words that people use in everyday conversation. Using big marketing words to appear intelligent backfires if your audience doesn’t understand what you are saying, and can actually impart a negative impression if they can’t repeat your messaging.

Make sense? The more comfortable you are with the camera during an interview, the more responsive the viewing public will be to your messaging.

So sit back, relax, and have fun…lights, camera, action!

**Many thanks to Lindsay Fultz of Middle Child New Media for encouraging me to write this post**

Copyright 2011. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

35 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute and 2 billion videos are viewed each month on Facebook. Brands are taking advantage of this new advertising and promotion format…so why aren’t you?

Promo videos allow your company messaging to reach trade show attendees who are on-site, and your potential customers who were unable to travel to the show. Linking to promo videos before, during, and after a trade show on your social media pages and on a custom landing page on your website allows you to:

1. generate interest in and drive traffic to your booth
2. announce promotions/contests that are occurring on the trade show floor, explain how to particpate, and announce the winners
3. showcase product demonstrations
4. capture impromptu customer testimonials
5. provide industry education or statements on key trends by influential industry experts
6. put a name and a face on your company, your product/service, your personnel to establish trust
7. make connections with potential customers and continue building relationships with existing customers
8. document your trade show experience
9. continue marketing your company/product/service well after the trade show has closed
10. increase your search engine ranking and provide multiple opportunities for backlinks

Promo videos integrated with your social media strategy continue the momentum started at the trade show, build upon the excitement generated at the show, and maximize your reach to your audience. But don’t forget…you need content, it must portray a positive impression of your company, it needs to support your company messaging, and it can not have an expiration date!

Copyright 2011. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

Hiring trade show talent is a wise investment for an exhibitor to make…after all they are the ”trade show” professionals. There is no other medium like a trade show, and companies must market and behave accordingly. Unfortunately, too many exhibitors do not realize the nuances of trade show marketing, and do not have a successful show as a result. Supplementing booth staff with trade show talent is a great way to overcome this problem.

When you hire outside talent to supplement your booth staff, these individuals have to be held accountable for the same level of dedication and success, if not more than, your company employees. Thorough screening must be done before hiring anyone from outside the company, or else you just have another bad booth staffer. An experienced, results driven trade show professional will make a huge difference in the success of your trade show marketing strategy; just as an inexperienced, cheap, lazy, or not bright person will be a waste of money, if not detrimental to the success of your show.

But too many individuals say that they are trade show professionals, so it is up to you to really research the person(s) you are selecting to represent your company. Whether you are hiring a hostess, crowd gatherer, sales assistant, product demonstrator, or presenter…you must make sure that these individuals have trade show experience, have a good work ethic, have a passion for their job, have an image that matches the image of your company, is results oriented, and is there to make your strategic marketing plan a success.

After all, you are hiring trade show talent to be a part of your team and to represent your brand…so always remember that you get what you pay for!

I recently received an email from a trade show exhibitor who stumbled across my article entitled A Smiling Staff Equals a Successful Trade Show. She agreed with the article, but unfortunately has to work with a booth staffer who is the exact opposite of the Safelite Auto Glass company employees I highlighted. So she ended her email by asking ”How do I rein him in without being like a mother hen and nag. We have no reporting structure between us. And other than ‘telling on him’ to our ‘boss’, do you have any suggestions?”

I presented her with three ideas on how to handle a staffer who gets bored easily and behaves unprofessional when the “boss” is not looking:

1. See if there is any other person in the organization who could staff the booth in lieu of this bad booth staffer who would appreciate the opportunity to meet with potential customers face-to-face, behave appropriately, and recognize the value of trade shows.
2. Have a conversation with the President or Vice President and have them put together a list of goals and expectations for the show…including manners, etiquette, behavior expectations, as well as qualified lead goals and appointment setting goals (if applicable)…as a subtle way to get the point across as to what is acceptable and unacceptable booth behavior.
3. Tell him to leave the booth when he starts mis-behaving. Turn the negative into a positive by harnessing his energy and using it for good by giving him a task list to accomplish away from the booth…checking out the competition, schmoozing with attendees that he knows that are just walking around, sending a pre-written email as an on-site follow-up to the leads already collected. That way he will not take away from the professionalism that has been established at the booth, and he will take advantage of the slow time to get something productive accomplished for the trade show team.

So what do you think? What advice would you offer as to how to handle a bad booth staffer?

Copyright 2010. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

There are many methods exhibitors use to get attendees to stop by their booth. No matter what method you use, you should always start by thinking of how you can stimulate the 5 senses of the attendees. According to the Free Dictionary by Farlex, the definition of sense is a “faculty by which external or internal stimuli are conveyed to the brain centers, where they are registered as sensations.” Since the 5 senses are conveyed to the brain, it only makes sense for an exhibitor to utilize these senses to gain the attention of the attendees who are walking down the aisles of the trade show floor.

Let’s start with SIGHT.
Think about the old saying “I’ve got to see it to believe it!” Attendees don’t want to hear about how great a product is, they want to see it in action as proof that it really works. Show the attendees how quick, easy, efficient, cost-effective your product is to use in order to pique their curiosity, then engage them in conversation to find out how your product can benefit them. Voila…you now have a hot lead!

If your company provides a service as opposed to a physical product, show the attendees case studies and results that your customers have achieved as a result of using your service. Services are more difficult to showcase than products on the trade show floor, so you must show how well your service works, how much success your service brings to your customers, and how easy it is to work with your company, i.e. the provider of the service.

Seeing is believing so be sure to show the attendees why they need to start doing business with you!

Here is an example of how an exhibitor evoked the sense of sight while showcasing a PRODUCT at a trade show:
My client, MAQUET, offers a high-end surgical table called MAGNUS which is relatively new to the US market and costs more than the average surgical table due to all of its features and benefits. If an attendee is coming down the aisle and spots it, they may think to themselves “oh look, another surgical table” and keep on walking. So what do I do as MAQUET’s Presenter? I not only tell them about the features and benefits unique to MAGNUS…I have a Project Manager on stage with me to operate the surgical table and show the attendees how it will make their surgeries quicker and more comfortable for both them and their patient.

It is so much fun to see the attendees’ faces light up when I tell them that MAGNUS can articulate to 80 degrees in trendelenburg and reverse trendelenburg…but even more fun to see their mouths drop open when we show them the table in those extreme articulations. When I tell the attendees that MAGNUS has fast knee-chest positioning, they may think to themselves “yeah right…that’s what they all say.” But when we physically show them how quick and easy it is to make the adjustments to the table, they believe what I say. In fact, I have had attendees time us and be amazed at the results…because we are showing them the proof that they request, on site, in the spur of the moment. You can not fake that…and the attendees appreciate the fact that we showed them what they asked to see.

On top of that, we invite attendees to challenge us with a surgery and then we put the table in the appropriate position for that surgery. Many attendees have taken pictures of the table in their requested position back to their hospitals to show the person with the checkbook why MAGNUS is worth the money, rather than just telling them about it.

And here is an example of how an exhibitor evoked the sense of sight while showcasing a SERVICE at a trade show:
I worked with LasermaxRoll Systems, the undisputed leader in automated paper handling, monitoring, and processing equipment for the digital printing industry, at Graph Expo. Rather than do a presentation on their equipment like many of the other exhibitors on the show floor, I talked about the services that they offer their customers in order to differentiate them from their competition. The entire presentation consisted of case studies about their customers and how working with LasermaxRoll Systems made their production process quicker, easier, and/or cheaper…this showed the attendees proof of the claims that LasermaxRoll Systems was making.

I also introduced the attendees to LasermaxRoll Systems’ partners and showed how working with these partners also provided beneficial solutions to the customers. This presentation showed the attendees that LasermaxRoll Systems is a solution provider as opposed to merely an equipment manufacturer.

Oftentimes attendees knew of the customers that were profiled, which showed them even more proof that LasermaxRoll Systems’ solutions work. And every once in a while, a customer that I profiled in the presentation was actually standing in the booth! This showed the attendees just how strongly the customers believed in using LasermaxRoll Systems as their digital printing solution provider.

So let the attendees SEE for themselves just how your product or service will make their life better by enticing them into your booth through the sense of SIGHT!

Copyright 2010. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

I just returned from NAFA Institute & Expo in Detroit, and was once again pleased to see a trade show with increased attendance numbers from 2009. While walking along the show floor, I noticed three different types of exhibitors: those that “got it” and made their presence known to the attendees; those that did not seem to care at all, did nothing to attract attendees, and consequently complained about the show; and those that knew the value of exhibiting, did a good job, and received enough leads to satisfy the checkbook, but did not do anything to stand out from the crowd. This last group was by far the largest type of exhibitor at the show, and although I felt they made a good effort, they could really learn a thing or two.

And the company that they could learn from is Safelite Auto Glass. Safelite brought 5 company employees to the show, which seems like a lot for a 10×10 booth. But all 5 had their individual roles to play, and there were never more than 3 in the booth at a time. As you can see from the picture, they all wore the same booth “uniform” and came dressed with the best accessory of all…a big smile! They acted as if they were excited to be at the show and were constantly engaging the attendees. In fact, very few attendees made it past their booth without getting at least a “hello” from a Safelite booth staffer. They were running a contest which not only allowed them to interact with the attendees, but the attendees to interact with other attendees. Basically, they liked being at the trade show…and attendees liked being in their booth!

In fact, in speaking to the Safelite booth staff, they told me that they come to the show to have fun…with their current customers to continue the relationship building process and with potential customers to show them just how easy it is to work with Safelite. Did  you notice what the 1st thing out of their mouth was? “We come here to have fun!”

There is no better way to ruin a trade show experience than to have the wrong staffers in your booth. They are the people who “make it or break it!” All the money in the world cannot make up for a lack of excitement, dedication, knowledge, or desire to succeed within the people who are standing in your booth and promoting your company. If your booth staffers are not welcoming and ready to engage the attendees of a show, the attendees (i.e. potential customers) will just walk on by the booth. Talk about a missed opportunity!

So take a lesson from Safelite…and remember to have fun at your next trade show!! 

Copyright 2010. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.

The place that birthed my trade show career has taken a lot of abuse lately due to political, union, and cost concerns. I have a “glass half full” personality, so I believe that everyone can work together to get everything worked out to benefit all parties involved. 

In the meantime, I want to show McCormick Place some love:

• McCormick Place is located just outside the heart of downtown Chicago, so it is easier to get into and out of than some other convention centers
• McCormick Place has the most square footage of convention space contained under one roof (2.6 million square feet precisely), therefore it is the largest convention center in the US
• McCormick Place is an architecturally lovely building full of expansive spaces
• there are windows in all 4 halls of McCormick Place so it has a light, bright, and airy feel and I never feel like I am trapped in a tomb
• the ceilings are extremely high (40-50+ feet) which allows for double-decker booths and does not give McCormick Place a cave-like feeling
• the 4 halls are named North, South, East, and West which allows for easy distinction when a trade show fills more than one of them
• all 4 halls are attached so it is convenient to get from one to another and you never have to be exposed to bad weather
• the Grand Concourse Lobby is light-filled (so excellent for photography) and has 35,836 square feet of space which can be used for registration
• the West building has attained LEED Certification and McCormick Place has taken part in many green initiatives designed to help the environment
• there are a great amount of bathrooms, they are easily located, and they are always clean
• in fact, I consider McCormick Place to be one of the cleanest convention centers I have ever visited
• there are many options for meeting rooms (173 to be exact), and they are easy to locate
• McCormick Place is attached to the Hyatt Regency, which allows for even more meeting room, coffee, and dining options…and the best commute if you are lucky enough to score one of the 800 sleeping rooms there during a trade show
• as a Presenter, I have never had a problem with interference on my microphone
• McCormick Place has received many awards for excellence in convention business
• there are many out-of-the-way locations if you need a quiet place to make a phone call, conduct business, or take a rest
• there are many places to host a tweet-up

And why I think Chicago is a great city to host a trade show:

• Chicago has 2 airports so it is very easy to get a direct flight into the city
• Chicago is centrally located in the middle of the country, so it is not too far or too expensive to get to it, and trade shows have the ability to attract attendees from all across the US
• Chicago has tons of hotel and restaurant choices which are all centrally located
• Chicago is a “walking” city and very easy to navigate by foot
• there are lots of “tourist” and shopping options if you want to extend your stay or bring along your family…but you don’t have to fight with the tourists for reservations or space
• I have always found the shuttle busses to run quickly and conveniently…and they have a secret route that no one else can use to ensure more timely pick-ups and drop offs
• taxis, shuttle busses, and cars can get into and out of it quickly
• the Metro stops at McCormick Place…and oftentimes trade shows even offer free passes
• Chicago has such a rich history of trade shows, so the hospitality industry knows how to service the conventioneers
• the taxi cab companies provide their drivers with a list of the trade shows and the drivers make the conventioneers their priority when trade shows are in town

So what do you think? Help me show some love for McCormick Place and Chicago to give the powers-that-be the incentive to figure out how to keep existing shows in Chicago and attract new ones!

And special thanks to Eric Lukazewski, a Chicago native, for being my sounding board on this article!!

Copyright 2010. This article may be shared or referenced as long as the source is cited and linked. No portion of this article may be copied or reproduced without express written permission by the author.