Fortunately for the attendees of the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), it’s located in the heart of one of the greatest cities in North America — Chicago.
Meghan Risch, the VP of Communications at Choose Chicago recognizes the value of the show coming to town. “IMTS is one of our largest conventions. This year it’s going to bring about 90,000 attendees from more than 100 countries. They bring more than $200 million in direct expenditures to the city. So this is a welcome piece of business to the city.”
When most think of Chicago, there’s a tendency to picture it in the shadow of New York, America’s financial and cultural mecca. But this city has history. Ironically, after much of the city was scorched to the ground in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, a period of great prosperity began. New buildings shot up, using steel instead of wood, and the city quickly became a massive trade and industry hub. The good times continued to roll right into the roaring ‘20s when Al Capone and his cronies established Chicago as the capital of the bootlegging world during prohibition. Today Chicago continues to grow as one of the greenest cities in America and is finding innovative ways to incorporate renewable energy despite its hardened industrial past. Fitting logic for the “Windy City”.
So clearly being labeled the country’s “second city” is a bit misguided as it’s the gateway to the country’s Midwest and a hotbed of cultural, historical and sports attractions. The city may fly under the radar, but its features are just as impressive, if not more so, than it’s counterparts in New York, Los Angeles, or Toronto.
Buckingham Fountain
The Chicago culture club
Some of the finest draws in the city are its cultural ones.
“I always recommend to anyone coming for a meeting or a convention to experience our museum campus,” Risch says.
“Because if you have some downtime during the show you can walk from McCormick Place, along the lakefront and access the campus. And it’s a beautiful walk, beautiful green space. We’re very fortunate, we’ve taken advantage, we’ve built-up our lakefront and we encourage people to use it.”
Second City
One such museum, the famous Art Institute of Chicago, is home to some of the best pieces by the world’s greatest artists. Works by Jackson Pollock, Picasso, and Claude Monet line the walls of this 19th century Michigan Avenue building. In addition to the Art Institute, there are a slew of great theatres to visit in downtown Chicago, including the Goodman Theatre, which is the city’s oldest and largest not-for-profit theatre.
Comedy, dining and nightlife abound
Of course art galleries and classic theatre can lack the stimulation other attractions provide. For more excitement there are plenty of other options. Second City is the famous Chicago-based comedy troupe, which has produced some of the greatest names the business has ever seen. Names like John Belushi and Bill Murray are synonymous with the outfit as are some iconic Canadians, such as Eugene Levy, John Candy and Martin Short.
“Second City is a must! Whether it’s your first time or your tenth time to Chicago,” says Risch. “They have a new comedy club called Up. They have shorter run shows, and they offer food and drink there; wher at the original Second City it’s just cocktails. So it’s a different type of experience.”
The Lincoln Park Zoo can also claim the mantle of the country’s oldest public zoo, with nearly three million visitors a year making their way to the 35-acre oasis. And the best part? It’s free, thanks to donations from its members.
Architectural buffs will also enjoy some of the city’s famous buildings representing the city’s industrial history, including the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), which for many years staked its claim as the world’s tallest structure. Or for less industrial-looking features, the Water Tower is one of Chicago’s most prolific buildings, even managing to withstand the destruction of the Great Fire.
Even IMTS itself is an event to behold. Hosted at beautiful McCormick Place with over 2.2 million square feet, the venue is home to the largest amount of exhibition space in North America, so it’s little wonder that so many trade shows find their way there.
At some point though, you’re going to need to eat. Chicago is widely considered one of the great culinary cities in the world, and the beauty is that everything from fine dining to comfort food is covered.
“We are exploding as what I like to call, an epicurean epicentre,” Risch says. “There are big name chefs. Stephanie Izard, Rick Bayliss, Graham Elliot. They’re not shuttering any restaurants here and going to the coast. They’re opening more restaurants. This is the place to be if you’re looking for a real dining experience.”
For those seeking something a little more refined, Chicago has a slew of restaurants to enjoy. Alinea, run by head chef Grant Achatz, features modern dining in the Lincoln Park area and is the city’s only restaurant with three Michelin stars for 2012. The list goes on of course, and much like any city, Chicago has its ethnic hotspots to explore, like Greektown, the Ukrainian Village and Little Italy, which make their own contributions to the great dining atmosphere.
And keep in mind that to go to Chicago and not indulge in their famous deep-dish style pizza would be a sin. The battle with New York continues to rage over which city can in fact serve the best slice of pie. Plus, owing to Chicago’s heavy eastern European background the city has become famous for its selecions of sausages and hot dogs at restaurants like The Weiner Circle – just don’t order ketchup on your dog or you’ll never hear the end of it!
Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears
And of course, there are plenty of options for the sports fan as well. For the baseball lover, few ballparks in the world match the timeless beauty of Wrigley Field. With its ivy-lined outfield and classic-looking façade, this historic stadium has been home to the Chicago Cubs since 1916 – unfortunately for their fans they’ve been losing there ever since. On the other hand, their crosstown rivals, the White Sox, won the World Series in 2005, so there is good baseball to be seen in the city! Apart from that, the NFL season will be alive and well in Chicago with the beloved Bears plying their trade at Soldier Field through the autumn and winter months.
So clearly Chicago has an abundance of features on offer. Whether it’s fine dining, an evening of laughs, or a baseball game there’s so much on offer in Chicago you’ll never have time to get to it all in one trip. But since IMTS is held every second year, at least you know your calendar will be full next time around.
