There’s nothing middle-of-the-road when it comes to holding meetings in the Land of Lincoln. With its combination of glittering city style and laid-back, small-town living, Illinois offers association groups the opportunity to move at their own pace.
Aiming for some reflective time? Or shooting for a dynamic site for networking? In Illinois, there are all kinds of settings to match the exact business at hand.
Chicago: Universally Admired
Chicago is a star. It’s got a musical named after it, is still appreciated for its stunning architecture and has been wowing visitors from home and abroad since the 1893 World’s Fair. It’s no wonder, then, that so many association groups flock there for their meetings: Chicago still has the power to impress.
Like any major city of its standing, a wide array of excellent meeting hotels welcome groups. The Hyatt/Chicago–Magnificent Mile and Hyatt Regency/McCormick Place are still riding high a year after finishing major, multimillion-dollar renovations, while two other big brands unveiled their renovation efforts this summer: the W/Chicago Lakeshore, which underwent a $38 million redesign, and the historic Palmer House Hilton, which dates back to 1871 and is enjoying the praise from a $215 million restoration project.
New buildings include the Thompson Hotel; the Kinzie Hotel (formerly the Amalfi Hotel Chicago), with 215 guest rooms and three small meeting rooms; and the Godfrey Hotel Chicago. In other hotel news, the 1924 Allerton Hotel is now the Warwick Allerton Hotel Chicago; the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel has updated its lobby; and a Loews Hotel is scheduled to open downtown in January 2015 with 400 guest rooms and 25,000 square feet of event space.
The giant McCormick Place convention center continues to be the hub for many visiting groups and events including, more recently, the Antiques Roadshow, the American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees Convention and the North American Bitcoin Conference. It boasts 2.6 million square feet of function space.
When the sun’s shining, attendees tend to gravitate toward the water, which makes the city’s top attraction—historic Navy Pier on Lake Michigan—all the more appealing. Venues include Festival Hall, which has 170,100 square feet of exhibition space, and Lakeview Terrace, which can accommodate up to 1,000 people. Also at the pier, Shoreline Sightseeing has been entertaining visitors with tours and cruises for 75 years.
In the downtown Loop community, the much-admired Millennium Park is home to gardens, the controversial Crown Fountain, the iconic Cloud Gate sculpture and various event spaces, the largest of which is the 4,000-seat Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Other attractions that welcome special group functions include the Field Museum, for up to 7,500; the nearby Shedd Aquarium, with event space for up to 1,200; and the Adler Planetarium, which can accommodate groups of up to 1,000 people.
The landmark Wrigley Field has private event areas for up to 1,000 and stadium seating for 41,160. Within walking distance is the Majestic Hotel, which wrapped up a renovation this spring and offers executive meeting space for up to 25. Other sports venues include U.S. Cellular Field, which offers groups a Conference & Learning Center for up to 160 people, and the 63,000-seat Soldier Field.
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Forum has more than 22,000 square feet of event space, and Loyola University Chicago has spaces ready to host groups of up to 5,000. Also popular is a downtown, street-level convention center, Plante Moran, which provides 13,000 square feet of space.
O’Hare & The North Shore: Top Stops
O’Hare International Airport isn’t just a major transport hub that makes visiting this part of the world easy; both it and the surrounding suburbs are also proven destinations in their own right, with plenty of places to stay and meet. The Hilton/Chicago O’Hare Airport—connected to domestic terminals and a train to downtown—recently completed a renovation of its meeting spaces.
Meanwhile, in nearby Rosemont, the Donald E. Stephens Conference Center has 840,000 square feet of space and is connected to the Hyatt Regency/O’Hare. Also in Rosemont is Allstate Arena, which can seat up to 18,500, and the 200,000-square-foot MB Financial Park. The InterContinental/Chicago O’Hare has been rebranded as the Loews/Chicago O’Hare, and the Westin/O’Hare has completed a $22 million renovation (including the addition of meeting space) to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
In Itasca is the Westin/Chicago Northwest. And just north, in Elk Grove Village, Belvedere Events & Banquets has 15,000 square feet of space for events of up to 1,000. In nearby Schaumburg, the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel is one of the area’s largest meeting hotels. Farther north, in Hoffman Estates, groups can meet at the 11,800-seat Sears Centre Arena or at the Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre, which has 17,000 square feet of space. Fifteen miles northwest of the airport, the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows can host groups of up to 1,000, and nearby Arlington Heights is home to Arlington Park, a horse-racing complex with 100,000 square feet of indoor space. In Buffalo Grove, the Arboretum Club offers 27,000 square feet of space.
Near Libertyville, the 19,000-square-foot Independence Grove Visitors Center has seven event spaces. Three miles away, in Mundelein, the University of St. Mary of the Lake has a conference center for up to 300. To the north, the Cultural & Civic Center of Round Lake Beach has indoor space for as many as 550 and a natural outdoor amphitheater that can accommodate up to 3,000. In Gurnee, choices include the KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort and Six Flags Great America. And in Waukegan, the historic 2,416-seat Genesee Theatre has 4,600 square feet of space.
Northeastern Illinois: A Variety of Venues
Organizations that meet in this part of the world are a varied bunch; two groups that have recently gathered in Lisle are the Illinois Principals Association and the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois. The city also offers the newly renovated Sheraton/Lisle (formerly a Wyndham). One of the attractions in town is the 1,700-acre Morton Arboretum, whose Ginkgo Restaurant has lake views and can host private events.
To the east, in Oak Park, event venues include the neoclassical Arts Center, with a 700-seat auditorium, and the 1913 Cheney Mansion, which was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, offers groups 12,000 square feet of space. Associations with architecture aficionados might look to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, which offers bicycling tours around Oak Park with stops at 22 of his buildings.
The Maywood Park Racetrack in Melrose Park can host up to 15,000 attendees, and in nearby Northlake, the Midwest Conference Center has 35,000 square feet of meeting space. In Addison, the 130,000-square-foot Odeum Sports & Expo Center can seat up to 5,000 people. Farther southwest, in Glen Ellyn, the 88,000-square-foot Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center welcomes all types of events.
In Oakbrook Terrace, the main meeting facility is the Drury Lane Theatre & Conference Center, which offers 50,000 square feet of space and can host groups of up to 294. Adjacent to the theater is the newly renovated Hilton Garden Inn/Chicago–Oakbrook Terrace. In neighboring Oak Brook, Le Méridien/Chicago–Oakbrook Center (formerly a Renaissance) has reopened next to the Oakbrook Shopping Center after a $20 million transformation. And this summer, the Oak Brook Hills Resort was reflagged as the Hilton Chicago Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center.
About 30 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, in Bolingbrook, the Bolingbrook Golf Club has an award-winning course and a 76,000-square-foot clubhouse. Hotels include the SpringHill Suites, which was recently renovated and offers a boardroom. Closer to downtown Chicago, in Bridgeview, the Toyota Park soccer stadium can seat up to 28,000 and has 42 executive suites available for private events; nearby, in Palos Hills, planners can utilize Moraine Valley Community College’s 600-seat Dorothy Menker Theater. In Orland Park, the Orland Park Civic Center has event space for up to 500 guests, and in Tinley Park, the Tinley Park Convention Center has 70,000 square feet of event space. In University Park, Governors State University makes available its 1,171-seat theater at the Center for Performing Arts, and in Lynwood there’s 100,000 square feet of space at the Ho-Chunk Sports Complex.
Big groups often meet in the state’s second-biggest city, Aurora, just 40 miles to the west of Chicago. Event venues include the 70,000-square-foot Two Brothers Roundhouse, a brewery and entertainment venue listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the 1931 Paramount Theatre, which can seat nearly 2,000. Planners can organize a day trip to nearby Geneva, which boasts event sites such as the 7,400-seat Fifth Third Bank Ballpark and the Eagle Brook Country Club, which can host groups of up to 300 people.
To the north, in St. Charles, the 95-acre Q Center has more than 150,000 square feet of meeting space. Another major venue is the Pheasant Run Resort. More than 22,000 square feet of space is available at the Advanced Center for Training and attached Hilton Garden Inn, and the LEED-certified Hickory Knolls Discovery Center has space for up to 150 and encourages visitors to explore its 130 acres of gardens, wetlands and woodlands. Ten miles away, in Elgin, the Hemmens Cultural Center has an 11,430-square-foot exhibit hall, and Elgin Community College offers several spaces including an events center for up to 2,500 and a 250-seat auditorium.
Rockford & the Quad Cities: Something for Everyone
What do the Midwest Insulation Contractors Association, the Family Motor Coach Association and the Illinois Public Airports Association have in common? They’ve all held meetings in Galena, up in the state’s northwest corner.
The Midwest Insulation Contractors Association held its annual spring convention at the Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, an event that attracted 156 members as well as their children. “All of our contractor members are from the Midwest, so whenever we can, we have the event close to home,” said Cindy Shimerda, the group’s executive secretary. “Many more attendees are able to attend since more of them drive instead of air travel.”
This year’s agenda included an on-site golf tournament, a past-presidents’ dinner in town at One Eleven Main restaurant and a spouses program that featured a tour of downtown and a visit to the U.S. Grant Museum.
Eagle Ridge is newly renovated and offers various recreational options, part of what makes it enticing for visiting groups—it has four golf courses, fishing, a spa and dining options. Other venues in town include the Chestnut Mountain Resort; the Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, with three guest rooms and space for small events; the historic DeSoto House Hotel, with event space for up to 175; and the Ramada Galena Hotel & Day Spa, with function space for up to 320. About 15 miles away, in East Dubuque, the former Timmerman’s Hotel & Resort is now a Quality Inn.
Groups meeting in Rockford often hold their events at the Best Western Clock Tower Resort & Conference Center. Near the Rock River, the Coronado Performing Arts Center has a 2,310-seat theater, and a block away, the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center can host up to 400. Also downtown is the BMO Harris Bank Center (formerly the MetroCentre), which regularly hosts concerts and sports events and can be configured to seat up to 7,200 guests.
On the Illinois side of the Quad Cities area, you’ll find Moline and Rock Island. In 2013, the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) held its Great Lakes & Ohio Valley Joint Engineering Training Symposium (JETS) in the Quad Cities, and Roger Less, design branch chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rock Island District, praised the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau staff for helping put on an “excellent conference” for several reasons. “The experienced conference-planning staff was invaluable to someone like me, who is an engineer, not a conference planner,” he said. “Secondly, SAME was able to hold registration costs down for attendees while also meeting financial goals because the Quad Cities is a very cost-effective location to hold a conference. Incentives available through the CVB were also helpful in keeping costs at an attractive price point. Lastly, our SAME JETS was held in October, a time when the Mississippi River Valley is at its prime for fall foliage colors, and the weather was excellent throughout the conference week.”
In Moline, major venues include the iWireless Center, with 62,000 square feet of event space and, next door, the Radisson on John Deere Commons, which completed an extensive renovation last year. In nearby Rock Island, the Quad City Conservation Alliance Expo Center has 64,600 square feet of space, and the Jumer’s Casino & Hotel has new furnishings and gym equipment.
Central Illinois: Building on Success
In Peoria, located on the banks of the Illinois River, the biggest meetings are held at the Peoria Civic Center, which has 900,000 square feet of space. In June, the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts held its annual conference at the civic center, a “spectacular venue with a top-notch event coordinator,” said Cheri Breneman, the group’s administrator. Other organizations that have recently convened in town include the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association and the Illinois High School Association.
In hotel news, the Four Points by Sheraton/Peoria Downtown has closed to undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation but is expected to reopen in January 2015. A new Courtyard/Peoria Downtown opened downtown this summer. It is adjacent to the historic Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette Hotel, which reopened last year after a $70 million renovation. Both are connected to the civic center via skywalks.
Planners looking for unique off-site venues might consider the dome planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, which can seat up 64 people for dinner, and the Spirit of Peoria paddle-wheeler, which can host up to 487. In East Peoria, plenty of free-time fun is on offer at the Bass Pro Shops complex, which has restaurants; an underwater-themed, 12-lane bowling alley; a 25,000-gallon aquarium; an archery range and a shooting arcade; a boat showroom; and, of course, extensive shopping.
About 50 miles west, in Galesburg, venues include the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Lake Storey Pavilion, which can seat up to 350. To the southwest, Macomb is home to Western Illinois University, whose University Union can host as many as 1,200 attendees.
Bloomington and Normal stand together as twin meetings hubs, with many venues spread out between the two. There’s plenty of space on the Illinois State University campus—some 74,000 square feet. One of the area’s largest meeting hotels is the Bloomington–Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, which is located next to the university. It is also attached to the historic 385-seat Normal Theater. Alternately, groups can head to the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, with 14,500 square feet of space including theater seating for up to 1,200 people, or the 8,000-seat U.S. Cellular Coliseum, which has 25,000 square feet of space.
In Decatur, 45 miles directly south of Bloomington, the 300-acre Progress City USA complex is an outdoor exposition center that hosts the huge Farm Progress Show every other year (next in 2015). Team-building activities can be held at the Rock Springs Conservation Area’s trust course.
About 50 miles southeast of Bloomington is Champaign, a convenient destination for groups whose attendees hail from Illinois and neighboring Indiana. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, venues include the 60,670-seat Memorial Stadium, which also offers luxury boxes to groups or space at its Colonnades Club.
Springfield & Southern Illinois: Meetings Great & Small
As the state capital, Springfield welcomes various organizations to town each year, many of them to lobby. Recent visitors have included the Illinois Principals Association, the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem and the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40.
The main site for events is the Prairie Capital Convention Center, which completed a $15.8 million renovation project last year. The center has 21,000 square feet of meeting space on its lower level, an additional 44,000 square feet of column-free exhibit space and is connected to what is now the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
Other choices include the Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois/Springfield; the bi-level Expo Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, which was built in 1894 for the State Fair and today offers groups 60,000 square feet of space; and the 40,000-square-foot Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, which offers areas for receptions, dinners and meetings.
Met With the Best of Intentions
When helping associations organize a meeting, Illinois convention bureaus leave nothing to chance, which means that planners can coordinate their details and rest easy knowing that attendees will have everything they could need or want. Here, in a state that has taken care of U.S. presidents from Lincoln to Obama, association groups will be in the hands of experienced hosts who take hospitality to heart.