Chicago is a key destination for exhibitions and trade shows.  Home to the largest convention centre in America, it is visited by millions of visitors each year exhibiting at trade shows and exhibitions in the city each year.

With Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport being in the top 5 busiest airports in the world, Chicago is a city that home to big industry, big events, over 300,000 businesses and the world’s leading convention centres.  And with more people travelling to Chicago for overnight business than any other U.S. destination, it is a city many UK companies have found as a key destination in the trade show calendar.

Why Exhibit in Chicago

One main feature of exhibiting in Chicago is its accessibility to so many people. According to http://www.cvent.com “Its accessibility certainly plays a role in its popularity, as about 46 million people are within one day's drive of Chicago. These staggering numbers have a strong impact on the Chicago event-planning world.”

So within easy reach of upwards of 46 million people by car, and direct routes into the city from 150 destinations around the world, it has become a world class location for exhibiting.

Exhibition & Convention Centres in Chicago

The largest convention centre in the US is McCormick Place.  McCormick Place comprises four state of the art buildings, the West, South and North Buildings and Lakeside Center. These buildings have a combined total of 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, 1.2 million square feet all on one level, making it America’s largest convention centre.

Other venues for exhibiting in Chicago include:

Merchandise Mart - the iconic building in downtown Chicago host to the top Design shows in America http://themart.com

Navy Pier - an impressive location with a 1000m pier of the shoreline of Lake Michigan https://navypier.com

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center – a purpose built convention centre close to Chicago’s main international airport  http://www.rosemont.com/

Major shows held in Chicago include:

PACKEXPO - North America's largest packaging and processing show showcasing state-of-the art materials, machinery and methods for packaging and processing http://www.packexpo.com

CHICAGO BOAT, SPORTS & RV SHOW - Boat, RV & Sportshow http://www.chicagoboatshow.com

INTERNATIONAL HOME + HOUSEWARES SHOW - International Home and Housewares Show offers consumer lifestyle and product trends for all areas of the home. http://www.housewares.org

BEA - BOOKEXPO AMERICA - The largest publishing event in North America http://www.bookexpoamerica.com

INTERNATIONAL FLORICULTURE EXPO - International Trade Show dedicated to the Floral Industry http://www.floriexpo.com

Attending Trade Shows in Chicago

Is your next event in Chicago? If you are a UK based company exhibiting in Chicago during the 2017-2018 Trade show calendar, using a UK based exhibition company like POD Exhibitions can be a cost effective solution.

No matter the size of exhibition booth or space, we have been helping both UK and global companies with their trade show displays in Chicago.  With our T3 lightweight modular stands we can assist in all aspects of trade show planning from design to installation.  Talk our sales team about how we can help with exhibiting in Chicago.