In a city as diverse as Chicago, it helps to have experts to whittle down the many possibilities for groups. Local DMCs are quick to tout the interesting ways groups can experience Chicago’s multidimensional appeal.
Chicago Is…
(www.chicagois.com) Chicago impresses groups with stunning architecture and a beautiful lakefront setting, according to Michael O’Connor, president of Chicago Is…, a DMC that has focused on special events for 30 years.
“People see the architecture of Chicago and say, ‘Wow, what a beautiful place,’” he says. “We try to get people on the river or the lake, whether it’s a boat trip, a river cruise or an event at Navy Pier.
O’Connor points to standout venues such as Millennium Park; Wrigley Field, which recently opened the venue to groups with a new special event section; and the soaring John Hancock Building, where his company recently arranged a 1,000-person corporate event that took place on the top three floors.
“It was mainly international visitors, and they really appreciated it because they never get up to a floor that high,” he says. “It was a gangster-themed party; the men had fedora hats and the ladies wore beads, and the music, since we’re Chicago, was blues.”
Total Event Resources
(www.total-event.com) Total Event Resources, specializing in DMC services, event production, experiential learning, meeting production/corporate communications, entertainment production, and meeting management, is dedicated to knowing industry trends and setting them, according to Kathy Miller, the firm’s president.
The company launched interactive cooking experiences long before they became all the rage, Miller says, and now hosts make-your-own-salsa tournaments, grill-offs and Chicago-style pizza-making competitions.
The Ambitious Race, modeled after the reality TV show The Amazing Race and based on the participating company’s message, the ambition of the organization, was one of Total Event Resources’ most recent success stories.
“It was 550 people divided into 58 teams, and the challenges were driven by company messages and experiencing Chicago’s sights,” Miller says. “One was getting to Wrigley Field, for example, where they had a chewing-gum-blowing contest.”
Some of Miller’s favorite event venues are the Field Museum, where one gathering included gifting guests with an artist’s painting of the museum’s impressive exterior; Millennium Park, where the firm has held receptions on the Pritzker Pavilion stage, with entertainment provided by local violinists of Musical Strings of Youth; and Entourage in Schaumburg, where one of Miller’s events featured gifts of hand-painted martini glasses with a bottle of Pravda Vodka.
