The beautiful Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers is the perfect venue for your conference, convention, trade show, or any other collection of people!

I was there only last year at the huge BlogHer conference, and the meeting rooms were large, lovely, and equipped with comfortable chairs and tables.  Most important of all, in this day and age of technology, each room had plenty of outlets!

This venue also has WiFi throughout – both in the conference and restaurant areas AND in the hotel rooms.

This brings me to another point:  A conference venue is always best when the building is also a hotel!  It’s awkward and expensive if your attendees have to hail a cab to get from their hotel to the conference venue.

The Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers is right in the middle of downtown Chicago: handy to everything!

301 East North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611
Main 312-464-1000 Fax 312-464-9140

Click here for a virtual tour of the Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

Chicago’s Navy Pier is a fabulous convention center, mall, carnival, theater, riverfront, and you name it.  One thing it is not is a hotel, but there are many fine hotels within walking distance of the Pier.

From the Navy Pier website, here are its handy FAQ:

Frequently Asked Questions about Event Planning

6. Where do buses stage at Navy Pier?
There is no staging at Navy Pier. Our marshalling yard is located 31st Parking Lot (one block west of Lake Shore Drive. As an alternative, buses can stage on Elston Avenue between Potomac Avenue and LeMoyne Street.
Additional locations:

• 1200 South Canal Street (except Sundays) – parking available only on the east side of
  Canal Street, south of Roosevelt Road
• 420 South Franklin Street
• Clybourn Avenue at Division Street
• McCormick Place Marshalling Yard
  Click here for Motorcoach information.
  
  7. What are the height restrictions for the East and West Garages?
  The West garage is 6ft. 3 in., and East garage is 7ft. 9in.

  8. Where can I park when I drive to Navy Pier?
  Navy Pier’s on-site parking garages accommodate 1,740 vehicles. Please click here Parking, for detailed information on Navy Pier garages and prices.

  9. Where can I get a taxi?
  There is a taxi line formed throughout the day at the front of the Pier. There are cab phones available at Entrance 1 and 2.
  
  10. How do I get to Navy Pier?
  Click here for information about “Getting Here!”

  11. I have an event in Festival Hall or the Grand Ballroom, where should I be dropped off?
  Once you have arrived to Navy Pier, there is only one road leading you toward the East End, proceed down the North Dock to Entrance 2, which is the farthest drop off point at Navy Pier.
  
  12. If I wanted to buy Pier Park tickets in conjunction with my event, who do I need to speak to?
  Your Sales or Event Manager will gladly assist you in securing group tickets for Pier Park.

  13. Does the trolley service run all year long?
  Yes. Trolley hours vary based on time of year or events held at Navy Pier. Please click here to view current hours.

  14. How do I report or claim lost property?
  Click here to complete the claim form. We will contact you within 48 hours during the standard business work week (Monday through Friday).

  15. Is there a general information number for Navy Pier?
  Our general number is 312-595-PIER or 1-800-595-PIER.
  
  16. Where is the food court?
  Located at the front of the Pier in the Family Pavilion.

There are many different venues within the Navy Pier.

I have traveled to Chicago recently and had a chance to see McCormick Place up close and personal and I may get yet another chance to speak at an event there coming up in July.  The Association for Exhibit & Event Professionals is coming up on July 21-23, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois.

So what exactly is TSEA?  They have been around almost as long as I have which if you ask my daughter is like an eternity.  Their site better describes them:

"Since 1966 the Trade Show Exhibitors Association has provided knowledge to marketing and management professionals who use face to face marketing to promote and sell their products, as well as to those who supply them with products and services. We provide you with: Education, Advocacy, Promotion, Communication, Service, and member only discounts on a variety of products and services. Our programs, services and publications are designed to help you gain the necessary edge in exhibiting success. TSEA is led by a Board of Directors comprised of your professional peers, so you can always be assured that we understand your needs. Our tradeshow knowledge will help enable you to get the best return on your investment when exhibiting.

TSEA works aggressively on behalf of you, the EXHIBITOR, to insure that your rights are being protected and your opinions are not being ignored. We are the VOICE of exhibitors around the globe."

I want to speak about social media there and did the same or similar talk in Miami at the first of the year.  Chicago is a nice town and I like the facilities there at McCormick Place.  I may even get a chance to stay again at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and that might be the best part.

Tags: TSEA, Chicago, TS2, Hyatt Regency, McCormick Place

I have been wondering recently about public perception about trade shows and conventions being a perk or a "bonus."  We see the public calling for the heads of companies that are giving huge bonuses to their employees, and watching as they go to lavish resorts, etc.

I like the take that Will Ng has at MISoapbox about the recent breaking news of meeting and events being a perk.  He discusses the fact that even a gossip site like TMZ has jumped in with their pitchforks and torches.  This is obviously what is on the mind of everyone these days.  What do yo think?  Is a convention in Miami or Las Vegas or some great destination a perk?  Would it make a difference if the destination was not like a resort?  Chicago in winter, or some other non-getaway destination?  Perceptions are that its a party and even gossip sites are in on the fun.

Tags: Trade Shows, Conventions, Economy

I was talking to some conference organizers last night in Chicago where I will be speaking this year.  I was interested in their planning and how things were going with the event.  They had just signed a contract with a place and talked about its location and such on their conference blog.  They were indicating to me how they were unaware of the hidden costs of conferences and since this was their first try at scheduling and running a conference they were talking about their shock of the prices.

I believe this to be somewhat like getting your first car.  I was able to purchase an old clunker car when I turned 16.  I can still remember the excitement I had of the prospect of having something that was mine.  I was king of the world!  Then the reality of the other hidden things creeped in and ruined the moment.  Things like insurance, oil and gas costs, the cost of tires and all the other things that you don’t think of when you become a first time car buyer.

The conventions location where you hold your event may be quoting prices that you find exciting.  They turn out to be less than you imagined.  Wow!  The excitement sets in.  Then the other realities set in quickly.  In the case of the event planners I was speaking with, they were quickly set back by the costs of catering, equipment, and many other hidden fees that go along with the event’s location.

Tags: Trade shows, Conferences, Conventions, Event Planning, Vendors or and Suppliers

I had the opportunity to sit down and speak to Renee Jain (pictured left) of ICC Rents to discuss a little about what their company does and what they offer to convention, trade show and event planners.  ICC Rents began as a family owned business as the vision of Ganpat “Jim” Jain, Renee’s father, in Chicago in 1979. The company began as a computer rental company and has exploded into one of the top rental companies in the trade show world.  What was once only servicing the Chicago area and McCormick Place, now is nationwide and services all the major conventions centers from Orlando to Las Vegas to New York and L.A.  Renee can recall the business in her father’s den when they first started and talks about the long hours it took her father, and later her brother  Raj Jain, to build this business to its current state of a 24/7 full on customer service shop servicing the nation with over 100 employees.

ICC Rents is a company that can provide all of your technology needs from a laptop for your tradeshow booth to that 103″ Plasma TV or seamless Video Wall.  They provide all the back end support as well.  Once you rent a component, you can rest assured that it will be at your show, on time, working, and will be backed by support should anything go wrong.  They have touch screen monitors, interactive kiosks and just about anything that will set your tradeshow booth apart from the competition.  They can help get you noticed on the show floor.

I asked the simple question of “why can’t I just buy a television from the local store and use it?”  She was well prepared with a response and raised many questions I had not thought of, like extension chords, cables, set up and delivery, and many other reasons why renting is a smart investment for using a company like ICC Rents to handle your needs.  Technology becomes obsolete, many pieces of equipment break down and many other reason why having a support team is important in renting the proper equipment.  There are many hidden costs that she discussed as well.  They are truly knowledgeable in the industry and have become quite trusted in more areas than just for a tradeshow.  They have corporate clients that use their services as well for onsite training and setting up meeting and events.  I could not begin to cover all the areas where they can help you with your technology needs.

In addition, and because I am serial procrastinator, this statement she said stuck in my mind:

“We are the last minute provider” ~ Renee Jain

What she meant is that many people forget about something like a required hard case for that 50″ plasma TV for their wall, or they forget that they needed a wall mount for that television or of a cable needed to make it work. When this happens they can be there immediately to cure any forgotten item or to make sure your trade show booth comes off without a hitch.  I think am going to put that number in my pocket for my future trip to Vegas in September as chances are I’ll need it.  With 24/7 service such as theirs, I can rest easy because we all know I’ll forget something.  They can help.

ICC Rents handles any type of tradeshow and not just the technical market.  Everyone is needing technology to catch attention of convention attendees and tradeshow attendees.  She mentioned the bridal industry and agricultural industries and many other areas where technology can enhance your tradeshow experience and produce more leads.

Back in March of 2008, ICC Rents was merged with Smart Source Rentals, a powerful partner that has taken their service and their ability to service trade shows and conventions to the next level.  Give ICC Rents a call for your needs, be it a computer laptop to a wall mounted television to an interactive kiosk.  Tell them Convention Insider sent you!

I was thinking the other day about how event planners and convention planners choose the locations of their trade shows or events.  The title of this post is not intended to be an endorsement of Chicago as a place to choose for your next event but merely the name of the official site of the City of Chicago and the Chicago Conventions and Tourism Bureau.  The site talks about planning your next event:

Chicago offers an incredible range of venues for events as small as corporate board meetings to the largest trade shows and convention in the world. The one thing that every Chicago meeting has in common is the assurance that the city’s hospitality community is fully committed to its success.

The City of Chicago has McCormick Place located along Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, and the Arie Crown Theater.   If you think they can’t handle a large event I guess we could always wait and see how a show with 74,000 attendees does in the next few days.  The National Restaurant Association is holding an event at McCormick Place.

I really like the layout of their site and the ease of use it provides for Meeting Planners.  They have a great resource guide for the people in the industry and list them all out so they are easy to find.  With hundreds of businesses listed they also have them broken down into categories for a quick look at what you might need.  They make it nice to actually “Choose Chicago”.  Job well done for the people at CCTB.

With the ever popular reality television and the huge following of game shows out there in prime time television, it only stands to reason that a convention would benefit from the same type of excitement, hype and fun.  I’m talking about The Ultimate Game Show founded by Bryan Quinn.  Bryan Quinn  and his company are located in  Sacramento, California and they cater to all types of conventions, trade shows, corporate retreats and conferences across the country.  They have worked with a small groups of as many as 25 people up to huge conferences or trade shows and even Fortune 500 companies.  They inspire groups to be a part of your convention or trade show and make it an experience to remember.   The biggest inspiration to me is when he says they can help give away lots cash!

Bryan Quinn, pictured right,  has been doing game shows for conventions, trade shows and even corporate meetings for a number of years now and has literally hundreds of events under his belt.  Bryan provided this information about his company and himself:

They have presented game shows in twenty states and now have equipment stored in strategic locations across the U.S., allowing them to access any city within a 14 hour drive. They have game show productions that range from very small to TV-studio quality, and offer game formats inspired by popular TV game shows as well as completely original games. The founder and President Bryan Quinn has been performing and organizing corporate events for more than 20 years, as a Disc Jockey, team-building facilitator and for the past 8 years as a game show host. He is one of the most experienced corporate game show hosts available, but for clients looking for celebrity talent, The Ultimate Game Show also works with a variety of TV game show hosts and comedians. The Ultimate Game Show has helped its clients create award winning booths and become the most popular place on the trade show floor. Their games can be used as a high-energy method to give away promotional items, but more importantly to highlight the benefits and features of their products and services.

Earlier this year, a second division of the company has come to fruition and they call it “The Ultimate Audience Response”.

Ultimate Audience Response, which offers clients the greatest return on their meeting investment through total audience participation. Their audience response services allow every attendee to participate by responding to questions utilizing a wireless keypad. The results are then displayed instantly in a variety of graphic formats that are easy to understand. In addition to the benefits of a game show, Ultimate Audience Response?s clients can also gather attendee contact and demographic information as well as conducting market research.

The service provided by Bryan and his group is meant to enhance the experience of attendees to your trade show, or convention.  As I said above they can handle any size group and can provide all the necessary equipment.  Bryan and I joked about the fact that they could provide as little as a small podium for a speaker to the 18′ x 18′ Tic Tac Toe stage setup as pictured on their site.   They have even filmed the event for companies that want to use the show later.   Being a bit pessimistic about the cost of such a service I asked Bryan about what it would cost to provide such a service and I was very shocked at how affordable this service was and what they provide. 

Bryan said that they not only do the convention scene but they are also very busy during the holiday months doing holiday parties and corporate, non-public gatherings.   Bryan Quinn and his group has appeared all over the country including, many events in the California area, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago and other venues.  He stated that they can handle your plans from start to finish with as little hassle as possible.  Something that any event planner can be thankful to have.

When talking to Bryan for some reason I couldn’t get Richard Dawson out of my head and I told him about my problem.  He said that is normal and even indicated that his company works with many comics and retired game show hosts and can provide a variety of choices for your event.  Thanks for talking to us here at Convention Insider Bryan, I really enjoyed learning about your business.

[To receive additional information or to book The Ultimate Game Show? for your event, please call our office toll-free: 1-866-4-GAM-SHO (1-866-442-6746) or complete the contact form at their site.]

*** To find other vendors and suppliers such as the above featured company, please go to Conventions.net and search the resources.  If you want to have your company or your service featured here on Convention Insider’s Friday Feature, contact us and tell us about you and your service or product I would be happy to visit with you and feature you on Friday!***