Convention Center Video Report
McCormick Place Convention Center which is located in Chicago, Illinois is the largest convention center in the nation. McCormick Place comprises four state-of-the-art buildings, which are referred to as the West, South, and North Buildings, in addition to the 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 the nation's largest convention center. McCormick place has approximately 600,000 square feet of meeting room space, shared among 173 meeting rooms. In addition to the meeting rooms, there are 4 ballrooms which range in size from 21,000 to 100,000 square feet, depending on the space required for the event. McCormick Place has available assembly seating for approximately 18,000 guests, in addition to another 5,000 seats between 4 of the theaters at McCormick place with the Arie Crown theater being the largest with a seating capacity of 4,192, and three smaller theatres which each with the seating capacity of 300 guests. McCormick Place is by far one of the most spacious and innovative convention centers ever constructed, its surrounding property compliments the structure with 6,000 available parking spaces, and amenities for almost every need anyone may encounter. McCormick place is in the center of several retail shops and hotels all assessable via Sky bridges and pedestrians Promenades
McCormick place is more than just a convention center as it also encompasses two four star hotels the Hyatt Regency and Marriott Marquis, with a total room capacity of 2,400. There are 6 restaurants between the two hotels in addition to both event and meeting space as well. The Marriott Marquis spans over 40 stories with 93,000 square feet of event space, with two ballrooms totaling 25,000 square feet. A space of this size may appear abundant but McCormick place is visited by three million visitors per year
McCormick place has grown immensely over the years and its place in the city has been generated revenue in addition to housing some of the most memorable events thought-out the years, but its conception faced many trials and unsuccessful attempts even in its early inception. One of the most notable events was in 1933 with the World's Fair which seen 1.5 million visitors, followed by the largest railroad exposition in 1948. The state noted the need to finance such an industry imposing a 1% horse tax and endorsed early construction of a permanent location. on the lakefront draws 1,500 conventions and 1.5 million visitors. Unsuccessful attempts are made to build a permanent exposition center, but it was not until 1958 when the state agreed to issue close to $41 million in state bonds for the construction of McCormick place, which at that time consisted of the main exhibit area of 320,000 square feet, with 23 meeting rooms and a 5,000-seat theater (McCormick Place Chicago, 2018).
In 1971 McCormick place was expanded with the new East Building, which added 522,000 square feet of exhibit space, and an additional 20 meeting rooms, five theaters and seven restaurants. A total of 51 expositions were held that year compared to the previous high of 38. The Illinois General Assembly authorizes the building and financing of a proposed $987 million in an effort to expand McCormick Place adding the South Building which was funded through the implementation of additional funding sources in which the state imposed a tax expansion of 6% on auto rentals in Cook County, 2.5% tax on hotel/motel rooms in Chicago, 1% tax on restaurant
meals in a downtown district bounded by the Stevenson Expressway, Ashland Avenue and Diversey, as well as meals served at Midway & O'Hare Airport and finally a ground transportation fee from O'Hare and Midway Airports (McCormick Place Chicago, 2018).
McCormick place has always been a popular destination to its size and available space, there is no other convention center of its size and it would be difficult for conventions centers less in size and capacity to compete with a structure of this size as this facility has been part of its community and its residents for almost a 100 years with its growth and expansion not only providing economic growth for its community as several constructions and retail employment opportunities resulted with its construction and expansion (McCormick Place Chicago, 2018).
McCormick place to me has only one downfall and it’s the impact on the environment which is hard to determine as there are many factors but any facility of its size will have a large footprint in the community, but with its negatives there are many more positives with its employment opportunities and its ability to entice visitors worldwide with Chicago being one of the most popular destinations for conventions due to the nature of the city wi
Reference
McCormick Place Chicago. (2018).McCormick Place Convention Center. Website. Retrieved
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