Choose Chicago

We did it -- again! 🏆 Chicago has been named Best Big City in the U.S. by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards for an unprecedented 8th consecutive year! 🎉 Over 575,000 readers from around the world cast their votes, and yet again Chicago came out on top. Thank you to all of our incredible partners in the tourism and hospitality community whose hard work and dedication ultimately led to this award. And thank you to each and every Chicagoan who goes out of their way to create welcoming experiences for our visitors. You are truly the reason we continue to win this award year after year! 🔗 Read all about what makes Chicago the Best Big City here: https://lnkd.in/eJdi4BEz

Our CFO Jim Meyer participated in a panel titled "Choose Chicago" at an Urban Land Institute seminar for real estate professionals this afternoon. Jim spoke alongside Jack McKinney, Jr. of Stream Realty Partners, Mark Stern of JLL, and moderator Katie Jahnke Dale of DLA Piper about all that makes Chicago attractive both as a real estate investment market and destination. The discussion focused on things that Chicagoans take pride in and that bring visitors back again and again, including our incredible downtown, walkable neighborhoods, beautiful lakefront, and world-class culinary, cultural, and sports scenes. Special thanks to the DLA Piper team for hosting this event!

Congratulations to the team at PMMI: The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies on a successful PACK EXPO International 2024, their largest trade show to date! We were honored to once again host this incredible event at McCormick Place. This year, PACK EXPO had a special focus on sustainable practices and technologies for the packaging and processing industry, and NBC Chicago's Kate Chappell reported a great piece highlighting this aspect of the show. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/db4UfP4V

Belated welcome to our newest staff member, Lexie Knittel, CMP! Lexie officially joined Choose Chicago on Monday as a Site Visit Manager, bringing extensive experience in the hospitality and destination management industries to her role. Glad to have you on team Chicago, Lexie!

Our local travel series "The 77: A Series of Neighborhoods" won two Emmy Awards at tonight's Chicago/Midwest Chapter | National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences ceremony! 🙌 🍾 Congratulations to the amazing artists Jacob Midkiff, Anastasiia Kulikalova, and Monica Takushi Lee at Skalawag Productions for their award-winning lighting and directing work. And special thanks and congratulations to our Vice President of Neighborhood Strategy Robert Fojtik for his leadership in bringing this project to life. Stream the full series here: https://lnkd.in/gXryb8pC

Looking for ways to celebrate Diwali? There are so many events happening across Chicago celebrating the festival of lights this week. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gZSyjr5s

Happy Halloween, Chicago! 👻🍬🎃 Are you in the mood to celebrate but not sure what you want to do this year? Check out our landing page for Halloween-related activities for all ages: https://lnkd.in/d-XxXuj2 📸 National Museum of Mexican Art

We're excited to announce our new partnership with London-based integrated communications firm Black Diamond Agency! Black Diamond will serve at Choose Chicago's official travel trade representative for the UK and Ireland. With more than 160,000 total visitors to Chicago in 2023, the UK and Ireland are key international markets that are expected to continue growing in the coming years. Read our full press release here: https://lnkd.in/gBMWAVgV

Thanks to all our Washington, DC area-based clients and partners who joined us for events this weekend!

Thanks to all who came out for last night's Student Partnership event at Navy Pier! We were joined by roughly 60 tourism, hospitality, and sports management students representing DePaul University, Kendall College, Roosevelt University, City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College, and Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute. The evening's program included a panel discussion featuring leaders in Chicago's hospitality community, a visit to Flyover Chicago, and dinner at Bar Sol. The Choose Chicago Student Partnership Program connects students to our dynamic, multi-faceted, and ever-evolving tourism and hospitality industry. Learn more about the program here: https://lnkd.in/gTDteian Shout out to our fabulous panelists, Samuel R Thomas, Jr., Dan Russell, Courtney Cawley Gray, Kelsey (O'Connor) Gray, and Juan D. Leyva, and our moderator Jordan Engerman for a great discussion!