Celebrating all things Earth Month at McCormick Place 🌎 | | |
April brings with it a range of conventions, competitions, comedy, meetings, music, MMA, and more to the McCormick Place campus, drawing event organizers, exhibitors, and attendees from around the world.
And April is not only the beginning of spring in Chicago – welcome to Earth Month, a global celebration of environmental awareness and sustainability actions. At McCormick Place, our campus and our partners take sustainability seriously this month and throughout the year, focusing on ongoing sustainable activations that support our campus clients, our convention center, and our community. From our West Building's Rooftop Terrace and Garden to expo hall materials donations to eating green and more, McCormick Place is committed to being at the forefront of sustainable meetings & events and supporting our clients' sustainability goals at the same time.
Let's dive into this month's sustainability-related news from McCormick Place →
| | Top Story: Preparing Seedlings for the Rooftop Garden at McCormick Place 🌱 | | | | |
One of the most unique meeting locations at McCormick Place Convention Center is the West Building's Rooftop Terrace and Garden, home to the rooftop garden farm.
This 2.5-acre urban farm is managed in partnership between McCormick Place, OVG Hospitality, and Windy City Harvest, the urban agriculture programming branch of Chicago Botanic Garden.
Each year, Windy City Harvest Corps teaches two cohorts who work on sustainable urban farming practices at the McCormick Place Rooftop Terrace and Garden, including rooftop plants, flowers, trees, and even honey hives.
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But have you ever wondered how young plants are prepared for life on an urban rooftop?
Meet Iris Michael, Sr. Manager of Garden Partnerships at Windy City Harvest, Chicago Botanic Garden:
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Iris and the Windy City Harvest team are currently preparing seedlings for transplanting onto locations like the McCormick Place rooftop farm, where many of these crops will be featured in upcoming menu items, bringing hyper-local flavor directly to our events while reducing transportation impact and supporting seasonal cooking.
Want to learn more?
| | Event Sustainability News: Rescuing 25.5 Tons of Donations in One Day at McCormick Place 📦 | | |
McCormick Place is committed to being on the forefront of sustainable event activations, and that includes creating turnkey opportunities for event organizers to increase their sustainable practices. One example of this is our partnership with local nonprofit Fight2Feed, which creates easy opportunities for unused event meals and materials to be donated to support the local community.
Last month, the LMC Annual Meeting's participation in this program resulted in over 25.5 tons of donations collected by our McCormick Place and Fight2Feed teams in one day, all of which was redistributed to communities in need in less than a week:
| | Click the image above to watch the recap on YouTube. | | |
Ready to elevate sustainable activations during your next McCormick Place event?
Ask your Event Manager to connect you with our Sustainability team to discuss advanced opportunities to create and promote sustainability wins during your event.
| | Food News: Eating Green Has Never Tasted So Good 🥗 | Pictured: a vegan Sonoma Salad featuring quinoa, sweet potatoes, cranberries, walnuts, and a lemon-tahini dressing. | |
One of the most important aspects of the meeting experience? The menu.
As events become known as much for their menus as their meetings, staying on top of culinary trends is a must for event organizers. Choose Chicago recently highlighted the importance of culinary innovations in a blog on 2026 meeting & event trends, highlighting the importance of:
- Eco-conscious menus 🥙
- Global and local flavors 🍱
- Plant-forward and whole ingredients 🌱
Is your next meeting ready to meet your attendees' culinary expectations?
Learn more about crafting an innovative menu for your next McCormick Place event:
| | Entertainment Updates: Earth Month Activations at Wintrust Arena 🍻🍔 | | During all Wintrust Arena events this April, fans can enjoy a specialty Garden Spritz drink in honor of Earth Month. For every Garden Spritz sold, $1 will be donated to our community partners at Windy City Harvest, supporting nonprofit urban agriculture education and activation efforts. It’s a simple way to enjoy the game while supporting Earth Month and community impact in one go. 🍻 | | The Wintrust Arena specialty Garden Spritz drink pairs excellently with both our plant-based burgers and chicken tenders! | |
Attending Wintrust Arena & Arie Crown Theater Events 🎟️
| Whether you are in Chicago for an expo, trade show, corporate meeting, or convention, explore the events happening on campus and extend your visit with an unforgettable night of entertainment: | Upcoming entertainment events on campus. | |
Upcoming McCormick Place Events 📆
McCormick Place continues to host a wide range of industry-leading conventions and events, including:
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Q2 2026 Events
- Heart Rhythm 2026
- The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 2026 Annual Meeting
- Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Biannual Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition 2026
- 2026 Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) Global Institute
- National Restaurant Association Show 2026
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026
- Oddities & Curiosities Expo
- Windy City Round-Up Tournament
- Automate Show 2026
- Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Annual Conference 2026
- American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference & Exhibits
Q3 2026 Events
- B.P.O. Elks USA National Convention 2026
- 2026 Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival
- The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo 2026
- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 2026 National Convention
- Pampered Chef 2026 National Conference
- Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) 2026 Chicago
- The Black Women's Expo 2026
- The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) 2026 Convention
- Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) 50th Annual Convention and Career Exposition
- American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 2026 Biennial International Convention
- American Chemical Society 2026 National Meeting
- The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS)
- National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) 2026 Convention
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| NOTE: The above list comprises events that have elected to be listed publicly on the McCormick Place online events calendar. This is not a complete list of every event occurring on campus through the end of Q2 2026. | | Take Your Corporate Event to the Next Level at McCormick Place ✨ | | The McCormick Place Lakeside Terrace offers impressive Lake Michigan views with an elevated gathering experience, perfect for covered outdoor parties and activations. | | |
At McCormick Place, expansion is seamless. Flexible, contiguous exhibit halls allow you to reconfigure layouts, increase footprint, and scale year after year without operational disruption. Growth demands more than space. It demands a venue built for what’s next.
Event organizers at McCormick Place can take advantage of:
- 2.6 million sq. ft. of exhibit space
- 6 exhibit halls, ranging from 209,000-1.2M sq. ft.
- 173 meeting rooms across campus with over 600,000 sq. ft. of space
- Assembly seating for 18,000 attendees
- Easy access to 5,800 parking spaces in three on-campus parking lots
From planning to execution, our teams work alongside event organizers to deliver exceptional experiences.
Built for scale. Powered by Chicago. Designed for what’s next.
Ready to get started?
| | Contact the McCormick Place Sales team today: | | |
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| Thank you for being part of the McCormick Place community. We look forward to sharing more news and events in the months ahead. | | | | |
