Spring Momentum Arrives at McCormick Place | | |
March arrives with strong momentum for Chicago’s meetings and events community, as the McCormick Place campus welcomes a dynamic lineup of conventions, exhibitions, and industry gatherings.
This month brings globally recognized shows like The Inspired Home Show, alongside major industry events including SCCM’s Annual Congress, ABA TECHSHOW, and Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), drawing innovators, creators, and decision-makers from around the world.
The momentum extends beyond the show floor. Chicago was recently named the #3 Top Trending Travel Destination in Tripadvisor UK’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards, highlighting the city’s growing global appeal. At the same time, MPEA's CEO Larita Clark has been recognized by Trade Show Executive in its Black History Month Leaders Spotlight, honoring her leadership andd impact across the meetings and events industry.
Together, these milestones reflect the strength of Chicago’s meetings ecosystem and the continued impact of the events hosted here.
Let's dive into this month's news from McCormick Place →
| | Top Story: 2026 News and Updates for McCormick Place Meetings | |
As meeting and event professionals look ahead to 2026, Chicago remains a top-tier destination for conventions, trade shows, and meetings of all sizes.
At the center of Chicago's meetings and events ecosystem, McCormick Place Convention Center continues to set the gold standard for large-scale conventions and trade shows.
Choose Chicago recently highlighted McCormick Place in a meeting planners blog, showcasing the venue's accolades, culinary innovations, sustainable event solutions, and opportunities for community impact. The blog describes McCormick Place as being "at the heart of the city’s meeting ecosystem."
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Campus News: Larita Clark Recognized in Trade Show Executive Black History Month Leaders Spotlight
We are proud to share that Trade Show Executive has recognized our CEO, Larita Clark, in its recent Black History Month Leaders Spotlight.
Larita’s journey at MPEA from Assistant Controller to CEO reflects a leadership approach rooted in a people-first strategy, collaboration, and innovation. In the feature, she also underscores the importance of embedding inclusivity into event planning and leadership, because diverse perspectives lead to stronger outcomes.
We’re proud to see Larita’s impact and vision highlighted as she continues to help shape the future of our industry.
| | MPEA CEO Larita Clark, highlighted in Trade Show Executive's Black History Month Leaders Spotlight. | | Sustainability News: Fight2Feed Impact Report Highlights Campus Food Rescue Efforts | | | | |
Fight2Feed, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to ending hunger and reducing food waste, operates from the McCormick Place Lakeside Center kitchens. In partnership with event organizers, unused food from conventions and events is safely repurposed into nutritious meals for community members in need.
The 2025 Impact Report for Fight2Feed at McCormick Place is now live, and we are excited to share some amazing results, including:
- 574 pallets/cases donated
- 4,346 pans/plates cooked
- 9,199 boxed meals prepared
- 222,595 portions made
- 282,294 pounds of food rescued!
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Want to promote food rescue during your next McCormick Place event?
Food rescue in partnership with Fight2Feed is an evergreen process at McCormick Place, but many event organizers make efforts to educate attendees on this sustainable practice during their event. Email your Event Manager to discuss communications opportunities!
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Food News: McCormick Place Wins 2025 Sustainability Award from OVG Hospitality
We’re proud to share that in 2025, our McCormick Place-Oak View Group Hospitality team was honored with a distinguished sustainability award from Oak View Group Corporate Leadership. This recognition highlights the team’s outstanding commitment to sustainable practices and operational excellence.
The recognition highlights several initiatives that reduce environmental impact, including:
- Comprehensive food waste audits to reduce landfill contributions.
- Transitioning to eco-friendly and compostable packaging.
- Expanding regional sourcing partnerships to support local producers and reduce transportation emissions.
| | Jack Lyons, VP of OVG Hospitality Operations at McCormick Place- 2025 Sustainability Award. | |
City News: From Record 2025 Room Nights and Meetings driving economic value, to Global Recognition
| | Chicago’s 2025 Tourism & Meetings Impact numbers laid out in infographic format. | |  | |
Big news for Chicago! The city has been named the #3 Top Trending Travel Destination by Tripadvisor UK in the 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards, the highest-ranked U.S. city on the list. Chicago’s growing global appeal translated into record-breaking performance in 2025, showing remarkable resilience despite ongoing economic and political headwinds facing the global travel industry.
In 2025, Chicago outperformed national trends, filling 11.9 million hotel room nights (+2.3% year over year) while U.S. demand declined 0.5%. That drove record hotel revenue of $2.9 billion and $168.15 RevPAR, with leisure travel hitting a record 8.2 million room nights. Tourism generates over $20 billion for Illinois and supports more than 100,000 jobs.
Conventions and meetings continued to make a meaningful impact as well.
Hundreds of meetings and events brought thousands of visitors and new business to Chicago’s hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues.
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Ready to discuss bringing your next event to Chicago?
Submit an RFP or contact the McCormick Place Sales team by email today about placing your upcoming convention, meeting, or event at McCormick Place Convention Center:
| | Entertainment Updates: Wintrust Arena & Arie Crown Theater Events | | |
The McCormick Place campus continues to deliver more than meetings and conventions. A diverse lineup of entertainment events continues to bring energy to Wintrust Arena and the historic Arie Crown Theater throughout the season.
From high-energy concerts and comedy performances to college basketball, WNBA action, and touring shows, visitors attending events at McCormick Place can experience world-class entertainment just steps from the convention floor.
| | Upcoming entertainment events on campus. | | Whether you are in Chicago for a trade show, corporate meeting, sporting competition, or expo, explore the events happening on campus and extend your visit with an unforgettable night of entertainment. | |
Explore what is happening at our venues:
🎟 Upcoming Events at Wintrust Arena
🎭 Upcoming Events at Arie Crown Theater
There is something for everyone to enjoy this season on the McCormick Place campus.
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Upcoming McCormick Place Events 📆
McCormick Place continues to host a wide range of industry-leading conventions and events across the first half of 2026.
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Q1 2026 Events
- The Inspired Home Show
- All Star Challenge King of the Jungle Chicago Showdown & Champion Spirit Group Dance Grand Nationals
- Society of Critical Care Medicine 2026 Annual Congress
- American Bar Association TECHSHOW 2026
- Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2)
Q2 2026 Events
- Adidas Windy City National Qualifier 2026
- 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 Annual Conference & Exhibits
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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 6 exhibit halls of McCormick Place provide near-limitless opportunity for creating a unique attendee journey. | | |
At McCormick Place, scale and flexibility come together to create unforgettable experiences. With six expansive exhibit halls and a wide range of meeting spaces across campus, event organizers have the freedom to design events that are as dynamic and customized as their audiences.
Whether hosting a corporate gathering, large-scale convention, or industry expo, planners can create seamless attendee journeys with flexible layouts, impressive production capabilities, and the infrastructure needed to support events of every size.
Event organizers at McCormick Place can take advantage of:
- 6 exhibit halls, ranging from 209,000–1.2M sq. ft.
- Ceiling heights of up to 50 feet for large-scale staging and production
- 173 meeting rooms across campus
- Assembly seating for 18,000 attendees
- Easy access to 5,800 parking spaces in three on-campus parking lots
From planning to execution, our team works alongside event organizers to bring ideas to life and deliver exceptional experiences.
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. | | | | |
