Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau
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The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (CCTB) exists to promote Chicago's world-class assets to global leisure travel and convention business to ensure the economic vitality of the City and its member business community.
This is accomplished through the sales and marketing of McCormick Place and Navy Pier as venues for major events.
The CCTB works in partnership with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the Chicago Office of Tourism, the City of Chicago, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Bureau of Tourism, as well as many other related associations in Chicago. It is the only entity selling McCormick Place and [Navy Pier] for conventions and trade shows.
The CCTB also promotes Chicago as an exceptional destination to the tourist, corporate and meetings markets, serving all Chicago venues.
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[edit] Location
| Chicago Office: | 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616 | phone: 312-567-8500 | fax: 312-567-8533 |
| Eastern Regional Office: | 8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 805, Silver Spring, MD 20910 | phone: 301-495-7705 | fax: 301-495-3352 |
Official Website: http://www.choosechicago.com
[edit] CCTB History
Chicago has a long and illustrious history as a convention and meeting site.
1847: The area's first recorded convention, when the U.S. River and Harbor convention met to discuss the St. Lawrence River.
1907: The city was beginning to establish itself as a world-class attraction, and the Chicago Association of Commerce moved to establish a local business committee charged with the responsibility of attracting conventions to the growing downtown area.
1943: The Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau was founded to serve as Chicago's primary sales agent for conventions and trade shows of all types and sizes.
1970: The Bureau merged with the Tourism Council of Greater Chicago to form the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau.
1980: The Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority - owners and managers of McCormick Place - determined that the CCTB was the best qualified organization to serve as the principal sales agent for McCormick Place. The Bureau moved its offices to McCormick Place at the end of 1980.
1989: Under the leadership of Governor James Thompson, the Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority assumed total responsibility for Navy Pier, thus the Authority was renamed the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA).
Acting under the agreement still in effect today, the Bureau plays a crucial role in enhancing the economic fabric of the Chicagoland community by selling and promoting the city and its facilities as the ideal destination for visitors of all types.
[edit] Impact
Visitors spend billions of dollars each year in metropolitan Chicago. This income spurs new business, which means new jobs for the area and economic growth for the region, benefiting everyone citywide.
Located in the center of the United States, Chicago's size, transportation options, lively hospitality industry and unparalleled meeting and exhibition facilities make Chicago the premier choice for group meetings of any type or size.
[edit] Funding
The CCTB is neither a branch of any government nor a charitable foundation. It is an independent not-for-profit organization, which receives its funding from several sources, including:
- A percentage of Chicago's hotel/motel tax
- State of Illinois grant monies for development of local conventions and tourism
- Membership dues from local hospitality-related businesses
- Grant money from the MPEA
[edit] Membership
The CCTB considers its members to be its greatest asset. The Bureau's membership provides products, services and expertise vital to the Bureau's role as a liaison to the convention and tourism industries.
Member businesses are large and small, including hotels, spas, car rental agencies, caterers, photographers, restaurants, florists and many others.
Membership in the CCTB provides a recognizable endorsement sought by meeting planners and also provides direct marketing opportunities to key buyers and decision-makers. With government revenue streams not always consistent, the CCTB relies on the steady support of membership.
The benefits of membership are not just the opportunity to be listed in official marketing guides or on CCTB websites. The membership team recognizes the importance of a businesses investment and dedicates itself to constantly enhancing benefits specifically designed to help different types of members achieve maximum success in their businesses.
Benefits generally fall in the following areas:
- Member-Only Marketing Opportunities
- Tools for Business Development and Planning
- Networking Opportunities
- News and Information
- Professional Development
- Additional Membership Upgrades/Special Marketing Buy-ins
- Online Advertising Opportunities
[edit] CCTB Departments
SALES-CONVENTION: Positions metro Chicago as a future meeting site to thousands of potential local, national and regional customers. Books group meeting space at McCormick Place, Navy Pier, and other venues throughout the city.
SALES-TOURISM: Sells Chicago to the tour and travel industry, packages individual and group overnight stays to Chicago, and markets those packages on both domestic and international fronts.
STRATEGIC CLIENT SERVICES: Works hand-in-hand with the convention sales department as a liaison between meeting planners and CCTB members, city offices and other key contacts, once Chicago has been selected as the site of a meeting or convention.
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS: Supports all departments with creation and production of communications support materials such as brochures and planning materials. Coordinates advertising program with outside agency. Assists customers with advertising and marketing efforts.
Produces print publications including a quarterly visitors guide, an annual destination planning guide, a membership directory, and a schedule of conventions and trade shows. Also maintains websites and manages operations at Chicago's visitor call center.
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Communicates CCTB and Chicago visitor industry news and information with a variety of stakeholders, including customers, members, industry professionals, local businesses, and elected officials. Coordinates all media relations efforts with local, national, trade and consumer outlets.
RESEARCH: Provides statistical and demographic information about Chicago's convention and tourism industry. Collects city visitor statistics, as well as assists convention customers with research needs.
TOURISM: Partners with the Chicago Office of Tourism and the Illinois Bureau of Tourism marketing, advertising and public relations representatives on consumer advertising initiatives, promotional projects, public relations and press events, sales missions and international trade and consumer travel shows. Destinations include United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Germany, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Italy and France.
Additionally, the CCTB provides the following services to members to sell and promote Chicago to overseas markets:
- Generates hotel and service request leads
- Responds to international travel trade phone, email and fax inquiries
- Organize and conduct several travel trade familiarization tours per year
MEMBERSHIP: Recruits and retains hospitality-related businesses for membership. Presents marketing opportunities and benefits exclusive through CCTB membership.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Coordinates CCTB promotions and special events including fundraisers, membership networking events, client events and Bureau involvement at industry conventions and trade shows. The Annual Golf Classic (held in July) and Burnham Bash (held in October) are the CCTB’s largest member events.
STRATEGIC MARKETING PARTNERSHIPS: Oversees the development and implementation of all of the Bureau's strategic marketing partnerships and is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive list of all CCTB assets and packaging benefits for year-round and multi-year marketing opportunities.
Distinguished Strategic Marketing Partners include:
- American Express, The Official Card of the CCTB.
- Walgreens, Sponsor of Chicago's "We're Glad You're Here!" recognition program.
Strategic Marketing Partners include:
- American Airlines
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
- Enterprise Rent-a-Car
- Experient
- FedEx
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
