Our feet are still sore from braving the crowds and walking the million square feet of floor Saturday at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. We saw damn near every one of the thousand vehicles on display. more ›

For Chicagoist, one of the few bright spots of winter is when we get to head over to McCormick Place and lust after hundreds of the latest cars and trucks for sale. more ›

Reporters asked Mayor Rahm Emanuel his thoughts on the city clerk's plans to start issuing fines for unlicensed dogs, and he responded by mocking the question with in Yiddish accent like a stand-up comedian. more ›

A district judge ruled against work-rule changes in March, but labor officials have reportedly negotiated a truce between legislators and McCormick Place workers. more ›

Chicago’s eco-activists, socially responsible folks, and an assorted group of friends gathered this weekend at the Green Festival. Over the course of ten years, the event, hosted by the Global Exchange and Green America, has attracted over one million people. The 2011 tenth annual celebration kicked off in Chicago and will be moving to five cities across the United States. Some of the event highlights include: more ›

Green America and the Global Exchange are hosting the 10th annual Green Festivall May 14-15th at McCormick Place (Lakeside). The Green Festival is dubbed the "party-with-a-purpose" and its aim is to inspire, inform, and help us work towards a better future by going green. The event features over 100 influential speakers exploring issues topics involving the sustainable economy, ecological balance, and social justice. Attendees can shop green at 300 unique exhibits. Guests will also enjoy organic foods and drinks, local musicians, family friendly activities, green cinema, as well as yoga and movement classes. Purchase a day pass online for $10 and a weekend pass for $15. more ›

We assume most Chicagoans seldom set foot in the McCormick Place after the Auto Show. The nation’s largest convention center is also a microcosm of how the city and state does business. It’s a political playpen where politicians and unions exert their influence on the ingenuous outside businesses. more ›

We've always been amazed at the number of chefs with food-themed tattoos, and the sheer amount of awesomeness contained in those tattoos. Apparently, others have noticed too. The National Restaurant Association, as part of the run-up to its upcoming show at McCormick Place in May, is collecting "Kitchen Ink" - the best chef's tattoos. We present a selection of them for your viewing pleasure. Many of these are from Chicago chefs. NRA is still looking for contributions, so if any chefs are reading this, send in your tats now! Or, if you have an interesting food tattoo, send a picture to us and we might feature it in an upcoming gallery! more ›

Here are a few literary goings-on to keep on your radar. more ›

Once again, it's time for the world's car makers to fill 1.2 million square feet of McCormick Place with their latest and greatest models, as well as concepts that point to vehicles to come down the road at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Now in its 103rd year, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest in the world with over 1000 cars on display and opens to the public tomorrow, running through Sunday, Feb. 20. more ›

• Ald. Fioretti (2nd) suggested turning East McCormick Place into a temporary casino to help while the city looks for a permanent casino site.
• Some details are out about a pair of upcoming debates for U.S. Senate and Governor.
• The city got the go-ahead from the courts to relocate graves in the ongoing O'Hare Expansion Project.

One advisor says the only way to stop the McCormick Place bleeding is to privatize the convention center. more ›

Last Sunday McCormick Place wrapped up hosting C2E2, the three-day expo dedicated to comics, entertainment and other such variants of pop culture. We took to the show floor Saturday to snoop around the booths and sit in on a couple of interesting panels. But most of all, we wanted to gawk at the sights littered throughout. It surely did not disappoint. Thousands showed up to the event to discuss, debate, buy and look at all things comic, and McCormick Place brought a melting pot of fantasy to life. more ›

On Saturday, Mayor Daley spoke at an event on the Southwest Side about his lack of disappointment with the decision of the Arie Crown Theater choosing to temporarily cut public shows in September, touching on the issue that the venue--situated in McCormick Place--has been losing money for a long time. "They're losing an enormous amount of money there. That's why they're closing it temporarily," said Daley, as quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times. "They've been delaying the decision for years." more ›

The Tribune reports that Federal authorities scooped up reputed mobster Rudy "The Chin" Fratto and business owner William Anthony Degironemo this morning, charging the pair with rigging the bid for a contract at McCormick Place. The Department of Justice press release about the case states that Fratto and Degironemo received inside information and help from an employee at trade show general contractor Greyhound Exposition Services in Las Vegas to secure a forklift contract at McCormick for Degironemo's business, MidStates Equipment Rentals and Sale. more ›

The participants of the IKC Dog Shows may have been bred for competition, but they were quick to remind everyone in attendance that they were also companions, full of energy, personality and their own individual, unique quirks. more ›

Between Thursday and Sunday, 10,000 dogs of every size, shape and color descended on McCormick Place for the International Kennel Club of Chicago's annual dual show weekend. An '"benched" format made for the perfect chance to get personal with the pooches as they were meticulously groomed for their big moment. The purebred dogs competed in breed-specific bouts, with special categories for junior handlers and agility. Vendors, rescue and recreation leagues and therapy dog training groups were all in attendance, rounding out the weekend with information in addition to the accolades. more ›

In his on-going efforts to stop the bleeding at McCormick Place, Mayor Daley is floating the idea of privatization as a solution to overhauling the city's convention business. The convention center, part of the publicly-run Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which includes Navy Pier and is known as McPier, has been under pressure lately as it has lost conventions and trade shows to other parts of the country, thanks to the high costs of doing business in Chicago. "Bring the private sector in and you manage it and get out of the business of McCormick Place in the sense that it should be fully privatized," Daley told the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association's annual meeting. "Then you can run the costs down." Jodi Kawada, a spokeswoman for the mayor, quickly pointed out that the mayor was not talking about selling McCormick Place off as a city asset. "This is just an idea at this point," she told the Tribune. "The mayor is trying to think creatively about jump starting the convention and tourism industry in Chicago, which will require bold steps." more ›

On Saturday, we headed down to McCormick Place for our annual pilgrimage to the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. As expected, the show was noticeably quieter than in years past. Less elaborate displays, fewer cars, and very few concepts than a few years back. Even so, we enjoyed having the chance to see some of the new cars that will be hitting the road soon and fantasizing about what we might park in our garage. more ›

The 2010 Chicago Auto Show opens to the public on Friday, and while it'll once again be a more subdued show than in years past, it remains the largest auto show in North America with over 1,000 cars on display in over 1 million square feet of space at McCormick Place for car fanatics and those in the market for new cars to check out. more ›

Another trade show is out of McCormick Place but at least this one has bigger reasons than cost to blame. Supercomm, a major telecommunications trade show, has canceled its 2010 show, originally scheduled for October at McCormick Place. The reason? Lack of interest. Supercomm has been bleeding vendors to other, more focused trade shows over the past few years. more ›

Conventions have been leaving McCormick Place faster than rats on a sinking ship lately and now Mayor Daley is pointing his finger at the MPEA and trade show managers. After he discussed how the CHA has used stimulus money at a press conference on Tuesday, Daley was asked about the recent trade show exodus. “You have competition from Atlanta, you have competition from Vegas and Orlando and you have to get away from gouging. If you gouge 'em, they're not going to come back,” Daley said. more ›

Awesome timelapse video by Joshua Mellin more ›

Bad news often begets more bad news and the last thing we need to hear is the possibility of another convention contemplating pulling up stakes to move to another city. Hot on the heels of the plastics convention moving to Orlando comes word that the National Restaurant Association may be looking at hosting its 2012 convention in another city. The NRA is already committed to having its spring show at McCormick Place in 2010 and 2011, but the old refrain that cost is an issue may force the NRA to look elsewhere. more ›

Just a week after the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society announced it was moving its 2012 convention from Chicago to Las Vegas, another major convention is also bolting the Windy City for a warmer climate. Today the Society of the Plastics Industry announced they would be moving their next two conventions to Orlando, Florida. The convention, held every three years, was last in Chicago this June but will be relocating for at least its 2012 and 2015 conventions. The reason? Cost. According to CBS 2: more ›

File this under No Surprise to Anyone: Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, otherwise known as McPier, is deep in debt. Crain's is reporting that according to the new chairman of McPier, more ›

McCormick Place East is in need of $100 million worth of repairs in order to be properly maintained, calling into question the future of the building once referred to as ruining the Chicago skyline by Mayor Daley. In order to get the money to upgrade, the Illinois General Assembly needs to authorize the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority to re-structure their debt; otherwise there won't be enough money to cover the costs. more ›

Bears fans planning on spending their Sundays tailgating at a pair of parking lots should prepare to pay a little bit more than they did last year. The two lots - one at the McCormick Center and one at 31st & S. Moe Dr. - will see nearly a 50 percent increase from their $17 2008 costs to $25 in 2009. And why, exactly? According to Mary Kay Marquisos, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority, it's to cover "the cost of security, portable toilet facility rental, shuttle buses, cleaning and parking taxes." Also, due to ownership issues, there will be no parking at Michael Reese Hospital. more ›

This past weekend, Chicagoist visited the trade show of the National Restaurant Association and its sister convention, the International Wine, Beer and Spirits Event. Despite the downturn in the economy, the convention was still hopping, filled with new products, new packaging, extravagant pavilions and thousands of companies hoping to sell the “next big thing” in food service. You’ll be seeing products and companies that we met up with at NRA featured over the next several months but for now, here are a few notes from a first-time attendee. more ›

The annual National Restaurant Association trade show, beginning tomorrow at McCormick Place, serves two primary purposes. It's a showcase for new products tailored for the restaurant and food service industries. From point-of-sale systems and cookware to beverage dispensers and entertainment systems, NRA Show 2009 is one of the best places to find customers for the latest hot thing. more ›