Breaking! NRA Show to Stay in Chicago?

By Erin in News on Jul 20, 2006 11:37PM

Our friends at Crain's are reporting that tomorrow the National Restaurant Association will announce its intent to keep its ginormous show right here in Chicago, the city the show has called home for more than 50 years.

This is big, huge, important news here as the association has been threatening to leave Chicago over the costs of putting on the show at McCormick Place, and for some time have been in negotiations with McCormick officials. The NRA - not be confused, of course, with everyone's favorite group of gun-loving rascals - has been critical of the work costs here, though others have said the union costs are comparable here as they are in other convention cities.

Chicagoist is glad to hear this news as the show brings in $100 million in local spending. That's a lot of dough for area businesses to lose, especially when you consider the show only lasts four days. Chicagoist has attended the NRA show for the past three years and we've seen first-hand just how much action happens during those days in mid-May. We would have hated for that action to take place in, say, Orlando, lovely as a town as it may be.

Mayor Daley is expected to hold a press conference tomorrow, with Steven Anderson, CEO and president of the NRA, in attendance.