Advisor: Privatize McCormick Place

By Kevin Robinson in News on May 4, 2010 2:00PM

James Reilly, a consultant advising state lawmakers on how to turn around Chicago's troubled McCormick Place is proposing that the convention center be privatized. "Chicago has to show it's changing the way it does business in the convention and trade show industry in fairly major ways," Jim Reilly said last week. "There are half a dozen shows potentially on the bubble and they're not going to wait … if another five or six left, it's over for Chicago."

Such a move would reduce McPier, the agency that operates both Navy Pier and the convention center to a caretaker role. The proposed change would remove Juan Ochoa, McPier's CEO, and cut payroll, from 400 to 35 or 40 people. Such a move would also remove exclusive franchises over trade work in the convention center, and change work rules in place now. Those rules are negotiated by labor unions, which have made a series of concessions over the years to help lower costs at the convention center.