National Restaurant Association Convention Will Remain at McCormick Place, Gov. Pat Quinn Says

(Chicago, IL) — November 15, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Richard Daley today announced that the National Restaurant Association will continue to hold its annual convention in Chicago through 2016.

The event is one of the largest in Chicago where attendees spend an estimated $108 million in the city each year.

“Thanks to the major steps we have taken to improve McCormick Place, more trade shows are choosing to locate right here in Illinois,” said Quinn at a press conference with Daley at McCormick Place this morning.

The NRA Show is the ninth major convention to commit to Chicago since reforms to McCormick Place were enacted last spring. These commitments represent more than $2.2 billion in estimated direct expenditures for Chicago and Illinois in the years to come.

“Chicago will be home to the NRA Show and IWSB through 2016,” said Dawn Sweeney, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association. “We have had great success over the past 61 years and we are confident that those successes will continue thanks to the positive momentum in Chicago’s convention industry.”

The event draws approximately 66,000 U.S. and international visitors to Chicago and McCormick Place each year. The show produces more than 45,000 hotel room nights annually, generating more than $1.7 million annually in occupancy taxes and more than $7.4 million annually in state and local taxes.

“We are proud to again host one of the world’s largest foodservice and hospitality events in our state and are delighted with the NRA’s choice to make its economic impact here in Illinois,” said Warren Ribley, director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Other shows that recently recommitted to Chicago include the Biotechnology Industry Organization, International Manufacturing Technology Show, and the International Housewares Association.