Governor Quinn Announces National Restaurant Trade Show to Stay in Chicago Through 2016

CHICAGO – November 15, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that the National Restaurant Association (NRA) will continue to hold its annual National Restaurant Association, Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and the International Wine, Spirits and Beer Event in Chicago through 2016. The event is one of the largest and most successful conventions held in Chicago, during which 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 Governor Quinn. “Conventions like the National Restaurant Association Show provide a tremendous boost to our economy and create jobs, and we are proud that they have chosen to stay in Chicago for years to come.”

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 NRA. “Chicago is a world-class culinary city and McCormick Place is a world-class venue. 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 NRA 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. “Our efforts to promote tourism have helped make Chicago an ideal location for conventions like the NRA Show and created thousands of jobs in Illinois.”

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