By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
The 62nd Annual meeting of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau took place at McCormick Place on Wednesday, March 2. At the meeting, board chairman Phil Stefani accepted reelection for a second year. Stefani told Inside that he was delighted that the Cook County Board had seen fit to refuse an increase in taxes which would impact negatively on the hospitality industry.
Other officers reelected include Greg Saunders as Chairman-Elect, John Patronski as Treasurer, and Thomas J. Loughlin as Secretary. Chris Bowers has completed his first full year as CEO of the organization which is responsible for promoting tourism and convention business in Chicago. A total of 1,100 members were represented at the luncheon meeting, of a total of 1,400 organizations which subscribe to the CCTB's agenda.
In his remarks, Stefani indicated that it was time for the CCTB membership to go to the political power base in Springfield and work to have an increase in available budget for the Bureau. By way of explanation, CCTB operates on a total budget of $14 million annually. Las Vegas, by contrast, spends $114 million to promote convention and tourism to that city, considered to be one of Chicago's biggest competitors. "CCTB is a toolbox for building the future of the convention business in Chicago. It's necessary for us to think big and to think ahead," said Stefani.
Deborah Sexton, who has resigned as President of the CCTB, addressed the membership. She is leaving the Bureau to assume a role in the Professional Convention Management Association, based in Chicago, after a 10-year tenure with the CCTB. Sexton pointed with pride at the work rule changes in 1995 which made it easier and less expensive for smaller exhibitors to participate in Chicago trade shows. She also expressed her pleasure at the bus subsidy provided to encourage attendance at trade shows at McCormick Place and at the $45 million roadway that was constructed to help bring visitors to the site of the exhibition halls. Sexton's successor has not been named.
"Chicago's customers are committed to helping Chicago get better," she told the meeting. "We must work to reduce costs and to make changes that will keep Chicago on top. First, our concern is the cost of labor in the city. Convention business," she concluded, "is ours to lose."
In reviewing the progress of the last 20 years, Bowers noted that two additions to McCormick Place were completed, Navy Pier was renovated and put into operation as the State's premier tourist attraction, and the new Millennium Park was completed. Bowers also described his vision for the next 20 years. Among the changes he foresees are the O'Hare expansion, the increase in international tourism that this expansion would encourage and the completion of plans for additional parkland in the city. Bowers emphasized that there were 30 million visitors to the City last year and that both hotel occupancy and convention attendance is up from year-earlier figures. But there's no relaxing, he asserted, because other cities are actively seeking to recruit convention business that has been a part of the Chicago economy for years, and there is no reason to allow this business to get away from us. |
