Join Us at McCormick Place West
Be Part of The Midwest Clinic
In 2009, The Midwest Clinic moved to Chicago’s McCormick Place West! This superb new facility, opened in 2007, is the perfect fit for The Midwest Clinic. Among the many benefits it offers is a state-of-the-art exhibit hall with significantly more floor space than the exhibit halls previously used, combined. The McCormick Place West exhibit hall has clear sightlines and a simple layout, making it easy for attendees to navigate and explore.
Along with the improved and expanded exhibit hall, attendees now enjoy concerts in an elegant ballroom with excellent acoustics and large, comfortable clinic rooms. The Midwest Clinic is pleased to make all of this available in a single facility.
Why Exhibit at the Midwest Clinic?
We have tried to anticipate and answer questions you may have about exhibiting at McCormick Place West. Please read on for details.
Why did The Midwest Clinic move?
Put simply: to allow us to present a better conference. In recent years, the conference has grown, and our former headquarters and other venues became very crowded. Events at the 2008 conference were spread among six different buildings, with attendees experiencing long lines and crowded spaces. The move into McCormick Place West (MPW) enabled The Midwest Clinic to once more hold everything under one roof, allowing attendees to attend more clinics and concerts in greater comfort, and providing us with opportunities to add features and create new programs to better serve music educators—all while preserving the truly special character and spirit of this event.
What can you tell me about McCormick Place West?
Opened in 2007, and billed as “the preeminent meeting facility in the country,” this $800 million construction is located on Cermak Rd. and Indiana Ave, one and a half miles southeast of our former headquarters, the Hilton Chicago. It provides ample space to host the entire conference and even allows room for long-term growth. The entire facility was designed with attendees’ comfort in mind, featuring abundant natural light, a simple layout, and open spaces. The clinic rooms, primary performance spaces, exhibits, registration, and a food court and restaurant are all located in close proximity to one another. There are also rest and communal areas throughout the building. An open plan enables attendees to view all levels, so that they never feel cut off from the rest of the space. Shuttle and taxi drop-off points place attendees right in the middle of the action, and a 1500-space parking garage is attached to the building. During the conference, The Midwest Clinic has reserved all the space in MPW and will be the only event held there.
How did the move benefit exhibitors?
In the past, exhibits were split among five halls on two different levels. At MPW, all exhibits are held in a single hall, directly across the main concourse from the largest performance venues and directly above most clinic rooms. This hall accommodates up to 50% more booths than in the past. Should we ever outgrow it, a dividing wall can be removed to reveal a second hall just as large. Because of the extra space, any returning exhibitor that wants to reserve additional booths can do so. All booths are 20 square feet larger than at the Hilton (10 x 10 instead of 8 x 10), and all aisles are two feet wider. The exhibit hall has a 40 foot ceiling and is almost completely pillar-free. It also features its own food court so that exhibitors and attendees can have lunch or a snack without leaving the hall. All of these upgrades enable attendees to see more exhibits in less time and to locate specific exhibitors, thus finding their way around much more easily.
What did the move mean for my costs?
Most of your rental and service rates and costs have remained the same or even decreased, due in large part to how much more efficiently service personnel can operate at MPW (thanks to such features as multiple loading docks and service elevators, and on-site storage facilities). Detailed cost information is available each year with the exhibit contracts.
What are the union regulations at McCormick Place?
The union regulations are the same at McCormick Place as at the Hilton Chicago. In fact, the same decorating company personnel who worked at the Hilton continue to serve The Midwest Clinic at MPW.
Have the conference schedule and exhibit hours changed?
The conference will follow the same daily and weekly schedule as in the past, including exhibitor setup, teardown, and display hours.
How are booths assigned?
We use the same criteria as in the past: Booths are assigned at the sole discretion of The Midwest Clinic with consideration given to booth configuration requirements, seniority, category, date of contract submission, balance, and perceived educational value of the exhibit to conference attendees.
Where do exhibitors stay?
Exhibitors can stay at the Hyatt McCormick Place, which is across the street from MPW and connected by two indoor walkways. Exhibitors can reserve rooms at the same time they order exhibit space, starting in January. Because we are not opening the Hyatt to general attendees, we can keep this reservation period open longer than in the past. Exhibitors who wish to stay at other hotels can make reservations directly with the official conference hotels open to attendees, or elsewhere.
Where do attendees stay and how do they get to McCormick Place West?
In addition to the Hilton, many of the hotels that have offered Midwest Clinic room blocks in the past continue to do so. A free shuttle runs from the hotels each day of the conference. In the future, additional hotels are expected to open in the vicinity of MPW. These will be added as they open.
Is there anything else I should know?
The move to MPW was aimed at presenting a better conference, not bigger. The decision to relocate ultimately came down to improving the experiences of attendees, and a significant part of that is enhancing their experiences in the exhibits. The Board of Directors recognizes the special connection that The Midwest Clinic shares with its devoted attendees, and the move was undertaken with the deepest respect for that connection and for the tradition and history of this event. Just as the moves to the Hotel Sherman in 1947 and the Hilton in 1973 expanded the prospects of the Midwest Clinic, so too has this move created unprecedented possibilities. We could not be more excited about the opportunity to join with you each December in celebration of our brilliant future together.