CHICAGO — Choose Chicago and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) announced at PCMA’s Convening Leaders that the city of Chicago had an outstanding year in 2023 and is expecting a strong 2024.
Choose Chicago reports that in 2023 it booked more than 2,100 future meetings, representing 2.45 million hotel room nights. The organization also reports that the total of room nights booked in 2023 was more than 40% more than 2022 levels and more than 20% higher than its goal for the year.
“Coming into 2023, we were seeing a lot of great signs on the meetings front, but there was significant uncertainty. Other markets had reopened sooner than Chicago, and there was much more competition than ever before,” said Dustin Arnheim, Senior Vice President of Sales and Services at Choose Chicago, during the press conference. “I’m happy to share that 2023 was a spectacular year for trade shows and conventions choosing Chicago. This includes three new major long-term annual and biannual conventions, including some corporate clients. These numbers make it clear that the industry is confident in Chicago now and into the future.”
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“While we are proud of our 2023 accomplishments, we are even more excited for 2024. In fact, with over 1.2 million room nights booked, 2024 will be our strongest year ever in terms of total room nights booked for major citywide events,” Arnheim said.
Part of that anticipated success of 2024 comes from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) committing to hold its Annual Meeting in Chicago through 2032. The commitment will bring continued economic impact from the event, with the 2023 event bringing more than 40,000 registrants, 40% of which were international visitors, and an economic impact of more than $115 million.
“Year after year, we hear from our attendees that Chicago offers a great experience all around — award-winning restaurants, optimal hotels, amazing museums, fun events and the convenience that comes with having two international airports,” said Mark Watson, Executive Director of RSNA. “With a meeting of our scale, we appreciate the peace of mind we have knowing that we can count on our partners for the support we need for a successful event.”
The RSNA Annual Meeting will alternate between the week before and after Thanksgiving under the terms of the contract. The 2024 event will take place Dec. 1-5, and will shift to the week before Thanksgiving in odd years beginning in 2027.
Reach Dustin Arnheim at darnheim@choosechicago.com
