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B M & T ••• November/December 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 15 C E N T E R O F AT T E N T I O N Mc Cormick Place is largest convention center in the Western Hemisphere, with 2.6 million sq. ft. of meeting and exhibit space. It's made up of four buildings: the West, South and North Buliding, and Lakeside Center. Together, these buildings offer: • 173 meeting rooms offering 600,000 sq. ft. of space • ballrooms ranging from 21,000 to 100,000 sq. ft. • Assembly seating for 18,000 people • 10,000-seat arena (Wintrust Arena) • 4,192-seat theater (Arie Crown) • 3 theaters seating 300 each Whether you're hosting 200 people or 20,000, McCormick Place West is just the right size, featuring 406,000 sq. ft.t of exhibit space. The entire building was specifically designed to adapt to various needs, never feeling too big or too small, while always promoting social interaction and comfort. McCormick Place South features 840,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space with moveable partitions (Hall A1 and Hall A2), and is linked to McCormick Place North and McCormick Place South West by a glass-enclosed Grand Concourse. When used in con- junction with McCormick Place North, the exhibit space can span 1.2 million sq. ft. on one level. McCormick Place South features 100-ft. ceilings, a 900-ft. walkway that includes a business center, visitor information booth, and other amenities, and sky bridges that connect to McCormick Place Lakeside Center, McCormick Place North, and McCormick Place West. The McCormick Place North addition, features 705,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space that can be used independently or in conjunction with McCormick Place South and/or McCormick Place Lakeside Center. Sky bridges connect to the Lakeside Center (Level 3) and the McCormick Place South (Level 4). Lakeside Center (formerly the East Building) opened in the original McCormick Place structure. It features 583,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, and has been retrofitted to meet the needs of a variety of different groups in the mid-sized and growing event market. A sky bridge on Level 3 connects Lakeside Center to McCormick Place South and McCormick Place North. Just opened in 2019, the ABC Building is a historic build- ing that has been renovated to provide meeting rooms and event space. The entire McCormick Place campus is connected by dra- matic pedestrian promenades and sky bridges and has more than 100 pieces of public art, creating a unique experience. What's more, McCormick Place is the largest green-certified convention center in North America. The facility offsets 100 percent of its electricity usage with clean, affordable wind ener- gy, while the LEED Certified West Building features the Midwest's largest farm-to-fork rooftop garden, planted in part- nership with the Chicago Botanic Garden to supply McCormick Place restaurants. McCormick Place Reopening Preparation Efforts In preparation for reopening, McCormick Place has exam- ined all the buildings on campus and has begun implementing changes to enhance public health. This includes: Adding new technology, such as increasing the num- ber of touch free, automatic doors and allowing non- automatic doors to be propped open to minimize touches by guests and staff Incorporating new sig- nage and processes for ele- vators and escalators Rearranging eating in common spaces has been rearranged to allow for social distancing Ensuring the highest possible air quality by utilizing our team of building engineers who will regularly verify compli- ance within McCormick Place and the Wintrust Arena with ASHRAE standards, including increased frequency of filter replacement. This engineering team will also work with Hyatt and Marriott personnel in the hotels to maintain consistent standards across McCormick Square For more information visit www.choosechicgo.com.