How to Attend a Trade Show at Navy Pier in Chicago

Although large venues such as Chicago's McCormick Place may be the staple among large industries looking for a gathering place, smaller venues such as Chicago's Navy Pier offer exhibitors and attendees a far more relaxed pace and a more user-friendly trade show setting. However, before attending a trade show at Navy Pier, you will still need to know the basics of the place.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Comfortable Shoes
• Microcassette Recorders
• Internet Access
• Rental Cars
• Travel Services
• Pads Of Paper
• Computers

1. Check out the Navy Pier's Web site (navypier.com) for a map, driving directions, parking information and facility hours before leaving home or the hotel, which ever may be providing your accommodations.
2. Make hotel and car rental reservations several months in advance if you intend to stay downtown, as shows at McCormick Place and Navy Pier tend to eat up available space fast. Also check to see whether your hotel offers a special rate to those attending trade shows in town. Confirm your reservations (hotel, car, air and show) before you leave for Chicago.
3. Consider taking a taxi, as parking space is limited at Navy Pier and liable to be completely taken on show days. Check with show management to see which downtown hotels offer free shuttles to and from the show as an alternative.
4. Get preregistered for the show so that you can avoid on-site registration fees and long lines. This smart move will save you both time and money.
5. Obtain a preshow planner and list of exhibitors to help you plan your trip around the show floor. If the show you are attending does not offer a preshow planner, check out the Meeting Planners section of Navy Pier's Web site for a look at a map of the whole facility.
6. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes for perusing trade shows at the Pier. Although it will likely take you only a couple of hours to see a show in either Festival Hall A or B at Navy Pier, it is still a lot of walking to take on in uncomfortable shoes.
7. Take along a notepad or minicassette recorder to help boost a failing short-term memory. This will help you remember who to call, what projects to enter and what quotes to fax once you get back to the office.
8. Come for the show and stay for the fun. Not only is Navy Pier offer a user-friendly trade show site, but it also allows you to do some shopping, see an IMAX movie, take a sight-seeing cruise, check out a play or concert or just grab a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel.

Tips & Warnings

• Learn something about Navy Pier's history while you are there. It was originally built in 1916, and it virtually languished lakeside until it was redesigned and re-created in 1995 as an exposition hall and recreation venue.
• Check out the lakeside parks and beaches as you come or go from Navy Pier. You can see Lincoln Park Zoo (for free!), lie on the beach or eat lunch by Buckingham Fountain to name a few ideas.
• Double-check Navy Pier's Web site to see whether the trade show you are attending corresponds with the dates and times of any special shows, concerts or events. This could lead to increased traffic, parking woes and long lines at the food court, so plan your time wisely.
• Don't let Navy Pier eat up all your time in Chicago. Navy Pier is a destination unto itself, and if you are not careful you will use all your free time there without ever seeing the rest of Chicago.