The events calendar for McCormick Place, Chicago's massive convention complex, is filling up, with interest mounting among potential attendees and exhibitors, and that means 2023 could be the year convention travelers return in big numbers to downtown Chicago, providing a much-needed boost to hotels still suffering from the ongoing pandemic.
More than 2.5 million people are expected to attend 2023 events at McCormick Place, up from the nearly 1.5 million who showed up last year, according to Cynthia McCafferty, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the corporation that owns McCormick Place and Navy Pier.
Most attendees will pack downtown hotels, which have already enjoyed a strong revival of tourism.
