Chicago Hospitality Backs the Bid, a grassroots organization made up of hospitality-industry professionals, is teaming up with tourist publication Concierge Preferred to stage a rally in support of the 2016 Olympics bid this afternoon—which may serve to temper speculation that locals are becoming less enthusiastic about the possibility of hosting the games. Set to take place at 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the rally is expected to draw some 500 attendees, among them restaurant owners, hotel doormen, and well-known locals such as Bears coach Mike Ditka.
Tim O'Malley, president and publisher of Concierge Preferred, will speak this afternoon, and said that the event will serve as a reminder that "people in the hospitality industry are just beside themselves with excitement about the opportunity [to host the games.] We just want to make sure that the whole world knows that. We hope that this rally gets significant media coverage so that we can shine the spotlight on the fact that we're extremely confident that Chicago can serve the games better than anyone."
O'Malley's confidence stems from a couple of factors, he said. When compared to Olympics-venue layouts proposed by the other cities competing for the bid—Tokyo, Madrid, and Rio De Janiero—"Chicago has the tightest geography," he said. "The majority of the venues [that could potentially host the games] are right here in Chicago, so athletes wouldn't have to drive for hours to go and compete."
O'Malley added that "when you look at the cost of all these bids, ours isn't as much as some of our competitors' because our city is built to facilitate major events. We serve some of the biggest conventions in the world, and we've been built out over years and years to support this type of tourism. We wouldn't have to change our infrastucture very much."
