Last year, sweeping changes in legislation were designed to make McCormick Place more attractive to, and less expensive for, meeting and trade show hosts. The new rules, which included establishing the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority—which owns and manages the expo center—as a public employer and limiting union workers' overtime, were approved by the Illinois general assembly last May. Then, some of the reforms were overturned last week by the U.S. district court in Chicago.
According to a statement on the official Web site for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, officials from the bureau and the exposition authority are "greatly disturbed" by the ruling. "As all observers of the convention and trade show business are aware," the statement reads, "the implementation of those reforms has, virtually overnight, transformed McCormick Place from a great convention and trade show facility that was rapidly losing its customer base into an industry powerhouse. Not only were our existing customers convinced to keep their events in Chicago, but new shows have been rapidly signing up."
According to Exhibit City News, some of the shows that have decided to return to McCormick Place on account of the new legislation include the National Restaurant Association show, the Home and Housewares show, and the International Manufacturing Technology show.
On Monday, local convention reps appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. While they await more decisions, reps for the exposition authority have said that they will continue to operate under the new labor rules.
