>> IT'S TIME TO CHECK BACK IN

WITH BRANDIS FRIEDMAN WHO SPENT

THE DAY IN CHICAGO'S SOUTH LOOP

AS PART OF OUR "IN YOUR

NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES".

>> EARLIER IN THE DAY, WE SPOKE

WITH LARITA CLARK THE C.E.O. OF

THE METROPOLITAN PIER AND

EXPOSITION AUTHORITY WHICH

OPERATINGS McCORMICK PLACE AND

WE STARTED BY ASKING HOW THE

PANDEMIC HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR

THE OPERATION.

>> IT'S BEEN DEVASTATING FOR US

AS AN INDUSTRY, THE CONVENTION

INDUSTRY BUT ALSO FOR ALL OF

WORKERS.

JUST TO SEE THE FOLKS THAT WERE

NOT ABLE TO WORK ON OUR CAMPUS.

OUR CAMPUS EMPLOYS ALMOST 3,000

PEOPLE.

AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE

CONTRACTORS AND THE EVENTS THAT

COME IN HERE.

AND WE HAD TO REDUCE THAT STAFF

TO ABOUT 300-400 DURING THAT

TIME.

MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE

FURLOUGHED.

IT JUST WATCHING THIS CAMPUS BE

EMPTY WAS PRETTY DEVASTATING FOR

US.

>> WHAT HAVE BEEN THE CHALLENGES

AND ALSO THE LOGISTICS

CHALLENGES WITH GETTING READY TO

WELCOME CONVENTIONS BACK AND

BRINGING THE EMPLOYEES BACK IN

FOR THIS?

>> SO REALLY NO CHALLENGE WE

TOOK THIS TIME TO PREPARE FOR

THAT.

MPEA OUR ENTIRE CAMPUS,

McCORMICK PLACE, THE MARRIOTT

MARQUIS CHICAGO, THE HYATT

REGENCY, OUR WYNN TRUST ARENA WE

ARE ALL G BACK ACCREDITED WHICH

IS THE GOLD STANDARD FOR

FACILITIES TO BE AVAILABLE AND

CLEAN AND PROVIDE A GUARD

AGAINST INFECTIONS AND DISEASES.

WE TOOK THAT TIME TO PREPARE FOR

THAT AND THEN WE DID A LOT OF

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS WHICH

ALLOWED US TO RETAIN THE 300-400

EMPLOYEES THAT I SPOKE ABOUT.

>> AND BRINGING BACK MORE

EMPLOYEES?

>> OUR PLAN IS AS THOSE EVENTS

COME IN WE ARE GOING TO RAMP UP

OUR EMPLOYEES AND HOPE TO GET

BACK UP TO THE 3,000 BY EARLY

NEXT FISCAL YEAR WHICH IS JULY

FIRST.

>> WE HAVE THE AUTO SHOW NEXT

WEEK.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT?

>> WE HAVE THE SPECIAL EDITION

AUTO SHOW AND THIS IS EXCITING

FOR ALL OF US.

IT'S IN JULY.

IT'S ALWAYS IN FEBRUARY WHERE

IT'S COLD AND WE HAVE TO BE

INSIDE.

WE WORKED WITH THE AUTO SHOW AND

THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

FOR BOTH THE CITY AND THE STATE.

TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A

HEALTHY OPERATING PLAN.

SO THEY ARE GOING TO PRODUCE AN

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR EVENT.

THERE'S GOING TO BE FOLKS WILL

SEE FOOD TRUCKS.

THERE'S GOING TO BE OUTSIDE

ENTERTAINMENT AND SOME OF THE

EVENTS THEY HAVE SEEN INSIDE IN

THE PAST WILL BE OUTSIDE.

I THINK IT WILL BE EXCITING.

>> HOW HAVE YOU WORKED WITH THE

ORGANIZERS OF THE CONVENTIONS

WITH REGARDS TO THEIR CAPACITY

AND WHAT RESTRICTIONS AND COVID

PROTOCOLS EVERYONE WANTS TO HAVE

IN PLACE?

>> INITIALLY WE WERE NOT SURE

BECAUSE WHEN WE STARTED I THINK

IT WAS WE WERE IN THE BRIDGE

PHASE MAYBE OR EVEN IN THE

GOVERNOR'S RESTORE ILLINOIS PLAN

STAGE THREE OR FOUR.

AND WE WEREN'T SURE WHAT WE

WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO.

THE NEW EVENTS THAT ARE COMING

UP ONE IS THE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW

PRIOR TO THAT WE WERE HAVING A

NIKI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS AND

HAVING AN ADVERTISING SPECIALTY

EVENT A TRADE SHOW ALL OF THOSE

EVENTS HAD TO SUBMIT OPERATING

PLANS THAT WERE REVIEWED AND

APPROVED BY THE CHICAGO

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND

THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF

PUBLIC HEALTH.

SO WE WORKED TOGETHER WITH ALL

OF THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'LL

HAVE A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR

EVERYONE.

>> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE CITY

AND THE CITY'S ECONOMY TO BE

ABLE TO REOPEN TO CONVENTIONS

AND WELCOME THEM BACK?

>> WELL, PRECOVID, McCORMICK

PLACE EVENTS AND CAMPUS BROUGHT

IN $1.9 BILLION IN ECONOMIC

IMPACT TO THE CITY AND AS FOLKS

COME IN I ALWAYS SAY THAT OUR

GOAL AND OUR ROLE IS TO BRING IN

CONVENTIONS, TRADE SHOWS AND

MEETINGS SO WE CAN BRING PEOPLE

IN FROM ALL OVER THAT THEY CAN

SPEND THEIR MONEY IN CHICAGO.

AND THAT WILL STIMULATE THE

ECONOMY FOR RESTAURANTS AND

HOTELS AND FOLKS WILL SPEND

THEIR MONEY AND CREATE JOBS.

>> AND AGAIN, THAT WAS LARITA

CLARK THE C.E.O. OF THE

ORGANIZATION THAT RUNS