>> 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