The awards honor the dedication and creativity of event professionals who have earned the respect and admiration of their clients and peers. The award winners were selected through an online reader poll. The winner are:

Best Attraction – Navy Pier
Best Audio-Visual – The Meetinghouse Companies, Inc.
Best Banquet/Reception Venue – Tie between Galleria Marchetti and River East Art Center
Best Boats/Cruises/Charters - Kanan Cruises
Best Caterer – Blue Plate Catering
Best Conference Venue – Gleacher Center
Best Convention & Visitors Bureau – Chicago Convention & Visitors Bureau
Best Destination Management Company – On the Scene
Best Eco-Friendly Supplier – Greg Christian Catering and Events
Best Entertainment – Just for Fun Entertainment and Events, Inc.
Best Décor – Kehoe Designs
Best Florist – The Meetinghouse Companies, Inc.
Best Golf Resort – Lincolnshire Marriott Resort
Best Historic Venue – Chicago History Museum
Best Hotel with Meeting Space (less than 440 rooms) – The Blackstone Hotel
Best Hotel with Meeting Space (more than 440 rooms) – Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
Best Photography/Videography – Tie between Promax Productions and Studio T Photography
Best Rental Service – Classic Party Rentals
Best Teambuilding Facility/Organizer – Corporate Event Interactive
Best Transportation – Windy City Limousine
Best Unique Venue – Chicago Illuminating Company
Best Venue Outside Chicagoland – Pheasant Run Resort
Editor’s Pick Best Event Décor – Ivan Carlson & Associates
Editor’s Pick Best New Intimate Event Space – Vertigo Sky Lounge
Editor’s Pick Best Casino – Horseshoe Casino Hotel
Editor’s Pick Best Experimental Event Expert – Minding Your Business

New this year, Illinois Meetings + Events magazine recognized its first-ever Hall of Fame, chosen by the magazine’s editorial advisory board.

Lifetime Achievement – Bill Pry, Partner – BBJ Linen
Best Special Events Planner – Andrew Schorr, President and Principal – In the Loop
Best Meeting Professional – Kimberly LaBounty, President – Apex Management & Special Events Inc.
Best Up-and-Coming Meeting Professional – Justin Rhodes, Associate – Corporate Events for Jones Lang LaSalle, Chicago
Best Supplier – Jim Grillo, President – hereschicago.com
Best Up-and-Coming Supplier – Renee Barricklow, Event Producer – Kehoe Designs, Chicago

“We are pleased to recognize the outstanding contributions of these organizations and individuals to the meetings and events industry, which plays an important role in Illinois’s vitality and economy,” says Lauren Hurley, editor of Illinois Meetings + Events magazine.

Thank you to our event partners; Underground, The Meetinghouse Companies, Inc. and Classic Party Rentals.

Illinois Meetings + Events magazine is one of eight regional meetings and events magazines published by Tiger Oak Publications, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn.  The idea-driven magazine focuses on the issues facing today’s meeting and event professionals in Illinois and beyond and looks to address all aspects of the industry through in-depth feature stories, insightful departments and helpful news and updates on tips and trends. For more information and to view photos from the event, visit www.ilmeetingsmag.com.

Visit Hereschicago.com, Chicago’s event planner resource guide featuring Chicago’s top Planner Preferred vendors for Chicago meetings and events.

Add some personality to your event!

Would you like our Hereschicago.com correspondent to cover your event?  We will:

1. Provide a video correspondent to video your next event

2. Promote your video on Hereschicago.com

3. Promote your video in our E-newsletter to 9,000 subscribers

4. Provide you with a copy of the video for you to place on your website

Package cost: $550 (Chicago downtown locations)

Contact us if you would like us to add some personality to your next event!

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Visit Hereschicago.com, Chicago’s Group Tour and Event Planning Resource Directory for places to shop in Chicago.

900 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611
312-915-3916

Mall Hours
Monday - Saturday   10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday                     12:00 pm to 6:00 pm

900 North Michigan Shops offers a unique shopping experience in an architecturally stunning 450,000 square foot property at Michigan Avenue and Oak Street. Bloomingdale’s is the center’s department store anchor. The 900 Shops also feature over 70 specialty retailers such as Gucci, Mark Shale, J.Crew, Stuart Weitzman, Coach, and Williams-Sonoma Grande Cuisine. Dining options include full service restaurants, including OakTree, Tucci Benucch, Baisi Thai and the award winning Seasons Restaurant in the attached Four Seasons Hotel, accessible from the sixth level of the shopping center.

An attached parking facility with 1,750 spaces allows for convenient access to shopping and nearby attractions, many within walking distance of 900 North Michigan Shops.

Out-of-town visitors should check the 900 Shops website to learn about the Exclusively 900 program, which offers discounts to visitors and a collectible shopping bag.

The 900 Shops features six levels of shops surrounded by a beautiful atrium rising above them all, which provides a stunning presentation of elegance.

Home to top brands and stores unique to the entire Chicago market, the 900 Shops features specialty shops and even a six-story Bloomingdales.

Chicago Chocolate Tours
900 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago Illinois 60611
312-863-8614       

Learn about Chicago’s chocolate favorites with Founder and “Chief Executive Chocolate Lover,” Valerie Beck. Not only will there be a guided walking tour of the Loop or the Magnificent Mile, but guests will also get the delicious added benefit of tasting some of the best chocolate samples. This fantastic chocolate escapade is not only for tourists. Locals will love this as well. So, next time you are planning a party with friends, a romantic activity or an exciting trip to the city, try something different. Discover a whole new world of chocolate and the city with Chicago Chocolate Tours!

Join us for a Chicago Chocolate Tour! We tour all year round, and our tours are exciting and inviting. Open tours take place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and private tours happen throughout the week and weekends.

Why not have your holiday party with us, on a walking tour or at a seated tasting? And, come enjoy one of our special Halloween tours on Friday, October 31, at 12:45 pm (meet at 231 S. LaSalle) or 5:45 pm (meet at 900 N. Michigan).

On-site Chocolate Tastings
Instead of walking to the chocolate, would you like the chocolate to come to you? Then let us create a special chocolate tasting for you!

In addition to our unique walking tours for the public, or for corporate or other private groups, Chicago Chocolate Tours also provides private tastings. In other words, we’ll bring the chocolate party to you for a team-building or business entertaining event, private social event, bachelorette party, or other gathering. Or, we’ll hold your chocolate tasting at our offices, depending on space and availability.

Macy’s on State Street

Whether you’re searching for a formal dinner, a quick lunch, or someplace to meet after work or before the theater, Macy’s on State Street is the place. Our reputation for quality, service and the latest trends extends to all our dining establishments.

WALNUT ROOM (7th floor)-Opened in 1907, it’s one of Chicago’s oldest and most famous restaurants. You can still sit by the 17-foot marble fountain and enjoy a traditional chicken potpie made from Mrs. Herring’s original recipe.

THE WINE BAR at the WALNUT ROOM While the tradition of the Walnut Room carries on, shoppers who visit Macy’s on State Street also have the opportunity to select from more than 100 wines in The Wine Bar at the Walnut Room. This unique dining destination features a handsome wine bar and 36-foot communal walnut table built by local Chicago millworker Mark Bernhard of Bernhard Woodwork.

FRANGO® CAFÉ (7th floor)-Feast on entrées from the grill, sandwiches and sundaes in a relaxed café atmosphere, not to mention a variety of sumptuous goodies made with our Frango® chocolate.

SEVEN ON STATE (7th floor)-An upscale food court offering salads, soups and sandwiches and featuring stations from Frontera Grill, Takashi’s Noodles and Marcus Samuelson’s Burgers.

INFIELD’S (Lower level)-A neighborhood pub perfect for grabbing lunch or the latest on Chicago’s sports teams.
MARKETPLACE FOODS (Lower level)- A casual and convenient food court offering home-style foods, sushi, pizza, salads and deli fare. Ideal for a fast and filling lunch or snack.

 ”Meet me under the Clock!” The Great Clocks have been a popular Chicago meeting place for more than 100 years. The tradition began when Marshall Field was walking to work and noticed many scraps of paper that were stuck between the windows and exterior of his Marshall Field’s store. These scraps of paper had times and places or departments scribbled on them to let their friends know where to find them. Known for always “giving the lady what she wants,” Marshall Field installed the first Great Clock on the corner of State and Washington in 1897 to establish a meeting place.

The first Great Clock was designed by Pierce Anderson of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White. Weighing 7 ¾ tons of cast bronze and standing 17 ½ feet above the sidewalk, this first Great Clock immediately became “Chicago’s new meeting place.” Ten years later, Field saw the need for another Great Clock and a replica was installed on the corner of State and Randolph.

In November 1945, Norman Rockwell immortalized the Great Clocks in a painting, The Clockmender, for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. The popularity of the magazine transformed the Great Clocks from an local Chicago meeting place to an icon.

These Great Clocks, known as the “Sentinels of State Street” with their ornamental ironwork and timeless beauty still remain a popular meeting place for Chicagoans and visitors alike, becoming city icons and making State Street, that Great Street! Over the years the Great Clocks have been dressed up to reflect city and store events. To celebrate Culinary Week the clocks were adorned with chef’s hats and during Breast Cancer Awareness month, they gave off a radiant pink glow. They even donned baseball caps to celebrate the Chicago White Sox World Series Championship. These Clocks are truly a part of the flagship store and Chicago history. This is a stop on our audio tour or guided tours, and always available day and night, Macy’s on State Street invites you to meet under the clock!

HOLIDAY - For generations Chicagoans have brought their families to see every floor of our store decked out for the holidays. Marvel at our 45-foot Great Tree decorated with over 1,200 themed ornaments and 25,000 dazzling lights in the Walnut Room. Experience our animated window displays on State Street and enjoy elaborate decorations suspended from our 10-story atrium. Great Tree Lighting and State Street Window unveiling at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 8. 2008. Displays open until Sunday, January 4, 2009.

Shops at North Bridge
520 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL  60611
(312) 327-2300

Mall Hours:
Monday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Anchored by Nordstrom’s and the Conrad Hotel, the Shops at North Bridge have four floors of upscale shops and casual restaurants. In addition to the indoor shops, don’t miss the shops and restaurants around the block.

State Street Shopping
1 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60602
 
State Street is Chicago’s “main street,” located in the very heart of the city. For 165 years, it’s been the unparalleled retail and entertainment hub of the Midwest. The 1922 hit song “Chicago” gave the street its famous nickname: “That Great Street,” where they do things they don’t do on Broadway!

Historic anchors Marshall Field and Carson Pirie Scott have been through the ups and downs of State Street. After a slump in the 1970’s, State Street was closed to automobiles and the sidewalks were widened in an effort to revitalize the area. The plan was not successful, but now that State Street is again open to automobile traffic and has a multi-million dollar facelift, the businesses are again thriving.

State Street is not only a shopping, dining and entertainment attraction, but also an historical walking tour. Points of interest include the Chicago Theater, Marshall Field’s at Randolph and State, the Reliance Building at 32 N. State, the Chicago Building at State and Madison, the Harold Washington Public Library at State and Congress, and more.

Dining in the greater State Street area has as much history as its architecture with such favorites as the Walnut Room in Marshall Field’s, which was originally the first department store tea room; Berghoff Restaurant, a long-time popular German establishment; Trader Vic’s in the Palmer House Hilton; and Billy Goat Tavern, known for its cheeseburgers.

State Street became a shopping destination during the 1900s and is referred to in the song “Chicago”, sung by Frank Sinatra where Frank refers it to “State Street, that Great Street.” In 1979, Mayor Jane Byrne converted the downtown portion into a pedestrian mall with only bus traffic allowed. Mayor Richard M. Daley oversaw the State Street Revitalization Project and on November 15, 1996, the street was reopened to traffic.

During the 20th century, State Street was largely eclipsed by Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile shopping district. Various projects to restore State Street’s glory have been met with some success, and the State Street corridor is gaining residential as well as more traditional commercial development. New York & Company, Old Navy, and The Children’s Place have recently opened up flagships on State Street. Today, the only two main department store chains that remain are Macy’s (formerly Marshall Field’s) and Sears on State. The department store chain Carson Pirie Scott closed their flagship store on State Street on February 21, 2007 after over 100 years on business in that location. In early 2009, the Block 37 mall will open, bringing with it a large group of upscale retailers to State Street. Stores that will have locations there will include Bebe, J. Crew, Puma AG, Club Monaco, and Coach.

Water Tower Place
835 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 440-3166
 
At the pinnacle of Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile, Water Tower Place is Chicago’s premier shopping destination. Its stunning eight-level atrium features more than 100 of your favorite stores and restaurants plus a mix of distinctive specialty shops and boutiques. It offers a unique, high-energy urban shopping experience you simply won’t find anywhere else in the city. In short, Water Tower Place is the place to shop.

Water Tower Place offers eight levels of sophisticated shopping anchored by Marshall Field’s and the only downtown Lord & Taylor. Add 100 specialty stores to the mix – stores like Banana Republic, J.Jill, Eileen Fisher, Nine West Lifestyle, The Sharper Image, GAP, Jacadi, STUDIO Sterling Works and many others exclusive to Chicago, and you’ll see why this urban mix makes for a very unique shopping experience.

Dining options include California Pizza Kitchen, Mity Nice Grill, the “foodlife” unique food court, and more.

M ore than a tower, Water Tower Place is a shopping mecca for millions of tourists in middle America. While its stately white form is often overlooked in Chicago's skyline, there's no question of its impact on the city and its tourist trade.

The building that we see today is the result of the Marshall Field department store chain's desire to open a new store north of its flagship entity on State Street. The company approached a real estate developer about the project and it was decided to put the new store on Michigan Avenue.

Michigan Avenue, at the time, was a boulevard of high class apartment buildings and even higher class boutiques. While State Street was the market for the masses, Michigan Avenue was the quieter, classier, shopping district. Or at least it was until 1969. That was the year the John Hancock Center opened, driving a massive office and residential complex into the heart of the area. If the Hancock Center was the crack in the dike, Water Tower Place was the flood that followed.

An entire city block was selected across Chestnut street from the John Hancock Center. Part of the land was purchased from the John Hancock insurance company, the most of the rest from the Seagrams company for $10 million. At the time the most notable structure on the plot of land was the 12-story Pearson Hotel, which was razed.

In its place rose America's first “vertical mall” — nine stories of shops, restaurants, and other reasons to spend money. The mall fronts Michigan Avenue, while the hotel and residences remain set back toward what is now Mies van der Rohe Way. This is a nice effort to keep the building from overwhelming Michigan Avenue and it minimizes the number of views blocked in the John Hancock residences. However, people at the upper levels of the JHC who overlook the roof of Water Tower place complain that it's like having a parking lot for a view.

With the first mall now open on Michigan Avenue, the character of the “Boul Mich” changed. It attracted Midwestern moms and flocks of tourists to the once stuffy boulevard. People who look wistfully at the old days say that Michigan Avenue was like Paris, though any such comparison has to be taken with a significant dose of salt. Any comparison to Paris is more likely the imagined Paris of mid-American minds, and not the true Paris known to the French.

Regardless, once the streets started filling with middle class money more shops followed, as did two other vertical malls all competing for the tourist dollar. Such a high concentration of shopping opportunities in such a small area shifted the retail center of the city northward and led to the decline of the State Street corridor in the 70's and 80's. It wasn't until the very late 1990's that it began to recover. The boutiques that once lined Michigan fled to the side streets of Oak, Walton, and Chestnut, as well as the semi-suburban refuge of Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Today, Water Tower Place is one of the must-see attractions in the city. Though to some it's just another mall, to most it's a dazzling big city shopping experience sanitized and conveniently packaged in a way that is irresistible to families, useful to locals, and welcome in a world that is big enough to support all kinds of shopping adventures. 

This used to be the location of the Pearson Hotel. Many tourists flock to this building because talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey maintains a condominium in this building. Her fans are usually disappointed to find out that Winfrey is almost never here, and actually spends most of her time at her home in California, visiting Chicago to tape her television shows before returning to the west coast.

The land that this building was erected on was purchased from the Seagram beverage company for $10,000,000.
At the time of its completion, this was the world's tallest reinforced concrete building.
Retail and commercial address: 845 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Hotel address: 160 East Pearson Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Residential address: 180 East Pearson Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611

Official stories: 74
Additional levels: Mezzanine between 1 and 2, plus a mechanical penthouse
Parking spaces: 699
Hotel rooms: 426
Hotel apartments: 10
Retail floor space: 935,659 square feet

Crate and Barrel
646 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312-787-5900

Back in the ’60s, a young Chicago couple by the name of Gordon and Carole Segal had just returned from a honeymoon in Europe. One night, while washing their dishes after dinner, they lamented there was no place at home to buy the contemporary, affordable housewares they had admired throughout their travels.
Passionate to make these designs available to others, the Segals hired one employee and leased an abandoned elevator factory on Chicago’s Wells Street. They traveled throughout Europe buying directly from glassblowers and ceramicists, from factories making beautiful French copper pots and simple white bistro dinnerware. With no money left for displays, they stacked the shipping crates as shelves and filled the overseas barrels with fun merchandise. So out of necessity came the unique Crate and Barrel style…and name. And on a cold December day in 1962, just moments before the official opening, Gordon and Carole realized they had forgotten just one thing–a cash register.

A lot has changed since that first store opened. Instead of the one employee we had in 1962, we now have 7,500. Instead of one small storefront, we now have 160 spectacular stores in markets across the US.
And now, we’re honored to share our passion with our first international Crate and Barrel store, now open at Toronto’s exciting Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

NIKETOWN
669 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago Illinois 60611
(312) 642-6363

Shops at the Mart
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 527-7990
 
The Merchandise Mart, constructed in 1930, is the world’s largest commercial building, largest wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million square feet, The Mart spans two entire city blocks and rises 25 stories. The Mart is the largest trade center in the world and welcomes more than three million visitors each year. Sixty percent of the building’s area is devoted to wholesale showrooms. As a design center, The Merchandise Mart hosts 16 major trade shows, co-produces 15 more and also houses more than 300 conferences, seminars and special events a year.

The design centers are not open to the public (other than tours on Fridays). However, the first two floors contain the Shops at the Mart, which consists of over 50 stores, restaurants and services which are open to the public. Retailers include A&G Clothing & Accessories, Radio Shack, B. Dalton bookstore, KB Toys and more.

Shops at the Mart also feature full-service restaurants and a food court, such as Armando’s, Au Bon Pain, New Orleans BBQ Grill, The Great Steak & Potato Company, Starbucks, Mrs. Field’s Cookies, Gourmet Market and more. Services include a beauty salon, one-hour photo, travel agency, post office, currency exchange and more. Additionally, WKQX-FM Q101 radio station is located here on the second floor.

teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland
900 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago Illinois 60611
(312) 943-4400

Always fresh, our confections are prepared weekly and flown immediately to our stores in America. In this way, we continue to bring you these marvelous chocolates acclaimed as the world’s finest by gourmets and critics alike.

More than 70 years ago in a small town in the Swiss Alps, a master chocolate maker embarked on a path that would make him one of the world’s greatest chocolatiers.

Dolf Teuscher thoroughly searched throughout the world to locate the finest cocoa, marzipan, fruits, nuts, and other ingredients and after years of experimenting, skillfully blended these into his now famous recipes.

Our kitchens in Zürich today make more than hundred varieties of chocolates using these original recipes which have now passed from father to son. In the Teuscher tradition, the world’s finest and most expensive natural ingredients are blended together using absolutely no chemicals, additives, or preservatives.

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