The Winery Team Challenge begins with a fun, informative Wine Tasting and ends with a highly entertaining and competitive Sangria Making & Marketing Challenge. Our sommelier starts the program with a brief history of wine, followed by a tasting that incorporates aroma sticks to help identify key ingredients in each wine.

Your group is then formed into teams that will become different wineries. Their assignment is to come up with a name and develop their own brand of Sangria. A brief history and definition of Sangria is explained, followed by a fun Trivia Contest which helps further educate your group about this wonderful beverage.

Each team then picks a leader and heads to the marketplace to find the ingredients they want to make their own Sangria. They will also create a name for their product, design a logo for their label and aprons – and decorate their tables for their final presentation which includes a song or jingle they write and perform about their great new Sangria.

Lastly, we organize a taste test contest to decide which team has created the best tasting Sangria. Prizes are then awarded in three different categories; the winner of the Sangria Trivia Contest, the team with the Best Marketing Campaign and the team with the Best Tasting Sangria.

The Winery Team Challenge is an extremely fun and fast-paced team building event that encourages creativity, cooperation, experimentation, and team support to come up with the best product and the most creative marketing campaign.

 ATTN: Meeting, Event and Hospitality Professionals. Yes…..you!

Join us for the 5th Annual Chicago Meetings and Hospitality Industry’s St. Pat’s BASH at Fado Irish Pub located on the corner of Grand and Clark Streets in the heart of Chicago’s River North.

You are invited to this private industry event – meet up with fellow meeting, event and hospitality professional colleagues at the St. Pat’s BASH which promises to be another benchmark setting BASH!

Click here for more information or to register

Have Fun this Summer! Book your yacht party for your special event in Chicago! We offer two of Chicago’s finest yachts available for Corporate Entertaining, Employee Appreciation, Weddings, Showers, Graduations, Birthdays, Afternoon Lunches.

Have Fun this Summer! Book your yacht party for your special event in Chicago! We offer two of Chicago’s finest yachts available for Corporate Entertaining, Employee Appreciation, Weddings, Showers, Graduations, Birthdays, Afternoon Lunches, Sunset Cruise, River Cruises and much more.

Total Capacity of Vessel:
up to 120 guests

Private or Semi Private Space Available:
Yes

Medieval Times Video Site Tour from hereschicago on Vimeo.

Click here to contact us to inquire about your meeting or event

South Branch is one of Chicago’s newest and boldest riverside event venues; ideal for weddings and private weekend events. Envision a lavish outdoor wedding in the warm summer sun on our Pavilion Patio; an oasis in the heart of the city. In colder months, imagine sprawling views of snow falling on the Chicago River to accentuate your occasion.

Pavilion Bar and Patio
Limited reservations are accepted on South Branch’s patio for groups of 20 or more with start times between the hours of 1:30 and 4pm, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. South Branch does not accept patio reservations on Thursdays or Fridays. Patio reservations do not guarantee inside space in the event of inclement weather and minimums do apply.

Main Dining Room
Our main dining room can accommodate seated groups from 20 to 50 guests or provide cocktail reception space for groups ranging from 20 to 100. Happy hour events can be booked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with start times from 1:30 to 5:00pm and Thursdays and Fridays from 1:30 to 4:30pm. Minimums to reserve this space do apply.

Private Dining Room
Our private dining room can accommodate seated groups for 10 to 20 guests and a standing cocktail for 15 to 25 guests. Dinner and happy hour reservations are accepted from 1:30 to 7:30pm. A food and beverage minimum of $175 per hour applies to book this space.

The Monroe Bar
The Monroe Bar can accommodate seated groups for 10 to 20 guests or provide cocktail reception space for 50-60 guests. Happy hour events can be booked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with start times from 1:30 to 4:30pm and Thursdays and Fridays from 1:30 to 3:30pm. Minimums to reserve this space do apply.

Private Group Events
South Branch’s unique space is perfect for private weekday and weekend events. Whether you are hosting a company outing, planning a wedding, organizing a charity event, or just celebrating with friends, South Branch is the perfect place to host large group gatherings. With our riverside patio and pavilion bar, spacious Main Dining Room, and chic Monroe Bar areas to choose from, South Branch has everything you need to execute any type of event. 100 guests are required to book a private weekday or weekend event. Minimums do apply.

TopGolf is the premier golf entertainment complex near O’hare Airort and Schaumburg and is perfect for any occasion, client event or private party. Our innovative and addicting point scoring golf games, combined with our new menu and refreshing cocktails, make this a far cry from your average event venue. TopGolf is also a great alternative as opposed to reserving private space at a restaurant or bar. The fun is free, and trust us, there will be plenty of it.

Worried about the weather? No need. Rain or shine, each bay is covered so that only the good elements from Mother Nature make it in.

You could have your event at a boring meeting facility, but we know you’ll make the right decision. Our fun and relaxed atmosphere puts everyone at ease and naturally encourages team bonding and creativity!

Consider TopGolf for your next:

Client Entertainment
Employee Entertainment
Team Building
Meetings
Retreats
Seminars
Training

Chicagoland Transportation Solutions, Inc. is a full service ground transportation company. We offer charters, meet & greet services, small to city-wide shuttles, scheduled service, tour services, and group activities. Our customers enjoy the fact that we focus on a few core services and perfect them to excellence instead of trying to do everything average.

Chicago Ground Transportation
Chicago Ground Solutions and Assistance
Complete Full Service Help
Staffing and Coordination
Chicago Airport Shuttles
Chicago Transportation Management
City shuttles and Convention shuttles
Meet and Greet Services
City Wide Shuttle System Development
Bus Charter Company
Group Activity Transportation

The Merchandise Mart, Chicago’s epicenter for high design and luxury goods, provides the ideal setting for your next exhibition or event. The Mart’s Events+Spaces adds together the elements of versatility, reputation, expertise and location, while offering an impressive collection of adaptable venues and an unmatched array of services.

Located in the heart of Chicago’s River North and Loop districts, The Merchandise Mart welcomes more than three million visitors each year to its retail shops, LuxeHome luxury kitchen and bath showrooms, 11 floors of permanent showrooms for gift, home, outdoor and commercial furnishings, 10 floors of office space for leading creative agencies, technology start-ups, educational groups and other leading organizations, dozens of trade shows and a variety of special educational, community and consumer events.

EVENTS+SPACES availabilities include:

Trade shows and expos
Special events
Corporate and association meetings
Corporate dinners
Fundraisers
Product launches
Cocktail parties
Fashion shows
Art shows
Filming
Photography studio
Showcases and installations

Total Capacity of Venue:

We offer a dozen different venues plus 200+ showrooms at The Mart. Please contact us to learn more.

Private or Semi Private Space Available:

Yes

F&B minimum to reserve / use the room (s):

No

Our most Important Target Market is?

Corporate, Civic, and Charity special events, presentations, meetings or exhibitions

We are most proud of our ability to?

Offer an impressive collection of adaptable venues and unmatched array of services

We are famous with customers for our ability to?

Provide excellent comprehensive event setup labor (union) and

Unlike our competition, we offer customers?

Unrivaled venues including luxury inspired showrooms, high-tech meeting spaces and expansive trade show floors

We would like our customers to tell their friends that we provide the best?

Celebrated art deco lobby, breathtaking city and river views from our South River Drive, show floors and meeting spaces

Our company enhances customer lives by offering?

The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest commercial building, wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, The Mart spans two city blocks and rises 25 stories.

We offer our customers the best?

35 years of knowledge related to planning events in Chicago and throughout the country, with experience managing over 300 events per year, including dozens of trade shows, and educational, community and consumer events.

Recent Clients:

University of Illinois, Young Presidents’ Organization, POWER 2011: Opening Doors For Women, Friends of The Chicago River, Koenig & Strey

Awards/Achievements:

The world’s largest LEED-EB Building – LEED Silver, Awarded 2007

Perfect for the following events:

Company Meetings
Conventions/Conferences
Corporate Events
Fund Raiser
Non Profit Events
Private Party

Located in the heart of Chicago’s River North and Loop districts, The Merchandise Mart is easily accessible from all downtown hotels. The Mart boasts an elevated “L” train stop and a taxi stand at its front door.

Total Event Resources Named PepsiCo Supplier of the Year 2011

After three years of bold, successful and award-winning meetings for the National Fleet and Other Goods and Service Group at PepsiCo, Total Event Resources has been named PepsiCo’s Supplier of the Year. Nominated by several stakeholders within the PepsiCo organization, Total Event Resources has been credited as a “strategic partner” for the giant refreshment company.

“What makes Total Event Resources so different and special,” says Dennis Selle of the PepsiCo Global Fleet Procurement Team, “is their pioneering implementation of a truly out-of-the-box approach to planning our meetings. It has been a key to our operational success in the past three years.” 

Every year, PepsiCo brings together 150 suppliers and 450 attendees for networking, learning and fun at their National Training Summit and Annual Tradeshow. The goal is to actively engage attendees while giving suppliers the opportunity to relay key points about their latest products, techniques and offerings. Total Event Resources has consistently developed a new theme and strategically aligned an “experiential engagement” activity that not only meets the client’s goals but thrills attendees as well. Both suppliers and attendees rave about the innovative interactive experiences, citing “greatest attendee participation ever,” “incredible energy” and “huge motivation.”

·        In 2009, Total Event Resources developed a baseball-themed event, “PepsiCo & Our Partners: Thinking, Working, Winning as One!” which included a “Batter Up!” game to engage attendees and encourage networking. Twelve client teams “walked off the field” with a solid understanding of the suppliers’ three key points that strategically supported that year’s marketing and sales efforts.

·        In 2010, Total Event Resources delivered a NASCAR-inspired program, “CRANK IT UP! Driven to Win with Leadership, Productivity and Determination,” which included the “PepsiCo Piston Cup” in which attendee teams raced to visit booths, earn miles for their team, and retain the most information about each supplier.

·        In 2011, Total Event Resources found a new way to “gamify” this national vendor expo by creating an electronic networking game, “Pepsiopoly!” modeled after a well-known family board game. The use of mobile networking devices that attendees could use to exchange business cards, download supplier literature and keep track of their scores was a new and exciting twist. At each booth, a simple swipe of the device over an RF tag registered the visitor and uploaded key information onto his or her device. After the show, attendees’ virtual briefcases were downloaded and an email link sent to each attendee. 

“We are really excited and honored to be PepsiCo’s Supplier of the Year,” said Kathy Miller, president and owner of Total Event Resources. “Much of the credit goes back to PepsiCo – they gave us the freedom to stretch the boundaries and get creative, and working together, we’ve achieved something really special each year.”

In addition to being named PepsiCo Supplier of the Year for 2011, Total Event Resources was also awarded a N.I.C.E. Chicago Excellence Award for Best Corporate Event over $75K for the 2010 PepsiCo “CRANK IT UP!” event from the International Special Events Society (ISES).

About Total Event Resources

Total Event Resources was founded in 1995 to provide discerning clients with the tools and talent they need to create exceptional live events. As Strategic Event Specialists, we know how to make everything in an event reinforce your strategic goals, creating an immersive experience that reaches your audience on multiple levels. Our global resources position us as a valuable partner for some of the world’s largest companies and organizations including Fortune 1000 companies, major trade associations and not-for-profit organizations. Consequently, our client base consists of industry leaders in pharmaceutical, trucking, insurance, manufacturing, healthcare and financial, to name a few. Our services are as diverse as our clients’ needs, and our staff of experienced professionals brings a passion and commitment to their work that is second to none.

Discover how Total Event Resources can help bring your vision to life. Click here for more information on Total Event Resources.

MPI-CAC TechCon Chicago 2012

Date: February 8, 2012
Time: 7:30 am – 7:30 pm
Holiday Inn Mart Plaza
350 West Mart Center Drive
Chicago, IL 60654

View Event Details & Registration Fees and MPI Chicago Area Chapter

Do you need to add impact to your next meeting or event, though you don’t know where to start?  Are you overwhelmed and unsure about what would be the best form of technology to use?  Do you think that if you add technology to the event that you will exceed your budget or lose the non-tech-savvy attendee? 

Look no further for the answers!  Spend a day with us and walk away a meeting and event “Techie.”   During TechCon Chicago 2012, you will have the opportunity to sample the newest trends that the technology industry has to offer; hands-on and in a lab setting.  You can be the star of your office by being well-versed on all user levels of technology.  Get ready to captivate your next audience and “Get Your Tech On!” 

Session Topics

•Housing
•Registration
•RFID
•CEU Tracking
•Lead Retrieval
•QR Codes
•Hybrid/Virtual Meetings
•Audience Response Systems
•Social Media

Meeting Planners – you will propel your career to the next level by being the “Technical Specialist” on your team.  You will be able to offer new technical solutions for every aspect of your meeting from planning tools to event execution regardless of budget boundaries.  You will also have the opportunity to gain CEU Credits while being WOWed and having fun. 

Meeting Suppliers – you will have the opportunity to find new technologies to present to your clients and add impact to their next event.  You will also have the opportunity to network with planners and technical specialists both in and outside of the MPI-CAC community. 

Learner Outcomes

1.Attendees will be introduced to event technology that will provide impact to their next event.
2.Meeting Professionals will be armed with many options for each technology component to offer to their team at their next brainstorming meeting.
3.Meeting Professionals will learn the latest and greatest in meeting and event technology and understand how to create whiz bang events to meet your budget.

TouchStations
Have you ever seen meeting technology and weren’t sure how the magic behind the curtain works?  Here’s your chance! TouchStations provide a hands-on experience for the meeting attendees and will help foster a new working relationship with a prospective technology specialist that you possibly would not have been exposed to otherwise.  You will also have the opportunity to have a one-on-one experience with Learning Lab Speakers and conduct your own personalized Question and Answer Session. TouchStations will be available to the event attendees throughout the day during registration, meals, breaks and another designated time in the agenda.

Networking Reception
Exchanging ideas and information is valuable to your development as a better meeting professional. Whether you are looking for new job opportunities or to expand your network, MPI-CAC’s events are designed to provide access to the professional connections you need for your career development.  Join us for a two hour networking event after the conference and digest the information you learned during the day over great food and spirits.

View Event Details & Registration Fees and MPI Chicago Area Chapter