Second City. The Windy City. Home of the Cubs. Chi-town. Home of Oprah, Obama, and Ditka. Whatever you want to call it, it’s Chicago. And it’s also home of the Internet Retail Conference & Exhibition.
The IRCE, the world’s largest e-commerce show, takes place next week, June 2-5, at McCormick Place West, the largest convention center in the U.S. The show boasts an unmatched 250,000 square foot exhibition hall featuring over 600 exhibitors, and nearly 10,000 attendees will flock to Chicago for the event hosted by Internet Retailer magazine.
Over 200 industry experts will be speaking at the conference covering all aspects of e-commerce. Included in the speaker lineup are keynote Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and Mobile, Alex Ohanian, co-founder of reddit, Christopher McCann, president of 1-800-FLOWERS, and James McQuivey from Forrester Research.
There are two days of focused workshops that delve deep into topics to improve business, and another two days of day-long workshops. In the middle of all this education is the exhibition hall which boasts 600+ exhibitors that encompass 90% of the e-commerce industry, including e-commerce platforms, marketing, social, SEM, fulfillment and merchandising.
In the middle of all this education and networking, don’t forget there is a city full of life and culture out there. For sports fans out there, Chicago is a huge sports town – unfortunately both the Cubs and White Sox are on road trips next week. But don’t fret – at the time of this publication, the Blackhawks are still alive in the NHL Western Conference Finals, so who knows – there may be some Stanley Cup fever in town next week, even though Games 1 and 2 may be played away due to home ice standings favoring the East.
As the third most populous city in the United States, Chicago must be a town for foodies. I personally haven’t been there in years – the last restaurant I remember in Chicago was a place Michael Medema turned me on to called Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on Rush Street. For another perspective, I texted my good friend Bill Yacona – thanks, SMS technology! Here’s what Bill texted back:
“If you are looking for things to do in Chicago, look no further than the Lakefront with the Art Institute of Chicago (“Save Ferris!”) or the Shedd Aquarium. If it’s good food you are after, then the Purple Pig or Eataly. If it’s a cockatil, then Three Dots and a Dash and The Violet Hour are both rated on ‘Chicago’s Best Places to Get a Drink’.”
Thank you, Bill! And thanks, AT&T Unlimited Text & Talk!
Well, it sure sounds like it’s going to be a busy week in Chicago when 10,000 retailers, marketers, and vendors hit the town for lots of networking and education. If you’ll be in town for the IRCE, please make your way to Booth #355 to say hello and talk a little biz with HitPath!
