Planning a conference for a large number of guests is a massive undertaking and involves a lot more than simply finding a room big enough to hold everyone. While capacity, availability, and price are all important aspects of planning, the right venue for your event should support the entire experience you’re curating, from the moment your guests arrive to the final presentation of the day.
For planners comparing all the conference venues Chicago has available, it helps to look beyond the basic ballrooms and hotels and consider how people will move through the event, how they’ll network and make connections, how smoothly the presentation schedule will run, and all the moments in between.
In this article, we’ll identify eight things to keep in mind when searching for the right conference venue for your event.
Capacity and Layout
A venue may advertise that it can accommodate 200 people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right fit for a 200-person symposium. Before booking, ask how the space can be configured for your specific event. Will your attendees need classroom-style seating for educational programming sessions? Would you need tables for workshops? Could the same room be changed to accommodate a reception later in the day?
When comparing conference venues, Chicago planners should evaluate the usable space rather than the sheer maximum capacity. A flexible meeting space Chicago venue makes it easier to create an environment that feels comfortable while supporting different parts of the day’s agenda. After all, the goal isn’t merely to fit everyone in a single room, but to make the space a comfortable one.
General Session and Breakout Capabilities in a Conference Venue
Many conferences include more than one keynote presentation. Attendees may move from a general lecture to smaller workshops, discussions, panels, or networking activities. This makes having access to multiple spaces a valuable quality in an event space. The kind of conference space Chicago guests enjoy most allows them to attend every event without having to leave the vicinity.
Depending on the size of your event and how many breakout sessions you’re planning, you’ll want to ask whether the venue has spaces designed for large and small groups. A popular conference center Chicago organizations like may offer several room layouts, but planners should ensure those spaces work together in a way that makes sense for their agenda.
Technology and AV Structure
There’s really nothing worse than your keynote speaker stepping up to a microphone that doesn’t work, or referring to a slideshow that won’t pull up on the screen. Unless you’re extremely tech-savvy, you’ll want to book an event venue Chicago organizers can count on to handle the technical aspects of the event. At Wintrust Sports Complex, we offer a wide range of event support amenities, including:
1. Wi-Fi coverage
2. Wireless microphones
3. Podiums
4. Projectors
5. PA system
6. Wireless Bluetooth overhead speakers
7. Dimmable lighting
Having the technical aspects of the day taken care of in your conference room rental Chicago space makes the day run so much smoother, especially for symposiums with multiple speakers, presentations, or award ceremonies.
Meeting Space Chicago Attendee Flow
Before dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s on an event space, it can be helpful to imagine how the day will play out from your guests’ point of view.
They have to arrive, park or walk from public transit, register, find their way to the right conference room, move to a breakout session, grab lunch, get back in time for the next presentation, and network with colleagues and peers. The day should feel intuitive, the schedule natural, and the space easy to navigate.
The right conference venues Chicago area organizations find most helpful make it easy for their guests to understand where they need to go next. For starters, the registration area should be placed at the front, but leave enough room to avoid bottlenecks at the entrance. Breakout areas should be nearby and easily accessible. Dining and casual networking spots should be far enough away from presentations that the noise doesn’t carry.
When evaluating conference venues Chicago downtown and the surrounding suburbs have to offer, imagine the journey attendees will have through the course of the day instead of isolating each space.
Food and Beverage Options
For a full-day conference, food should be included as part of the experience and built into the schedule. After all, you don’t want to force participants to leave for meals and risk not coming back for the rest of the day’s events.
Planners should expect to offer breakfast, coffee and tea breaks, lunch, snacks, and even a post-event reception or cocktail hour. And don’t forget that timing matters just as much as the menu, which is why in-house catering is such a lifesaver. Instead of hiring a third-party company to prepare and serve food and libations, choose a corporate meeting space Chicago guests will want to stay at. Wintrust Sports Complex provides in-house catering with customizable menus, a mobile drink service for corporate events, and an on-site restaurant, Station Grille, which is the perfect spot for networking hours and social time.
Space for Meaningful Connection
Some of the most valuable time at a conference happens outside of the scheduled presentations.
A good conference space Chicago organizations book will give attendees places to gather before meetings, during breaks, and after presentations. Open areas like Wintrust’s second-floor mezzanine, dining spaces like the Station Grille, and flexible gathering areas encourage conversations that may never have happened if everyone had been shuffled from one meeting to another.
Networking space is particularly valuable for professional associations, industry symposiums, and corporate events where relationship-building is one of the main reasons people are attending in the first place.
When assessing a conference venue, picture where people will naturally congregate and try to accommodate those tendencies by making those areas comfortable and conducive to conversation.
Accessibility, Location, and Parking
Downtown Chicago is an obvious choice for many events, but it isn’t the only option. Depending on whether your attendees are largely local or if they’re flying in from across the country, a Chicago area venue outside of downtown offers practical advantages, including easier driving access and parking. For regional events, planners should consider the transportation patterns of their actual audience rather than automatically assuming that everyone wants to be in the city center.
Accessibility should also be a part of the evaluation. Consider entrances, parking, restrooms, pathways, and how easy it will be for attendees with different mobility needs to navigate the facility.
When comparing conference venues in Chicago, the spot you end up choosing should best suit the guests who will be attending.
Opportunities To Make Memories
A conference does not necessarily have to end when the final speaker walks off the stage. Depending on the goals and overall feel of the event, organizers may want to incorporate a networking reception, dinner, social activities, or other fun team-building experiences. In this way, a nontraditional conference venue can offer more possibilities than a conventional hotel ballroom or conference room.
At Wintrust Sports Complex, planners can explore ways to extend a professional event beyond the speeches and slide shows. Our flexible event areas, food and beverage options, and interactive group activities create opportunities for attendees to connect in a less formal setting.
For organizations searching for corporate meeting space Chicago area guests will truly enjoy, this level of flexibility can help turn a standard meeting into a more engaging experience. It can also give organizers additional ways to encourage participation and conversation amongst their guests.
Book Your Next Conference Center Chicago Event at Wintrust Sports Complex
A successful conference depends on dozens of details working together. Capacity, budget, and availability all matter, but the best conference venue should also make the event easier to navigate, comfortable to attend, and engaging from beginning to end.
As you narrow down conference venues Chicago attendees will like the most, don’t forget to consider the layout, breakout room spots, tech needs, traffic flow, and food. And most importantly, make sure it’s accessible for everyone. For planners looking for conference room rental Chicago organizations can fit into, remember that the right choice isn’t just about square footage, but rather the flexibility a space can provide.
At Wintrust Sports Complex, the goal is to provide more than a place to gather. With flexible spaces and food and tech covered, our event venue Chicago location can be tailored to your event’s specific needs. Contact us today to book your conference space Chicago event.