Meet Chicago Northwest wins two tourism awards
Schaumburg-based Meet Chicago Northwest (MCNW) recently won two awards at the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism, the state’s premier educational and networking conference for tourism industry professionals.
Meet Chicago Northwest is a nonprofit, 501c6, destination marketing organization whose mission is to promote its service area of eight communities — Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Itasca, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, Streamwood, and Wood Dale — for meetings, convention, sporting events, group tours, and leisure visits.
The group took home the Outstanding Niche Targeting award for its 2023 marketing campaign, “Chicago Northwest is Your Home for Golf,” and the top honor of the night, the award for Best of Show, which is given for the highest score across all categories.
Tapping into the increased popularity of golf, Meet Chicago Northwest submitted a multimedia golf campaign, which showcased its many year-round golf attractions and award-winning golf courses. Targeting golfers across Southern Wisconsin and the Chicago region, the campaign brought in more than 4,000 documented golfers while contributing to a $1.8 million increase in hotel room revenue.
“It is an honor to be recognized by our tourism peers from across the great state of Illinois,” said Heather Larson, president and CEO of Meet Chicago Northwest. “These wins reinforce the work that we’ve been doing at Meet Chicago Northwest for the last 40-plus years. We are thrilled to receive this recognition and these two prestigious awards from the Illinois Office of Tourism.”
The three-day conference was held March 19-21 at the Peoria Civic Center and included the 2024 Illinois Excellence in Tourism Awards ceremony, honoring Illinois tourism leaders’ contributions to the industry. The annual conference brought together more than 360 tourism and hospitality leaders, travel experts and visionaries to highlight the latest industry trends and insights.
Illinois’ hospitality industry has seen significant growth in past few years. In 2022, the total economic impact of tourism was $78 billion.
In 2023, Meet Chicago Northwest marked its 40th anniversary, attracting more than 3 million overnight visitors to the Northwest suburbs. The region saw a 6.8% rise in gross sleeping room revenue and the highest increase in average daily room rate among all Chicago region areas.
To learn more, visit chicagonorthwest.com.