Grow your suburban business in 2025 by capturing your share of the visitor dollar
When you think of businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, does the neighborhood caterer come to mind? Or a local florist or boutique or nanny service?
These are just a few types of local businesses that contribute to the tourism and hospitality sectors in Cook County. Like resorts, hotels or entertainment venues, small local businesses also can benefit from this sector by tapping into the $47 billion in spending power of the more than 112 million visitors who came to Illinois in 2023 and added $4.6 billion in state and local tax revenues.
The tourism and hospitality industry can provide Cook County small businesses with opportunities for growth through trusted information, guidance and support to navigate the many avenues that lead to success. There’s no need to hire pricey consultants to gain that knowledge. It’s all part of working with one of the county’s local convention and visitors bureaus.
Just ask Laura Horwitz, managing director of Jovie Childcare and 18-year provider of professional and credentialed child care staffing. What started off as a nanny and babysitting service to families in Glenview has grown exponentially, thanks in part to her membership in Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, one of the five convention and visitors bureaus serving all of suburban Cook County.
“Now 25% of my business comes from corporate and hospitality child care,” Horwitz said. “We are serving people who need child care to attend conventions, weddings, corporate meetings, or during their resort or hotel vacations. We even provide child care to the Chicago Bears and other local pro sports teams.”
Horwitz took full advantage of her CVB membership, including engaging with staff to stay abreast of opportunities.
CVB staff are experts at identifying potential new business for small firms that — at first glance — you wouldn’t automatically think of being in tourism and hospitality.
The professionals at convention and visitors bureaus know how to connect the dots. In essence, they’re sales and marketing experts who understand the challenges facing local businesses.
“One of my challenges is maintaining staffing levels to serve our clients,” Horwitz said. “So I was thrilled when my CVB alerted me to a hiring event for the hospitality industry. From this event I added several individuals to Jovie Childcare. Plus I’ve forged connections with other CVB members who have recommended my services to their own networks.”
To further help small businesses get their fair share of tourism spending, the five suburban convention and visitors bureaus collaborate as part of a program called Cook County Tourism Alive.
In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, Cook County’s Bureau of Economic Development launched this rare program to help suburban small businesses navigate the friendly waters of tourism and hospitality and sail to greater prosperity for all.
This program is aimed at helping small businesses capture tourism dollars they might never have considered. So if you run a small business and haven’t connected to your local CVB, why not resolve in 2025 to make that connection?
Not sure where to start? Find Cook County’s five suburban convention and visitors bureaus at https://www.cookcountytourism.com/about-us. You’ll unlock a world of opportunities that are critical to adapting and growing in this ever-changing business climate. The suburban convention and visitors bureaus are leading the way.
• Gina Speckman is the director of Cook County Tourism Alive.