Planning a meeting? Look no further than the Chicago Southland
Many factors contribute to where you'll decide to host your next meeting. No matter what you're looking for in a meeting space, the Chicago Southland can help you find the perfect location. Comprised of 63 south and southwest suburbs of Chicago, the Southland region has everything from small, hospitable meeting spaces to a 70,000 square foot convention center. Additionally, the Chicago Southland is home to plenty of colleges, community centers, ballrooms and banquet halls.
Near both Midway and O'Hare Airports, the Chicago Southland is just 25 minutes from downtown Chicago. Our communities are easily accessible via interstates 55, 57, 80, 94, 294 and 355. We are located within a five-hour drive from eight different states, making the commute to the Chicago Southland region quick and easy.
The Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau has an excellent team with years of experience. We can assist with planning traditional meetings or events and can also offer unique, distinctive venues within our unparalleled spaces, taking your events from ordinary to extraordinary.
The Chicago Southland is home to a wide variety of meeting venues that can be customized to fit your meeting space needs. The Tinley Park Convention Center is a 70,000 square foot facility, with 58,000 square feet of contiguous meeting space. This convention center is known for its beautiful and versatile exhibit space. Complimentary internet access and an abundance of FREE parking is available. The Tinley Park Convention Center is a preferred venue for meetings, trade shows and conventions.
In addition to the convention center, the Chicago Southland area is home to several full service hotels with available meeting space. The Hilton Chicago/Oak Lawn & Conference Center, just four miles from Midway International Airport, offers a convenient suburban location with a downtown feel. Recently undergoing an $8.5 million renovation, this Hilton property offers meeting planners 17,000 square feet of flexible space along with their 192 guest rooms. The DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago-Alsip recently completed a three-year renovation project. Guest rooms, the lobby and ballrooms received updates. Up to 600 guests can be accommodated in their elegant meeting spaces. Georgios Banquets, Quality Inn & Suites Conference Center in Orland Park also recently completed a renovation, modernizing 150 guest rooms. With a 22,000 square foot banquet and meeting space, Georgios can host up to 1,200 guests. Additional full service facilities with meeting space include the Holiday Inn Chicago Matteson Conference Center in Matteson and Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel/Elements Conference Center in Orland Park.
La Banque Hotel is a stunning boutique property located in downtown Homewood. With 18 state-of-the-art guest rooms, La Banque is an excellent choice for company retreats, board meetings and other small gatherings. The meeting space is customizable and event planning services are available. The hotel is located just steps from a Metra and Amtrak train station, making commutes to and from the city quick and easy. La Banque's on-site restaurant, La Voute Bistro & Bar, serves as a location for delicious meals before, during and after your meeting.
The Chicago Southland is also home to many recently renovated select service hotels that offer smaller, intimate meeting spaces. Ranging anywhere from 234 square feet to 2,125 square feet of available meeting space, these select service hotels are perfect choices for small-scale meetings. With convenient locations throughout the Chicago Southland, there's sure to be a select service hotel that fits your needs.
Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center in Olympia Fields is a 38-acre nature preserve that is the perfect spot to incorporate team building into your meeting. High ropes, a climbing wall and crate stacking are among the exercises available, in addition to the 1,300 square foot conference center. Irons Oaks offers a secluded and relaxing
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environment for staff retreats, along with a friendly, helpful and positive atmosphere for your meeting attendees. The Chicago Southland features several colleges and universities that are available for meetings, in addition to multiple civic and community centers.
If you're looking for a more nontraditional meeting space, the Chicago Southland offers endless options! Bring your group to Accelerate Indoor Speedway & Events in Mokena and try your hand at axe-throwing or indoor go-kart racing. Accelerate features 75,000 square feet of event space and can accommodate groups anywhere from 8 to 300+ people. Meeting planners can even rent out the entire space, allowing for a premium experience.
Take a walk on the wild side and visit Brookfield Zoo, a 216-acre nature park that is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and is home to more than 5,000 animals. Brookfield Zoo's premiere banquet facility, the Discovery Center, offers three different rooms with capacities ranging from 80-350 people, making it easy to choose an appropriate space.
Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant originated in the Chicago Southland and can be found in Orland Park, Oak Lawn and New Lenox, the latest location. Private events at Cooper's Hawk can be hosted in semiprivate rooms or The Barrel Room and can accommodate anywhere from 22-72 people.
If you're looking to add some fun to your meeting, many mobile activities can be brought to you! Bingo, wine tastings, escape rooms, team building, line dancing, sip and paint sessions, caricature artists, casino games and more options are available. The Chicago Southland can help plan community service projects that can easily be incorporated in your meetings. We can coordinate donation drop offs or suggest service projects that your attendees can participate in.
Not only does the Chicago Southland help plan events, we also offer a wide variety of complimentary event services. From pre-event services, including brochure distribution, event listings and supplies, itinerary planning and marketing assistance to on-site services such as name badges, registration assistance, executive gift baskets and promotional signs are available.
The Chicago Southland region has so much to offer the meetings and conventions industry; whatever your needs are, we will work hard to exceed your expectations. Here at the Chicago Southland CVB, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop for meeting planners and aim to make hosting your event in the Chicago Southland even easier.
• Contact our meetings expert, Mary Patchin at 888-895-3211 or Mary@VisitChicagoSouthland.com.