Chicago Boat Show leaving McCormick Place for Rosemont
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Boat Show will retain its name, but beginning next year, it won't be in Chicago anymore.
The Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show, as it is now known, dates back more than 90 years. Published reports indicate the event was originally at Navy Pier, but archive video shows the event at McCormick Place as far back as 1961 – the first full year the convention center was in operation.
McCormick Place first opened in the fall of 1960, and had to be rebuilt from the ground up after a fire in 1967. The convention center now comprises four buildings with 2.6 million square feet of operation.
The Chicago Boat Show occupied some of those 2.6 million square feet this past January, it will be home to the Boat Show no more.
In 2025, the Boat Show will instead be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Organizers said they decided to move after "thorough market analysis, exhibitor demand, and boater feedback."
"After consulting with stakeholders and in-depth analysis, the best path forward is producing the Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show at the DES Convention Center," said Darren Envall, Vice President of Midwest Boat & Sportshows for the National Marine Manufacturers Association. "The more centralized Rosemont, Illinois, location positions the show for growth, accommodating the expanding boating population across a broader Chicagoland region, from the city and surrounding neighborhoods to the suburbs and exurbs of Chicago, and surrounding states."
The organization said the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center will host large and small boat exhibitors from an area spanning Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Next year's Chicago Boat Show will be held at the Stephens Convention Center from Jan. 8-12, 2025.
