If New York City can be wall-to-wall tourists from Thanksgiving week through New Year’s Day, why can’t Chicago do the same — or at least come close?
Chicago’s leading tourism tandem posed that question and answered it this week during a polar plunge more severe than the city has seen in years.
Choose Chicago CEO Kristen Reynolds and Board Chair Guy Chipparoni said it’s time to “start really pushing winter” instead of being defensive about it.
“It’s not the same kind of customer that might want to come for our iconic summers," Reynolds said. "But it might be … local audiences and the regional drive market that want to come and see a great show, go to a great restaurant and not have to fight the crowds.”
The former CEO of Discover Long Island, Reynolds said she spent the holidays in New York and experienced the crowds during a peak season that attracts “8 million-plus visitors.”
The streets of Manhattan were so busy, it was “gridlock” and almost “unenjoyable," she said. "It was tough to get a hotel room or a ticket to a Broadway show” during the “coldest time of the year.”
“They create an experience and we have all of those experiences here in Chicago. We have the Magnificent Mile. We have the tree lighting. We have the Christkindlmarket. There’s just a way to activate those things, [including] Navy Pier, and tie them together more to create a holiday experience,” she said. “We’re not tying them together and marketing them as a great holiday experience. … Why doesn’t Saks Fifth Avenue have a light show every 30 minutes?”
Chipparoni said it’s time for Chicago to think big instead of “looking at our winter as a liability.”
“Ideally, you could take maybe the Christkindlmarket, move it to Millennium Park and do an international or corporate Christmas tree contest," Chipparoni said. “If we can swim the Chicago River in the summer, who’s to say if it’s safe you can’t skate the Chicago River in the winter? ... Chicago’s got what a lot of cities don’t have — from restaurants to theater to culture. … It’s just focusing on driving people in during the times when we’ve historically surrendered.”
There’s never been a better time for Chicago to start marketing itself to winter tourists.
The last two weekends of Bears playoff games at Soldier Field — a nail-biting win against the archrival Green Bay Packers and a season-ending overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams — showcased cold-weather Chicago and the hearty souls of its people.
The TV ratings were through the roof.
“Two consecutive weekends. Subzero temperatures. Soldier Field. Chicago shined on that imaging. Get people outside in the extremes enjoying something they wanted. You’ve just got to create that content and people will get there,” Chipparoni said. “We should not forfeit winter. If anybody’s ever been to the Quebec ice festival — it’s magnificent. They turn cold into a wonderful party.”
Reynolds was among the frigid fans cheering on the Bears against the Rams at Soldier Field “outside — not in a suite.”
She used the experience to post a virtual love letter to Chicago on Instagram. “The exuberation. That camaraderie of being together and kind of facing the elements. There’s something to be said about that,” Reynolds said.
“I heard from people all over the country, 'How cool, how exciting.' America watched. America was rooting for us. Those kind of visuals are fantastic when people see people out enjoying the winter.”
Chipparoni joked that he “picked a fine time to chair” Choose Chicago “on the heels of ICE” raids, “the National Guard, cable television and the president” attacking Chicago as a crime-ridden hellhole.
“People were calling me and calling Kristen and saying, 'Are you OK?’" he said. “In the middle of that, we had a marathon. Thousands of runners. Some of them were running with their passports. And we said, 'Let the marathoners speak for their experience in Chicago.'"
Negative headlines will come and go as will President Donald Trump’s attacks — and the ammunition those attacks create for convention and tourism competitors, Chipparoni said.
“Yes, other cities are talking bad about us. But Chicago is worth a premium. We’ve got everything that other cities can’t stack up to,” Chipparoni said. “You can’t concede anything. But you also can’t overreact when it’s out of your control. The National Guard and all of that will pass. Chicago will remain here.”
