Prairie State Wire

Metropolitan Pier Exposition Authority met April 22.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Board Members Present: Jeffrey Bethke, Chairman; Don Villar, Vice Chairman; Jorge Ramirez*, Secretary/Treasurer; Sam Kukadia; Terrance McGann; Michelle Mills Clement; Christian Mitchell; Juan Morado; Sherman Wright

*Arrived at 9:10 a.m.

Others Present: Larita Clark, Chief Executive Officer; Matthew Simmons, General Counsel; Jason Bormann, Chief Financial Officer; Pat Allen, Senior Director of Labor Relations and Campus Operations; Stephanie Lovelace Nieves, Controller; Gloria Juarbe, Director of Human Resources; Samantha Johnson, Assistant Controller; Jill Kolinski, Deputy General Counsel; Molly Kievit, Senior Director of Campus Sales; Pi Tao Hsu, Director of Treasury and Capital Management; Vickee Danz, Capital Finance Manager; Emilie Yount, Associate Director of Communications; Tiffany Wright, Business Diversity Program Manager; Cynthia McCafferty, Hawthorne Strategy Group; Rich Gamble, Choose Chicago; Jim Meyer, Choose Chicago; Dustin Arnheim, Choose Chicago; Jack Lyon, OVG Hospitality; Matt Schalk, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place; Didier Luneau, Marriott Marquis; Pat Doerr, HBAC; Rufus Purnell, Contractor; Anthony Kinsey, Ramirez & Co.; Maria Calderon, Compliance Officer and Board Administrator

General Matters:

A1. Roll Call: Chairman Bethke, called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. and Ms. Calderon called roll.

A2. Approval of Minutes: Chairman Bethke called for the approval of the minutes from the March 25, 2025, Regular Board Meeting.

Moved by Member Villar, seconded by Member Morado, and the remaining members present voted to approve item A2.

Roll call vote. Record as:

Jeffrey Bethke, Chairman - Yes

Don Villar, Vice Chairman - Yes

Sam Kukadia - Yes

Terrance McGann - Yes

Michelle Mills Clement - Yes

Christian Mitchell - Yes

Juan Morado - Yes

Sherman Wright - Yes

The motion passed.

A3. Public Comment.

There was no Public Comment.

Report from MPEA Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Clark reported it has been a very eventful spring so far, and she has some important updates to deliver not only about the campus but about the city, state, and the nation's tourism and hospitality industries. In Springfield, Ms. Clark and the team spoke to both House and Senate leaders about the economic importance of McCormick Place and shared key data from their 2024 Annual Report. Ms. Clark reported they emphasized the $1.78 billion economic impact, the $176 million in tax revenue generated and the strong recovery they have seen post-pandemic, including a record-setting year for events and attendance.

Ms. Clark provided updates on major events like A3 Automate, which returned to McCormick Place after several years away and achieved its highest attendance ever. This served as a strong example of our momentum and ability to attract and retain high-profile conventions. MPEA also made the case in Springfield for strategic reinvestment in the campus, particularly the redevelopment of Lakeside Center. They explained that more than 30 cities across the country are actively expanding or upgrading their convention facilities, and McCormick Place needs to stay competitive.

Ms. Clark reported that Mr. Simmons shared the progress they have made around diversity, equity, and inclusion- specifically highlighting their M/WBE spend, new vendor outreach efforts and successful partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits. Mr. Simmons also spoke about the direct contracting authority they gained last year and how it is helping small businesses get in the door.

Ms. Clark reported that Mr. Bormann walked lawmakers through their current financial performance and future outlook. We have had a strong year fiscally, ending FY24 with $329.3 million in revenue and a $4.1 million net operating income, while continuing to focus on long-term financial stability and responsible planning.

Ms. Clark reported they requested legislative support on three key items: making the $15 million incentive fund permanent, increasing their bonding authority by $50 million and extending the bonding term to 2070. These changes are essential to maintaining MPEA's competitiveness and supporting future infrastructure investments.

Ms. Clark reported that Lynn Osmond departed Choose Chicago last year to address ongoing family health matters. Kristen Reynolds, an industry veteran, has been announced as the new president and CEO, effective May 5th. Ms. Reynolds has 27 years of experience in the travel and tourism industries and has been President and CEO of Discover Long Island for the past decade, in addition to serving on the Board of Destinations International and other various industry organizations. Ms. Clark reported she personally served on the search committee as they conducted a national recruitment effort to find Choose Chicago's next leader. Ms. Reynolds understands the impact a convention center can have on a destination's economy. Ms. Reynolds was instrumental in working with elected officials throughout New York state to secure a complex funding deal to bring the first-ever convention center to Long Island.

Ms. Clark gave her sincerest thanks to Rich Gamble for stepping in as interim President and CEO of Choose Chicago during the search. His steady leadership was critical in ensuring a successful 2024, especially as the city's tourism and hospitality industry came together for the DNC.

Ms. Clark reported they hosted their first "Recyclepalooza" event on April 17-18 and successfully collected and responsibly recycled a significant volume of materials-final metrics are still being tallied. It was a strong start to a new campus-wide sustainability initiative. Ms. Clark reported they are also coordinating a visit with the New York Times reporter Catrin Einhorn, who is working on a nationwide series about environmental solutions. Ms. Einhorn is interested in highlighting McCormick Place's use of bird-friendly glass as a success story for Illinois.

Ms. Clark reported that next week, she will be traveling to Orlando for the 2025 edition of Trade Show Executive's Fastest 50 Awards and Summit. Ms. Clark was honored to sit on a panel with other industry leaders during last year's summit to discuss how each of their organizations were navigating rising costs in their industry. Ms. Clark reported she was interested in a discussion on tariffs, taxes, and international bans. McCormick Place is especially sensitive to these topics as a campus that relies on international travel.

Ms. Clark addressed the news of a drop in international tourism. Ms. Clark reported this is something they are watching, along with the other economic impacts such as funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health and potential tariffs. At this time, they do not know what the impact will be, however, they are working closely with Choose Chicago and their customers to understand the impact and what can be done to mitigate it. Ms. Clark reported they have a Customer Advisory Board meeting scheduled and anticipate discussing this.

Report from Controller. Ms. Lovelace Nieves presented the financial results for March 2025.

Report from Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bormann presented the tax collections for March 2025.

Report from McCormick Place General Manager. Mr. Thomas reported the event highlights that took place on campus in March-April: The Inspired Home Show; NSBE National Convention; ProMat; AnitaB.org Spring GHC; ABA TECHSHOW; KFC All-Girls National Chess Championship; PCMA Student Day Tour; Varsity Brands Cheer Event; C2E2; ASBMB Annual Meeting; Choose Chicago Partner Showcase; Adidas Windy City National Qualifier; and AACR Annual Meeting.

Mr. Thomas reported the 125th edition of The Inspired Home Show was held from March 2-4 in the South and North Buildings with over 26,000 attendees. Mr. Thomas reported that attendees came from over 110 countries with over 470,000 square feet of space sold for the show.

Mr. Thomas reported on upcoming events: Adidas Windy City National Qualifier (April 18-20) with an estimated 19,613 attendees in the South and North Buildings; AACR Annual Meeting (April 27-30) with an estimated 23,000 attendees in the South/North/Lakeside Center Buildings and Arie Crown Theater; RISKWORLD (May 5-7) with an estimated 10,500 attendees in the West Building; MathCon Finals Competition (May 10) with an estimated 2,505 attendees in the South Building; Connect (X) (May 12-15) with an estimated 4,000 attendees in the West Building; National Restaurant Association Show (May 17-20) with an estimated 58,022 attendees in the South/North/Lakeside Center Buildings; and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (May 30-June 3) with an estimated 39,560 attendees in the South/North/Lakeside Center Buildings, and Arie Crown Theater.

Mr. Thomas reported on upcoming events at Wintrust Arena: Theo Von: Return of the Rat (April 24); Chicago Sky vs. Minnesota Lynx (May 6); Chicago Sky vs. New York Liberty (May 22); The Live Breathe Fight Tour (May 23); and Chicago Sky vs. Dallas Wings (May 29).

Mr. Thomas reported on upcoming events at Arie Crown Theatre: R&B Invitation (May 2) and Games Women Play (May 10).

Mr. Thomas reported on industry partnerships at McCormick Place: PCMA Day Tour with DePaul University on April 4th where students toured McCormick Place, met with, and heard from the following teams: Sales, Marketing, OVG Hospitality, Entertainment Division, and Operations. At the end of the event, there was a reception. PCMA Business Events Industry Week (BEIW) (April 7-10) was held in Washington, D.C. and members of the McCormick Place Sales Team flew to join Choose Chicago at PCMA.

Mr. Thomas reported that McCormick Place has begun developing specialized marketing video collateral for items like F&B and Entertainment Division programming. Mr. Thomas reported on the video collateral features including, a suites promo in the week leading up to Critical Role Live which resulted in the sale of 5 suites; new video ad collateral has been created for a May 2025 Arie Crown Theater show; the first Wintrust Arena suites video shoot was completed last week, with new video ad collateral in the works; and an F&B-focused photo and video shoot scheduled later in the week.

Review of Covered Actions and Eligible Agreements:

C1. Consideration of Approval of FY26-28 Financial Plan.

Moved by Member Mills Clement, seconded by Member Mitchell, and the remaining members present voted approving item C1.

Jeffrey Bethke, Chairman - Yes

Don Villar, Vice Chairman - Yes

Jorge Ramirez - Yes

Sam Kukadia - Yes

Terrance McGann - Yes

Michelle Mills Clement - Yes

Christian Mitchell - Yes

Juan Morado - Yes

Sherman Wright - Yes

The motion passed.

C2. Consideration of Approval of Contract Extension for Telecommunication Supplies.

Moved by Member Ramirez, seconded by Member Mitchell, and the remaining members present voted approving item C2.

Jeffrey Bethke, Chairman - Yes

Don Villar, Vice Chairman - Yes

Jorge Ramirez - Yes

Sam Kukadia - Yes

Terrance McGann - Yes

The motion passed.

Michelle Mills Clement - Yes

Christian Mitchell - Yes

Juan Morado - Yes

Sherman Wright - Yes

C3. Consideration of Approval of New Contract for Concrete Mix.

Moved by Member Villar, seconded by Member Mitchell, and the remaining members present voted approving item C3.

Jeffrey Bethke, Chairman - Yes

Don Villar, Vice Chairman - Yes

Jorge Ramirez - Yes

Sam Kukadia - Yes

Terrance McGann -- Yes

Michelle Mills Clement - Yes

Christian Mitchell - Yes

Juan Morado - Yes

Sherman Wright - Yes

The motion passed.

D1. New Business.

There was no new business.

D2. Adjournment.

Chairman Bethke moved to adjourn the meeting moved by Member Morado, seconded by Member Mills Clement, and the meeting was adjourned by unanimous vote of the Board.

Roll call vote. Record as:

Jeffrey Bethke, Chairman - Yes

Michelle Mills Clement - Yes

Don Villar, Vice Chairman - Yes

\Christian Mitchell - Yes

Jorge Ramirez - Yes

Juan Morado - Yes

Sam Kukadia - Yes

Terrance McGann - Yes

The motion passed.

Time meeting adjourned: 9:53 a.m.

https://www.mpea.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MPEA-Board-Minutes-Regular-Session-April-22-2025.pdf