Press Release: December 18, 2025
McCormick Place Named Among Top 25 Convention Centers Worldwide, No. One for 1M Square Feet
Title
From left to right: McCormick Place Senior Director of Convention Sales Mark Bickler, Director of Event Management Colleen Skala, and Chief Operating Officer and Interim General Manager Pat Allen pose with the McCormick Place Exhibitor 2026 Centers of Excellence award. (Credit: McCormick Place Convention Center)
Chicago, IL – December 18, 2025 – Setting a new standard for excellence, McCormick Place Convention Center has been awarded two honors by EXHIBITOR magazine in its highly regarded 2026 Centers of Excellence Awards. The iconic Chicago convention center was named among the Top 25 Convention Centers Worldwide and received the additional distinction of Best Facility Exceeding 1 Million Square Feet. Presented at the “Expo! Expo!” event in Houston (Dec. 8–10), the awards place McCormick Place at the top of the global events industry.
The EXHIBITOR Centers of Excellence Awards honor top trade show and event venues based on exhibitor and organizer feedback, operational excellence, service quality, and event execution. Each year, only 25 venues worldwide are recognized, with category winners representing the industry’s highest-performing facilities.
“This recognition reflects the extraordinary work of the McCormick Place team and our shared commitment to delivering best-in-class experiences for exhibitors, organizers and attendees from around the world,” said Larita Clark, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA). “As the owner and operator of McCormick Place, MPEA is proud to support a venue that continues to set the global standard for large-scale conventions and trade shows.”
McCormick Place is North America’s largest convention center, offering more than 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space and hosting hundreds of national and international events each year. The venue generates more than $2 billion in annual economic impact for the City of Chicago and State of Illinois and supports industries including health care, technology and manufacturing.
The 2026 Centers of Excellence winners are featured in EXHIBITOR magazine’s November/December issue and on ExhibitorOnline.com.
###
About McCormick Place
McCormick Place is the premier convention facility in North America. Located minutes from downtown Chicago, the venue welcomes approximately 3 million visitors each year and hosts some of the world’s largest and most attended conventions, meetings and trade shows. Designed as one of the first purpose-built convention centers in the United States, the McCormick Place campus includes the North Building, South Building, East Building (Lakeside Center), West Building and the 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena. For more information, visit mccormickplace.com.
About the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) owns and operates McCormick Place, the largest exhibition and meeting facility in North America; Wintrust Arena; and the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and Marriott Marquis Chicago hotels. Together, the North, South and West buildings and Lakeside Center offer 2.6 million square feet of exhibition space. Located along Chicago’s lakefront, McCormick Place features 173 meeting rooms, the 4,249-seat Arie Crown Theater and one of the largest ballrooms in the world.
###
Media Contacts:
Richard Ray, richard@hawthornestrategy.com
