Chicago selected as host city for IPW 2025
Preparations are now underway in the Windy City to welcome delegates who will attend IPW 2025.
The international tourism conference and trade marketplace will run June 14 to 18 next year, reports Baxter Media’s Ted Davis, who has been attending IPW 2024 in Los Angeles.
Attendees will join the 50 million visitors who come to Chicago each year to see the city’s many attractions, ranging from a towering skyline and lakeside vistas to leading museums, legendary blues and jazz venues, art installations, top dining options and historic sports franchises – and including a wide diversity of neighbourhoods.
“Regardless of race, religion, gender or orientation, everyone can find their place in the vibrant mosaic of cultures that define this metropolis,” said Chicago’s deputy mayor Kenya Merritt, during a presentation at the just-concluded IPW 2024 in Los Angeles.
“It’s this inclusive spirit that sets Chicago apart, making it feel like home to all who set foot in its 77 neighborhoods,” she said. “And you folks are fortunate to be coming to Chicago in the summertime, when every one of our neighbourhoods will be teeming with energy and activities. Every summer, our city comes alive with festivities.”
Things to do in Chicago
Chicago’s famous skyline is maximized by a visit to the 360 Chicago Observation Deck at the top of the John Hancock Center. The full-circle views of the Chicago cityscape are enhanced by the TILT option windows on the side of the building that tilt forward for a view of the streets far below.
New this year is the CloudBar at 360 Chicago, and another way to gain a skyview perspective of the city is to ride the new immersive FlyOver Chicago virtual flight journey.
The Chicago River bisects the city’s busy riverside downtown sector, and architecture tours by boat can be booked with the Shoreline Sightseeing Company. It offers informed commentary on the history of Chicago’s skyline from a waterline perspective.
Alternatively, the Chicago Architecture Center is operating river cruises that now offer new audio guides in French, Spanish, Japanese and Korean.
Also new in Chicago are the early stages of a transformation of the Shedd Aquarium, which will see changes to its historic galleries, accelerating its work in aquatic sciences and research.
New hotels for 2024
As for new places to stay in Chicago, Canopy by Hilton is in the city’s financial district, within the former head office of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway.
L7 Chicago by Lotte is a five-minute walk to the city’s Riverwalk and is part of South Korea’s largest hotel group.
And the RIU Plaza Hotel, on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, has a 26th floor terrace with panoramic views of the city.
About 5,700 attendees from nearly 70 countries came to IPW 2024 in Los Angeles this week. IPW was the setting for some 100,000 scheduled business appointments over three days between U.S. travel suppliers and international tour operators and buyers.
This year’s IPW has seen a 20 per cent increase in attendance over the 2023 event, which was held in San Antonio, TX.
