By Kathy Bergen
| Some of Chicago’s most valuable trade show customers voiced strong opposition this week to key aspects of legislation aimed at making McCormick Place more competitive with lower-cost rival cities.
While those customers supported elements of the bill that would give financial relief to the beleaguered Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the state-city agency that owns and operates the convention hall, some balked at the bill’s proposals to grant the authority exclusive control over the labor unions, which they fear could hike costs to exhibitors.
Rather, they said, the authority, known as McPier, should take a series
of non-legislative steps to cut exhibitors’ costs for in-house
electrical service, food and drink, and booth set-up.
Specifically, they want McPier to trim its take on its electrical
service and on food service, and to open up both exclusive services to
multiple providers. And they want labor union rules relaxed so they can
do more of their own booth work.
“There was a consensus to not necessarily link all efforts to a
legislative bill,” said Phil Brandl, president of the International
Housewares Association, whose annual show is among several McCormick
Place mainstays that are checking out other cities. “These are complex
issues.”
Brandl was among about 30 trade show customers who met Wednesday with
officials from McPier and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, the
not-for-profit group that books business into McCormick Place.
Officials from both organizations declined to comment on the meeting,
which sources say got testy at times.
After a two-hour session about the proposed legislation, which would
restructure McPier’s debt and give it direct control over the unions,
the private meeting at the O’Hare Hilton was opened up to include
representatives from the unions and contractors that work the hall.
Representatives from two of the five main unions, the riggers and the
carpenters, said in separate interviews that the discussions, while at
times frustrating, were a good start.
“We’ve given quite a bit over the years and it’s difficult to do, but we
will sit and listen,” said Frank Libby, president of the Chicago
Regional Council of Carpenters.
Robert Fulton, business manager for the Machinery Movers, Riggers &
Machinery Erectors Local Union 136, said, “Sometimes in the back of our
minds, we forget about the customer.
“We will address that and get back to the basics,” he said. “We want to
sit down and see what types of changes are necessary to keep the shows
returning back to Chicago and not exiting.” The city lost two major
shows late last year.
The customers expressed their views on the same day that Gov. Pat Quinn
signed legislation to oust the existing McPier board and create the
interim panel that will examine how to retool operations. That panel
will be named within the next month.
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