The Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, or CCTB, exists to promote Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 to the global leisure travel and convention

Convention (meeting)

A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...

 industries.

The CCTB works in partnership with the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority

The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, commonly known as McPier or MPEA, is a corporation that was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1989 from the Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority by the "Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act". It owns and manages several...

, the Chicago Office of Tourism, the City of Chicago, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Bureau of Tourism, as well as many other related associations in Chicago. It is the only entity selling McCormick Place

McCormick Place

McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the United States. It is made up of four interconnected buildings sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about 4 km south of downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA. McCormick Place hosts numerous trade shows, including the Chicago Auto Show,...

 and Navy Pier

Navy Pier

Navy Pier is a long pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. It is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area. The pier was built in 1916 at a cost of $4.5 million, equivalent to $ today. It was a part of the Plan of Chicago developed by architect and...

 for conventions and trade shows.

History

The CCTB was founded in 1970 with the merger of the Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Tourism Council of Greater Chicago. It was made the principal sales agent for McCormick place by the Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority in 1980.

Funding

The CCTB is an independent not-for-profit organization, which receives its funding from several sources, including:

• A percentage of Chicago's hotel/motel tax
• Grant monies from the State of Illinois for development of local conventions and tourism
• Membership dues from local hospitality-related businesses
• Grant money from the MPEA