BakingTech has been held at the Chicago Downtown Marriott Magnificent Mile for the past 34 years. It has been an outstanding partnership which has provided numerous benefits to both parties. So, why is ASB moving to the Chicago Hilton in 2015?
Tough Decision
The decision to move from the Marriott to the Hilton was not made quickly or taken lightly. The Board of Directors formed a Housing Committee which worked with Staff to explore hotel options in Kansas City, Nashville, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago, including a possible new contract with the Marriott. Numerous hotels were visited and evaluated in terms of space requirements, guest sleeping rooms and prices for members and the Society. Members were also surveyed about the various options once the potential list of cities and hotels had been narrowed. The Board of Directors determined that the Chicago Hilton offered the best combination of meeting and exhibit space, sleeping rooms and pricing.
Marriott
Simply put, ASB outgrew the Marriott several years ago. Marriott's largest ballroom is a mere 19,193 square feet. You only need to walk through the MarketPlace to realize that the ballroom is too small for ASB. The tables are too close together to allow any private conversations and the aisles are narrow and quickly crowded. The current space does not allow the MarketPlace to increase the number of exhibitors or for ASB to add new elements that would attract more bakers. The size of the other meeting rooms also limits the number of Technical Breakout Sessions that can be held and often results in rooms filled to capacity with members not able to attend their chosen sessions.
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