Every big city has something that distinguishes it. What do people think of & want to experience when they come to Chicago? Deep dish pizza. Italian Beef. The Cubs. & of course, Blues. In fact, having the Cubs as our team has made us really understand the Blues! We have such a wealth of great Blues Bands here & they can be the core of a great party.
One very popular Corporate Networking Event, is to recreate a Blues Club. This can be done with an openhouse type of feel, where guests are drawn in by food & beverage stations & the promise of some great entertainment. This is accomplished with a club type atmosphere, which can be made even more enticing with something like Close Up Magicians working the room, along with perhaps Caricature Artists or Psychics. Then, the Main Stage entertainment performance takes over with short shows or vignettes, after which your guest can mingle again, but are encouraged to stick around “for the next set”.
This format is really effective & gives your people the Chicago feel, while still staying in your Hotel or facility & getting to know each other or making new contacts!