Early reviews are in: The new labor rules at Chicago's McCormick Place are getting mostly positive feedback from event planners. “It's definitely a step in the right direction,” says Pam Magnani, vice president of meetings and education, the American Gastroenterological Association, Bethesda, Md. The AGA was participating in the Digestive Disease Week convention at McCormick in early May when the new regulations were announced.

“[The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority] is recognizing that this is a major impediment to people coming to Chicago,” she says. “They've got the tools in place to be able to make the changes that are going to allow everyone to walk away a winner.”

Changes in the economy and the convention and meeting industry prompted the first labor changes at the facility since 1998, says Billy Weinberg, director of communications at MPEA, which owns and operates McCormick Place and Navy Pier. “Does the more competitive business environment that we find ourselves in influence our need to make changes in our labor situation and, more importantly, in our effectiveness and efficiency in the overall show experience? There's no question about that.”

The changes are the result of 11 months of meetings between the MPEA, labor unions, and service contractors, Weinberg adds. (See sidebar, opposite, for breakout of changes.)

There is no doubt that Chicago is facing tough competition — particularly from Las Vegas and Orlando. While the Digestive Disease Week show drew record attendance in its first visit to Chicago, some “old-time” Chicago shows are rethinking their commitment to the city. The National Restaurant Association, whose show followed the Digestive Week convention, has been mulling a move to another city because of the high cost of labor in Chicago, according to published reports. (An NRA spokesperson was not available for comment as we went to press.)

The negative perception of unions is something that McCormick Place has to overcome, AGA's Magnani says. Holding meetings in Chicago is not as easy as it is in some other cities. “It costs more and it takes longer for things to get done, but [Chicago's union workers] are among the most qualified laborers in the country, so it's a double-edged sword,” Magnani says.

Meanwhile, the Digestive Disease Week show just added McCormick Place to its four-year rotation.