Chicago Meeting Professionals Guide - 2026
Tap into Chicago’s diverse businesses
2025-12-29 10:17:28
One-of-a-kind venues, globally inspired caterers, event planning partners, and gifts your attendees will love — work with some of the city’s best-in-class LGBTQ+, minority-, women-, veteran-, and disability-owned vendors.
VENUES
Tucked inside a boutique department store, The Lunchroom at SPACE 519 blends California style and farm-fresh Chicago ingredients. Host an intimate seated dinner for seven to 40 people, or reserve the entire LGBTQ+-owned restaurant and store for a cocktail reception for 150.
Bring some glam to your gathering at the South Loop’s Lips Chicago. Dinner with a spectacular drag show or a diva cocktail party will be the highlight of your event. Book this fab venue for up to 200 guests.
Founded by famed Chinese American artists and brothers, the Bridgeport Zhou B Art Center will add a dash of culture to your event for up to 750 standing. Mix and mingle among modern art by nearly 50 resident artists in this sophisticated space. Its Secret Garden accommodates 75 seated guests.
The elegant, women-owned Seven Star Venue in Rogers Park offers 12,000 square feet of flexible space in its Main Hall and Gallery Room, accommodating events for up to 500 seated or 1,000 reception style. For smaller groups of about 150, book the 5,000-square-foot, lower-level speakeasy.
Women-owned ERIS Brewery and Cider House is named for the Greek goddess of discord, but you’ll find a warm welcome in this handsome space with floor plans to accommodate from 20 to 250 attendees. Menus are inclusive, with robust vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Multilingual groups can reserve a private room at King Karaoke to sing in a dozen languages, from Korean to Russian to Spanish. Snack on Asian-inspired fare like Chinese barbecue chicken skewers, edamame, and fried calamari.
The woman- and Pacific Islander-owned Chez brings elegance to events held at its Streeterville venue. The 4,600-square-foot loft space offers touches like a 40-foot LED wall, glass staircase, white brick walls and columns, and luxurious furnishings. A full buyout can accommodate 299 people.
Gather 300 to 350 people in the historic Motor Row District at Shanita Hudson’s woman- and Black-owned Bellagio 223. You can customize the luxurious space for dinners, receptions, and corporate events. They’ll help you coordinate details like decorations, DJs, photography, and catering.
CATERERS
Black woman-owned Nicole Jordan Catering can do everything from boxed lunches to snacking spreads and full buffets. Expect thoughtful menus with dishes like shrimp and grits and fresh summer salads.
Family-owned West Loop restaurant Saigon Sisters caters authentic Southeast Asian dishes. Savor Vietnamese and Thai fare like bánh mì sandwiches, pho, and curries — plus French macarons for dessert.
Food For Thought has been feeding Chicago since 1991. The specialized workplace solutions at this woman-owned business include drop-off food delivery, full-service catering, and creative culinary experiences that incorporate your event branding.
Atzimba Catering & Events specializes in authentic Mexican and pre-Hispanic dishes, like sweet mole short ribs and Michoacáno corundas (a type of tamale). Owner Atzimba Perez has worked as the chef for the Mexican consulate in Chicago.
Marina’s Bistro & Rum Bar brings Puerto Rican flavors to the Uptown neighborhood. Choose menu items like slow-roasted pork sandwiches on sweet pan sobao (a soft bread) and arroz con gandules from this LGBTQ+-owned restaurant.
Justice of the Pies offers delectable dishes and desserts from James Beard Award finalist Maya CamilleBroussard. Treat your team to the Black- and woman-owned bakery’s lemon chicken-and-leek pot pie or smoked gouda-spinach quiche, plus dessert pies that include bourbonpecan and salted caramel-peach.
The women- and Asian Pacificowned 2d Restaurant in Lakeview offers unique catering options. Signature items include Japanese mochi doughnuts, a Taiwanese fried chicken sandwich lunch box, and a teriyaki tofu rice bento box.
A variety of dining options are offered by chef Mychael Bonner’s CMB Catering. Choices on the extensive catering menu include grazing stations with cheeses and sushi; continental, classic, and biscuit bar breakfasts; and meat and seafood entrees.
U.S. Army veteran Quinton McNair’s Strugglebeard Bakery offers delicious baked goods while advocating for mental health awareness. Treat your attendees to cookies, muffins, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and cupcakes in flavors like red velvet, strawberry lemonade, and pineapple-coconut. Or opt to give baskets of the sweet treats as gifts.
Let Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream & Treats create a cool experience for your guests. The woman- and Black-owned business in Garfield Park offers prepackaged 8-ounce servings and gallon buckets of ice cream flavors like pineapple-passion fruit, banana pudding, and Mexican vanilla. They’ll also set up and serve ice cream dipped in hot chocolate.
GIFTS
The candies at Chocolat Uzma highlight the flavors of chef Uzma Sharif’s South Asian heritage. Wow event guests with sweet bites boasting notes of Kashmiri chai and Lapsang tea.
Share delicious artisanal foods curated by Here Here Market. Their mission-based gift baskets are packed with goodies from female founders, AAPI creators, and Blackowned brands from the Chicago area.
Love Cork Screw is a women of color-owned wine brand that aims to make wine fun and inclusive. Their approachable bottles from Michigan and California are crowd pleasers for oenophiles and casual sippers alike.
The themed gifts from woman-owned BasketWorks make ideal event or hotel welcome gifts, ranging from chocolate to charcuterie and Chicago sports. They can even create custom packages to fit your brand.
Outfit your guests in hip merch from Latino-owned CHICAGOMIDWESTMADE, with hoodies and tees that rep Chicago pride. Get custom apparel with your logo or branding in colorful screen prints or embroidery.
Bitoy’s Sweet Treats handcrafts its goodies and delivers them right to your venue. Try savory popcorn, fudge brownies, cupcake cookies, hand-dipped caramel apples, or pecan turtles. Beautifully wrapped VIP gift boxes are also available from this woman- and Black-owned business.
For a carefully curated collection of home goods and gifts, look to Blacklion. This luxurious womanowned store is packed with thoughtful pieces for colleagues and clients that show off your good taste.
BeeLove’s products are created with 100% raw, urban honey sourced from local wildflowers and fruit trees. Select from items like natural honey, lip balm, body lotion, and shower gel. The Black-owned business trains and employs people post-incarceration.
Choose from eclectic jewelry, art, and apparel from around the world at The Silver Room. The Black-owned Hyde Park showroom promotes global community and culture via its artisan goods. Gift ideas include books by Black authors, incense, soy candles, soaps, and chakra bracelets.
Candyality’s gifts can be tailor-made with hand-selected candies, and can be designed to reflect a specific theme. Candy styles at the woman-owned Streeterville shop include chewy, colorful, crunchy, sour, retro, and more. Readymade options include boxes of gourmet chocolates and cotton candy towers.
SERVICES
LGBTQ+-owned Kehoe Designs will make your event shine. Their stunning florals and plantscapes, custom furniture, entertainment design, and technical production can transform any venue into a masterpiece.
B2B event specialists PC Events and Experiences (PCXP) are dedicated to your business’ success. The strategic approach of this LGBTQ+- owned business aims to foster engagement and attendee participation to help achieve your goals.
Let the minority/women-owned team at MOTR GRAFX help with your marketing. They can create large-scale signage, print and digital marketing materials, and even augmented reality to create engaging real-world experiences.
Allow Fellowship Fleet Limousine & Bus Company to handle the logistics. This Black-owned transportation expert provides airport shuttles, VIP limo travel, and large-scale bus transport to get everyone where they need to be.
Minority-owned CHOP CHOP Mobile Salon & Barber offers hair, nail, and makeup services from their luxury trailer or pop-up salon. All sales help fund complimentary services to underserved Chicago communities.
Your imagination is the limit at Asian Pacific-owned Custom Color 3D Printing. Get custom 3D printed souvenirs to give away, visual aids for a presentation, or a prototype for your next major creation.
Look to SpeedPro Chicago Loop to make a major statement. This veteranowned shop specializes in large-format printing like window graphics, wall murals, and trade show displays — just three blocks from McCormick Place.
Find talented artists who can create unique visual experiences for your event with the help of Live Art International. The woman-owned business books and manages performers, including recording and word artists, drummers, graffiti artists, food carvers, scenic painters, sand sculptors, and chalk artists.
Shuttle your attendees around the city and surrounding area with woman-owned Infinity Transportation Management. The options for both small and large groups, ranging from 22 to 57 passengers, include mini buses, motor coaches, and charter bus rentals.
If you need assistance with paper, packaging, or print supplies, consult Montenegro, a certified Minority Business Enterprise. The Hispanicowned business can accommodate requests for banners, brochures, mailers, flyers, promotional items, and more.
EVENT PLANNING PARTNERS
If you need someone local to assist with meeting logistics, K. Carlton can help. The woman- and Blackowned business specializes in event production and management, delivering experiences that match or exceed a client’s vision. Book a 30-minute consultation to discuss the possibilities.
EJP Lifestyle’s Chief Experience Curator Erika Jones Purvis uses her background in the visual arts, music, dance, stage, and production to style events. The woman- and Blackowned business also specializes in luxury gift wrapping, with a designer line of paper, bows, and bags.
The woman-owned Ivan Carlson Event Design operates as a onestop shop, collaborating with clients to bring creative design ideas for meetings and events to life. The event company offers project management, furniture and prop rental, branding, AV systems, lighting, staging, and more.
CTC Destination Management, a woman-owned company that was the first Accredited Destination Management Company in Illinois, offers a stable of specialties to bring an idea to reality. Let CTC take the reins of the theme development, florals, lighting, AV, and staging.
At Elevoque, event architects bring their expertise to elevate business event experiences and brand encounters. The woman-owned company takes your vision and connects it to the right audience. Collaborate with them on a discovery call to brainstorm what you can create together.
STAFFING COMPANIES
Black-owned GCJ Hospitality Resources ensures events go off without a hitch by delivering professional staffing. They provide everything from hospitality workers like bartenders and chefs, to convention support services such as service desk management, registration professionals, and booth models.
The family-, woman-, and Blackowned Twin2Me Services handles event staffing needs. They provide set up and breakdown, servers, bartenders, coat check attendants, registration check-in, ushers, dayof coordination, and rental items like table settings and linens.
Fierce Staffing offers experienced professionals to help meeting planners as brand ambassadors, customer service workers, and event management employees. The woman- and Black-owned business uses its marketing, philanthropic, sports, and entertainment connections to staff their talent.
TOURS
Local historian, TikTok star, and Black businessman Shermann “Dilla” Thomas blends history, humor, and storytelling through Chicago Mahogany Tours. Learn about the city’s vibrant South and West Side neighborhoods from Choose Chicago’s 2022 Chicago Tourism Ambassador of the Year.
Take a deep dive into Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood with Pilsen Public Art Tours. Explore Mexican culture and creativity in Chicago while viewing some 200 colorful murals dotted throughout the area.
Climb aboard woman-owned First Lady Cruises to sightsee by boat. Explore the city’s iconic architecture from the Chicago River by day or view the twinkling skyline on an evening cruise.
Chicago Food & City Tours can customize a tasty itinerary for your entire team. Get access to some of Chicago’s best chefs and most exciting kitchens with this woman-owned experience.
Ride a South Side Tours bus through six neighborhoods and hear locals talk about the history and culture of the communities. Six TVs on the bus add to the experience with interviews and imagery. The woman- and Black-owned company also rents its 26-passenger bus for transport.
Tag along with Ronnie Frey on one of his signature Doorways of Chicago Walking Tours. The disability- and LGBTQ+-owned company draws on the social media creator’s expertise in architecture and historic homes. Learn about the history of Chicago neighborhoods and architectural gems year-round.
Connect with Choose Chicago’s Inclusive Tourism and Community Engagement
program to ensure every attendee feels included. Discover rich local history, important attractions, and authentic dining in Chicago’s neighborhoods with our Black, Asian, and Hispanic & Latino cultural guides.
DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD COFFEE SHOPS
Grab a cup of joe before or after your meeting.
Try Robusta coffee at the West Loop’s VietFive Coffee — the beans come from the owner’s farm in Vietnam.
Cafe Jumping Bean is a cozy and colorful Latinxowned coffee shop in the artsy Pilsen neighborhood.
Creative coffee drinks are concocted with house-made syrups at cheery AndySunflower Café in Beverly.
Grab a quick coffee-andsandwich combo between meetings at the South Loop Momentum Coffee location.
Sleek Back of the Yards Coffee highlights Latin American beans and reinvests in its South Side neighborhood.
Wicker Park’s Oro Chocolate & Coffee spotlights Nicaragua, from sustainable beans to its teak furnishings.
necessary & sufficient coffee in Logan Square and Printer’s Row serves seasonal sips and specialty coffees.
Light and airy Floriole Cafe & Bakery whips up creamy lattes and European-style pastries in Lincoln Park.
Dulce de Leche Cafe’s three neighborhood locations offer Latin American-style drinks like their namesake latte.
The South Loop’s Overflow Coffee features organic coffee, plus live music and poetry readings by local creatives.
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