meetinchicago.com 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 Black-owned Twin2Me Services handles event staffing needs. They provide set up and breakdown, servers, bartenders, coat check attendants, registration check-in, ushers, day-of 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. 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 Latinx-owned 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-and-sandwich combo between meetings at the South Loop Momentum Coffee location. Kehoe Designs 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. 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.
Chicago Meeting Professionals Guide 2026: Page 37
