Chicago's 47th Annual Air & Water Show

The skies over Chicagoland will come alive on August 20-21 with the sights and sounds of military and civilian aircraft... a spectacle rarely seen in a thriving metropolis. The Chicago Air and Water Show is the oldest and largest free admission show of its kind in the United States and will bring over 2 million spectators to the lakefront for the two-day event.

How can a bustling city like Chicago pull off an affair of this magnitude on an average weekend afternoon? It is no simple feat. The show has its own air traffic controller and involves nearly 30 military and civilian acts, most of which take off from the Gary/Chicago International Airport, which is located just 25 miles from downtown Chicago.

"The Air and Water Show does not interfere with flights at either O'Hare or Midway Airports," said a spokesperson from the Chicago Department of Aviation. "We expect normal operations for the run of the show."

Each year the City of Chicago adds extra public transportation to the lakefront in an attempt to accommodate the millions of spectators. The show, visible from almost anywhere along the lakefront, is geared around the shores of Lake Michigan from Fullerton Avenue to Oak Street Beach. All aircraft maneuvers are performed over the lake.

The show's focal point is North Avenue Beach where veteran Chicago Air and Water Show announcer Herb Hunter delivers a play-by-play of the performances. Before he began announcing the show 18 years ago, Hunter—currently a pilot for a major airline—flew in the show himself as a military pilot.

This year marks the 47th annual Chicago Air and Water Show. Programmed by the Mayor's Office of Special Events and funded by corporate sponsors, the entertainment comes at no small cost.

Each summer the Mayor's Office of Special Events secures $630,000 in sponsorship for the show as well as over $400,000 in goods. These goods include hotel rooms, smoke oil, distilled water, two-way radios, airline tickets, drinking water and more.

As has been the case for the past 10 years, Shell and the Shell-Branded Chicagoland Retailers are this year's presenting sponsors. In addition, Boeing, U.S. Cellular, WLS-TV, WBBM-AM and the Chicago Tribune have also stepped up to the plate offering high levels of sponsorship.

In-kind sponsorship also covers some performer fees, which differ depending on the size of the act. For example, a popular civilian act named Team Oracle travels with between five and eight people for a single plane act. The cost to operate the aircraft alone is steep. Team Oracle goes through approximately 400 gallons of fuel per show at a cost of three dollars per gallon. Most of the acts operate more than one aircraft.

The show features a wide array of military aircraft that are announced close to the event depending on availability. It is also tradition that either the United States Air Force Thunderbirds or the U.S. Navy Blue Angels headline the show.

This year the Thunderbirds will take to the skies. The six-jet formation team performs intricate maneuvers flying only 18 inches apart while approaching the speed of sound in F-16 Fighting Falcons. The U.S. Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights, is also a headliner and will parachute towards North Avenue Beach at 120 mph.

The event has an economic impact of approximately $50,000,000 to the City of Chicago according to McKeon & Associates, a market research firm that does work for the Mayor's Office of Special Events. The firm reports its figures based on attendance records and interviews with attendees.

--Karley Sweet, Public Relations Specialist

The Chicago Air & Water Show takes place from 9:00am-4:00pm on Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21. The water show kicks off at 9:00am with the Liquid X Freestyle extreme water show; the air show begins at 11:00am. Click here for more information, or call (312) 744-3315.

Downloadable MP3 Tour Makes Millennium a Walk in the Park

Millennium Park now offers free MP3 audio tours, which can be downloaded off of the web. The audio tour was created in collaboration with the Chicago Office of Tourism as a way to offer visitors an introduction to the 24.5-acre park. Upon offering these tours, the park became the nation's first cultural destination to provide such a service.

Internet users can either listen to the tour on their computers, or visit the park with their personal MP3 players, such as iPods, to get a better understanding of why Millennium Park has become one of the world's most spectacular new public spaces.

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape that was a result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and its corporate and philanthropic communities. Since opening in July 2004, Millennium Park has become one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations, attracting more than 2.5 million visitors.

"Millennium Park is a great example of how modern technology can enhance visitors' experiences of a dynamic public space," said Executive Director Helen Doria. "Examples of 21st century technology can be found throughout the park, from the state-of-the-art acoustics of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion to the Light Emitting Diode (LED) screens that project the faces of Chicagoans onto The Crown Fountain. We are proud to use advanced technology to offer this new resource to people where they can learn about these elements of the park and more."

Created by Antenna Audio, the tour includes interviews with the people who were most instrumental in the Park's overall development, including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Millennium Park Director of Design, Architecture and Landscape Ed Uhlir, and John Bryan, Chairman of Millennium Park, Inc.

The voices of several world-renowned architects and artists who were integral in creating some of the park's most prominent features can also be heard throughout the tour. One example is architect Frank Gehry who discusses how he applied his signature style to the Jay Pritkzer Pavilion and the BP Bridge. "To have such a thing right in town is kind of incredible," said Gehry. "I can't believe it. It's just very special to have been part of it for me. I don't know any place in America anyway where such a place exists."

Spanish artist Jaume Plensa talks about The Crown Fountain and two 50-foot glass towers that project video images of local Chicagoans from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds onto LED screens. Plensa notes the contrast in what he initially envisioned when the fountain was unveiled and how the visitors of Millennium Park actually received his work. The artist says he expected the fountains would be a relaxing place for visitors to reflect, but as many locals know, it has become a playground of sorts. Artist Anish Kapoor, speaks about his interpretation of the Cloud Gate, which is also lovingly referred to as "the bean" by many tourists. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture reflects the city's famous skyline and the clouds above it and is Kapoor's first public outdoor work to be installed in the United States.

Millennium Park's MP3 tour runs approximately 40 minutes long. The tour utilizes random access technology so listeners can go through the park at their own pace and in any order they choose.

Maps of the viewing stops are available at the Millennium Park Welcome Center in the Northwest Exelon Pavilion, located at 201 E. Randolph St.

For more information on Millennium Park and the MP3 audio tours please visit www.millenniumpark.org or call (312)742-1168. Click here to download the audio tour now.

IEDC to Present Unmatched Line-Up of Speakers at Annual Conference in Chicago

World Business Chicago invites you to attend the most important economic development event of the year: The Global Economy is Here... Now What? More than 1,000 economic development professionals will gather at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) 2005 Annual Conference in Chicago September 25-28 to explore this question.

This four day event will draw representatives from around the world, making this conference the premier international event of the year for economic development professionals. This is your opportunity to build valuable relationships with peers in the field, understand leading trends, learn solutions to current challenges and take home fresh ideas to your community.

IEDC's lineup of influential and world-renowned speakers will create a conference experience and dialogue unmatched in the industry. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley will headline a first class roster of top practitioners and thinkers in the field.

Guests include Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy for the European Commission, who is a leading expert in international development issues; John Bucksbaum, CEO of General Growth Properties, which is the second largest U.S.-based publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in the nation; Richard Karlgaard, Publisher of Forbes Magazine and a leading writer and commentator on technology, entrepreneurship, regional economic development and the future of business; and Mr. Paul Laudicina, Vice President & Managing Director for Global Business Policy at A. T. Kearney, Inc. and a noted corporate and public policy visionary who has written books and articles on international policy.

Learn from each other, and learn from Chicago. Here is just a sample of what attendees have to look forward to at this year's conference:

Millennium Park Walking Tour. Monday, September 26th, 1:45pm-4:30pm.
Millennium Park, an idea that began taking shape back in 1998 to create new parkland in Grant Park, has transformed unsightly railroad tracks and parking lots into prime lakefront public space. Millennium Park has become not only one of the most important projects in the world, but a classic case study of recovering an under-used urban waterfront.

Building a Culture of Entrepreneurship. Tuesday, September 27th, 1:45pm-3:00pm.
The World Trade Center Chicago (WTCC) is the primary facilitator of international economic development with small to medium-sized enterprises in Chicago and the greater Midwest region. Through its interaction with both inbound and outbound trade delegations, it continues to successfully build Chicago's global economy.

Green Technology and Revitalization. Monday, September 26th, 10:30am-11:45am.
Center for Green Technology Tour. Monday, September 26th, 1:45pm-4:30pm.
Following the United Nation's Rio Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, an international action plan, known as Agenda 21, recognized local governments as critical to implementing green or "sustainable development." In 2004, Mayor Daley charged 18 members of his cabinet to work together to develop Chicago's first environmental action plan. Chicago's initiatives, from landscaping to sustainable building practices to green roofs, can serve as an example to other cities striving to become more eco-friendly. The city's most notable green building effort is the award-winning Chicago Center for Green Technology. This building is home to numerous environmentally oriented companies and city services.

IEDC courses—Neighborhood Business Development Strategies and Business Retention and Expansion—will be offered September 22-23 as part of IEDC's Training and Professional Development course series. Come early for in-depth training designed to enhance your skills and help you prosper in your career.

IEDC is the premier membership organization dedicated to helping economic development professionals create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities and improve the quality of life in their regions. Serving more than 4,000 members, the council represents the largest network of economic development professionals in the world. IEDC provides a diverse range of services, including conferences, certification, professional development, publications, research, advisory services and legislative tracking.

Jill Frick, IEDC Communications Director

Click here to download the conference registration form. Register now!

Chicago by the Numbers

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Chicago, Illinois 60601

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