(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — August will be an especially busy month in downtown Chicago.
Annual events like Lollapalooza, the Air and Water Show and the first Bears preseason game will be joined by the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which starts on Aug. 19.
That means downtown Chicago will be hopping, and that's music to the ears of the businesses that serve tourists and residents alike.
Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, told the WBBM Noon Business Hour that the city will be on the national stage during the DNC.
“I think if we can all get a singular message out there that Chicago is innovative, it’s resilient and it continues to grow despite all of the things people hear about it … that we are totally ready for this convention,” Edwards said.
Edwards said the office market hasn't fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns but added that activity has picked up in other ways.
“Couple hundred thousand people [are] still working downtown, but we’re into the evenings, into the events and into the theater that’s going on downtown,” he said. “These major events, like NASCAR, Lollapalooza and, of course, the DNC, are icing on the cake.”
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