February 26^th marked a new initiative for the ISES Chicago Chapter. In order to provide even more benefits for our Members, we launched our first Members Only Venue Tour. A number of our members met up at The Langham, Chicago. Since its grand opening in September 2013, The Langham, Chicago has quickly become a destination of choice. The Langham, Chicago features 316 luxurious guest rooms and an array of event spaces within one of the skyline's most prominent landmark buildings. Combining the midcentury formalism with the storybook grand-hotel romance that is Langham's tradition, their ballrooms and event spaces are perfectly suited for both large and intimate gatherings.

Following the tour, led by Director of Catering and Events Michelle Willey, ISES-Chicago members continued to network over some cocktails at Travelle Lounge.

We are looking forward to many more tours in the coming year! ISES-Chicago members, mark your calendar for Thu 5/29 for our next tour of a Chicagoland venue!

The 2014 ISES Day of Education was held at the Chicago History Museum on Tuesday, February 18^th.  The day began with a delicious breakfast from Berghoff Catering and Restaurant Group as guests mingled and networked.  The morning session started with a sales and marketing speaker, Charles Oster from mywedding.com.  The group was then treated to a look at 2014 design trends from Erin Dahl Sellers from Revel Décor.  Finally, before lunch, Kevin Molesworth of Brass Tacks Events spoke about networking. 

The mid-day break featured a buffet lunch from Berghoff and gave all our attendees a chance to relax, network further and check their emails.

Following lunch, the group had the choice of speakers for two tracks – basic and advanced.  The basic track speaker s included Jim Bailey from Meetinghouse Companies, Joshua Yates from Pure Kitchen Catering and Kevin Molesworth from Brass Tacks Events.  Our Advanced speakers included Heidi Brock from Blue Plate, Carlyn Berghoff from Berghoff Catering and Restaurant Group and Carmen Tomassetti from CTO.

The day ended with a reception complete with  music, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and a chance to view the Museum’s exhibitions, Crossroads of America and Inspiring Beauty: 50 years of Ebony Fashion Fair.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for helping to make the 2014 Day of Education a great success!