International Pow Wow 2014 Underway in Chicago

McCormick Place, one of the largest convention centers in the Western Hemisphere –nestled in Chicago- has swung its gates wide open for people attending the 2014 edition of the International Pow Wow (IPW), an event organized by the U.S. Travel Association.

IPW, which kicked off on Saturday and is scheduled to come to a close on Wednesday April 9, features three days of prearranged meetings whereby over a thousand travel organizations from the United States are making business contacts and negotiations with more than 1,200 national and international buyers from some 70 countries.

According to the organizers, business contacts and deals are supposed to generate an estimated $4.7 billion worth of U.S.-bound travel and tourism.

The McCormick Place in Chicago boasts right now over 1,100 booths where exhibitors, travel providers and destinations are showcasing their products and services. There are more than 6,000 professional attendees, including international and domestic buyers, as well as journalists from several dozen nations.

Last year, Las Vegas held the IPW for a fourth time in its history, an edition where the U.S. Travel Association announced the host cities for the next seven IPWs all through the year 2020.

In addition to this ongoing edition in Chicago –the last time the Illinois burg hosted the IPW was back in 1998- the list of host cities includes Florida’s Orlando, Florida’s Miami, Washington D.C., Colorado’s Denver, California’s Anaheim, and Nevada’s Las Vegas.