Population: 150,000
Location: Northwest Illinois, 71 miles from O’Hare, 60 miles from Madison, 92 miles from Milwaukee, 135 miles from Peoria, 118 miles from the Quad Cities. Bus service is available from Chicago O’Hare and Midway Airports as low as $18 one way.
Key Contact: Lindsay Arellano, director of sales and service for the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Phone Number: 815.963.8111
The Must-Sees:
“The great thing about Rockford is that we can host memorable meetings with our selection of unique venues,” says Arellano.”We have the Anderson Japanese Gardens that are among the most nationally recognized in the world. The site also offers 5,000 square feet of meeting space. Prairie Street Brewhouse is another draw. It was once the home of the Rockford Brewing Company and has since been restored to accommodate large meetings, weddings and other types of gatherings with 10,000 square feet of space. Also, Northern Illinois University in Rockford offers a variety of rooms and about 14,000 square feet of meeting space from traditional auditorium styleseating to private meeting rooms.”
The Conference Centers:
» Giovanni’s Restaurant and ConventionCenter has about 13,000 square feet of space and can accommodate a variety of meetings and banquets.
» Clock Tower Resort and Conference Center is one of the largest in the area with 30,000 square feet of event space.
» Cliffbreakers Riverside Resort is a hotel and conference center with 27,000 square feet to offer.
Restaurants:
“We have over 250 original restaurants,” says Arellano, noting Italian and Swedish options are common, thanks to the large Swedish population in the area.
Hotels:
“We have all the national brands,” says Arellano, referencing the Hilton Garden Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Holiday Inn, Best Western and Staybridge Suites.
How The CVB Helps:
“One thing that we do extremely well is customer service,” says Arellano. “We have an excellent team that provides staffing at events; they can help with registration or VIP guests or offering itineraries for conference attendees after hours.”
For Your Calendar:
» Rockford Art Museum, “Through the Ages: 100 Years of RAM” (through Jan. 26);
» First Fridays-Art, Music, Food and Shopping in Downtown Rockford (Dec. 6,Jan. 3, Feb. 7, March 7 )gorockford.com
Editor’s Note: In this new column, weinterview CVBs within Illinois to give youinformation about meeting in their regionand events to keep on your calendar.
