“EXPLORE CHICAGO” EXHIBIT AT O’HARE AND MIDWAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS AWARDED FIRST PLACE IN ACI-NA MARKETING CONTEST

CHICAGO – The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) “Explore Chicago” High-Tech Lounges and Exhibit received a first place award in the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) 2009 Excellence in Marketing and Communications Contest. ACI-NA received nearly 250 entries from 62 airports and airport authorities for this year’s contest, which encompassed categories that recognize work in marketing and public relations.

The “Explore Chicago” exhibit was created in collaboration with the Chicago Office of Tourism and features 50 Hewlett-Packard (HP) TouchSmart PC kiosks at O’Hare and Midway International airports and two high-tech “Explore Chicago” lounges at O’Hare. The kiosks invite travelers to take a virtual tour of Chicago using the City’s tourism Web site, www.ExploreChicago.org, and the high-tech lounges at O’Hare offer comfortable seating and display large-scale GigaPan ultra high-resolution images showing iconic Chicago locations.

The installation was made possible through technology sponsor, HP, with additional support from NASA and GigaPan.com, developers of new technologies for creating and sharing high-resolution panoramic images. The HP TouchSmart PC for consumers and businesses is a touch-enabled, all-in-one PC that creates a compelling, hands-on experience.

“We are very pleased to receive the highest recognition from ACI-NA for our marketing efforts at O’Hare and Midway International Airports,” said CDA Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino. “Our airports are the global gateway to Chicago and are an ideal location to showcase our beautiful city with compelling, interactive exhibits.”

The CDA “Explore Chicago” entry was praised by ACI-NA contest judges for its attention-grabbing imagery and design, and effective use of innovative technology to entertain passengers while promoting tourism in Chicago.

The goal of the exhibit is to provide travelers with an opportunity to discover the City upon their arrival or while they wait for flights; and to highlight Chicago’s vibrant culture, rich diversity and unique attractions to visitors from around the world.

“We are so thrilled that the Explore Chicago exhibits in O’Hare and Midway International Airports have been such a success,” said Chicago Office of Tourism Director Dorothy Coyle. “The exhibits provide a number of benefits – travelers are able to easily and quickly learn more about our beautiful city; cultural and hospitality partners have another platform to showcase themselves to potential visitors; and our partners – HP, NASA and Gigapan – have received excellent exposure in a valuable market.”

The ACI-NA contest entries were reviewed over a nine-day period by 31 communications and marketing professionals from the Washington, D.C.-area, who served as judges.

“ACI-NA congratulates the Chicago Department of Aviation on their first place award in the 2009 Excellence in Marketing and Communications Contest,” said ACI-NA President Greg Principato. “These award-winning entries help promote a positive view of airports throughout their communities and North America. The contest allows airports to showcase their best marketing and communications efforts that serve their stakeholders, including the flying public, airline partners, tenants, and employees. The Explore Chicago exhibit was an excellent device to market a wonderful city.”

The Chicago Department of Aviation is self-supporting, using no local or state tax dollars for operations or capital improvements at O’Hare and Midway International airports. Together, Chicago’s airports generate more than $45 billion in annual economic activity and create 540,000 jobs for the region. Please visit www.flychicago.com to learn more about the Chicago Department of Aviation.

The O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP), introduced by Mayor Richard M. Daley in June 2001, transforms O’Hare’s airfield from an outdated system of intersecting runways into a modern parallel runway configuration. The program will reduce overall delays at the Airport by 79 percent, and bad weather delays by 95 percent. It will create 195,000 new jobs and $18 billion in additional economic activity each year. Please visit www.oharemodernization.org to learn more about the OMP.

The Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, is the official City agency dedicated to promoting Chicago to domestic and international visitors and to providing innovative visitor programs and services.

Contact:

Karen E. Pride
(773) 686-3700
kpride@ohare.com

Karen Ryan Vaughan

(312) 744-2390
kvaughan@cityofchicago.org