The National Restaurant Association is refuting a published report stating it is near to accepting a deal with Chicago officials that would move up the dates of its 2012 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show by two weeks.
The goal is still to hold the event May 19-22, 2012, at McCormick Place, an NRA spokeswoman told Nation’s Restaurant News Wednesday.
“It’s important to emphasize that there is no agreement with the City of Chicago to change the dates of the show,” she said.
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The statement followed a report on ChicagoTribune.com stating that sources close to the negotiation had said that the Washington, D.C.-based association was close to moving the dates of the industry’s largest trade show.
Sources also said the association was asking the city to make up any financial losses that might arise from moving the dates.
Earlier this month, Chicago officials had asked the NRA to shift its show’s dates so the event would not conflict with the planned NATO/G8 Summit to be held in the city May 15-22.
At the time, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that city officials said they believed Chicago would be unable to accommodate both giant events concurrently, and that the NRA might be looking at relocating the show.
The NRA said its 2011 event drew 58,000 registrants. The NATO/G8 is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors.
Contact Paul Frumkin at [email protected].
