TAG Alliances Spring 2023 International Conference - Chicago

Early Bird Tour: Chicago Architecture River Cruise

Art, architecture, and industrial innovation are at the core of Chicago’s story. Guests will be immersed in Chicago’s rich architectural history on a guided walking tour along the Magnificent Mile towards the Riverwalk district. At the River district, guests will board a boat for a cruise along the Chicago River, which winds right through the heart of this amazing city. While on board, our engaging expert guide will take you on a journey through the past, present, and future of Chicago architecture.  We will learn about the birthplace of the modern skyscraper and the history of Chicago’s spectacular skyline while networking with fellow TAG Alliances members and having ample opportunities for stunning photos. This leisurely boat cruise is rated as one of the best city experiences in the world!

Guests will then enjoy lunch at one of Chicago’s illustrious restaurants, Shaw’s Crab House.  After lunch, guests will continue with a short walking tour back to the hotel.

Companion Tour: Chicago Art Tour

Chicago is an internationally recognized art and design hub. Art can be found everywhere in Chicago, from galleries to museums to public squares and street corners. Chicago is a living art exhibit waiting to be explored.

We will begin our morning with a guided walk through Millennium Park to find Anish Kapoor’s mind-bending Cloud Gate sculpture, affectionately called “The Bean” by Chicagoans, squeezed between the Greek-inspired Peristyle and interactive Crown Fountain. New public art installations regularly pop up throughout the parks, guaranteeing that you will see something different each time you visit. We will then continue on with a visit to The Art Institute of Chicago. Here we will be joined by an expert guide for a private tour of their collection, where you will find Seurat’s paining “Sunday Afternoon”, made famous in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the most well-known art museums in the city and the country. This award-winning attraction boasts over 260,000 pieces of art that encompass more than 5,000 years of art from cultures around the world.

Following our tour, we will make our way by coach to the Museum Of Contemporary Art (“MCA”) for lunch at the beautiful Marisol Restaurant before enjoying a private tour of MCA; one of the largest museums dedicated to contemporary works of art.

Gala Dinner at the Field Museum: Chicago’s Gilded Age Glamour – 1870 to 1920

Located on Chicago’s iconic Lake Michigan shore, the Field Museum serves as a permanent memorial to the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893; celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World.  Chicago took great honour in hosting this prestigious event as it also served to showcase to the world that Chicago had risen from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, which had destroyed much of the city in 1871.

The fair took place during a period known as the Gilded Age in the United States, a time symbolized by a great burst of industrial activity and corporate growth. It was characterized by a collection of colourful and energetic entrepreneurs who became known as “Captains of Industry”, who grew rich through monopolies in the steel, petroleum, banking, and transportation industries. It saw the development of the first steel-framed skyscrapers as businesses sought to find housing solutions for the large volume of workers moving to urban centers for employment. 

During our Gala Dinner, our members will step back in time and experience the opulence and glamour of Chicago's dynamic Gilded Age.

Companion Tour: West Loop Food Tour and Shopping Experience

Take your taste buds on a journey down “Chicago’s best foodie street,” where you’ll experience a variety of bites from a mixture of award-winning restaurants, classic Chicago diners, local craft breweries, wineries, and off-the-beaten-path hotspots. From some of the best donuts in the city, to “grandma’s famous meatballs,” to unique Roman pizza, this tour for the senses will leave you satisfied and inspired. Following this tour, guests will have the opportunity to walk off the food with a guided shopping experience, around the lively WestLoop Fulton Market.

Networking Activity & Dinner: Untitled Supper Club – A Night of Jazz and Dance – 1920 to 1933

Gangsters, Speakeasies and the Roaring Twenties! Much of what defined Prohibition in the United States, from 1920 to 1933, happened right here in the Windy City. The history of Prohibition and the history of Chicago are inextricably linked. 

While Prohibition was the law in the U.S., Canada still sold and distributed liquor, with bootleggers such as Al Capone and Bugs Moran running liquor from Canada down into the U.S. to distribute across the country. We still find evidence of bootlegging tunnels crisscrossed across different neighborhoods throughout Chicago. 

Prohibition may have banned alcohol sales, but instead of killing off bars, it just sent them underground. In fact, it has been said that Chicago may have had as many as 3,000 active Speakeasies during these times. Speakeasies (so named because you talked quietly about them), sold booze on the sly to patrons who found the secret door, said the right password, and possibly knew the right person inside. 

We will step into our own secret underground Speakeasy and feel the aura of the 20s and 30s—jazz, dancing, and an undeniable need to celebrate and socialize.