NATO Staffers Visiting Chicago This Week To Lay Out Logistics For May Summit

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 26, 2012 4:00PM



Photo Credit: Seth Oliver

With eight weeks to go before May's NATO summit in Chicago, the military alliance is set to send a group of officials to the Windy City this week to help plan logistics for the meeting.

As many as 800 NATO personnel are set to come to Chicago to familiarize themselves with the city and McCormick Place, where the summit will be held. Officials with the city's host committee told the Chicago Tribune that lodging and transportation arrangements have proven to be the most daunting challenges. An estimated 50 countries will be sending delegations to Chicago for the summit, totaling nearly 7,000 people. Another 2,500 journalists are expected to descend on the city during the summits.

Last week, a local delegation led by Chicago First Lady Amy Rule, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and summit host committee chief Lori Healey, visited NATO headquarters in Brussels to promote Chicago as a business and tourism destination.

Rule asked NATO staff to look beyond the Loop when they're in Chicago.

"My husband likes to call Chicago the most American of American cities," she said. "So, in addition to visiting our glamorous downtown or glittering downtown, our fabulous buildings, I encourage you to explore some of our interesting neighborhoods: our Polish community on Milwaukee Avenue, our German community in Lincoln Square, our Scandinavian community in Andersonville, our Hispanic community of Pilsen and our historic African-American neighborhood of Bronzeville."

Chicago First Lady Amy Rule Leads Delegation to NATO Headquarters in Brussels: MyFoxCHICAGO.com