The Midwest region of the United States is home to some of the most impressive and versatile event spaces in the country. Whether you’re planning a large corporate conference, a small business meeting, or a full-scale trade show, the Midwest has something to offer for everyone. In this post, we’ll be highlighting the top ten Midwest conference and convention centers that will be sure to impress your attendees and make your event a success. From state-of-the-art facilities with stunning architecture to versatile and modular spaces, these centers have it all. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and explore the best conference and convention centers the Midwest has to offer!

The Full List

McCormick Place

With more than 2.6 million square feet of space, McCormick Place is one of the largest conference venues not only in the Midwest, but in North America. The venue is located 3 miles away from Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, and can be easily accessed from the downtown area and from O’Hare and Midway airports. 

McCormick offers conferencing and convention space in four buildings, which are interconnected for the convenience of visitors. The venue can accommodate assembly-style seating for 18,000 people, and additionally offers a 10,000-seat arena, three theaters with a capacity of 300 seats each, and a large theater that sits more than 4,000 attendees.

Read the rest of this entry »

Centered on the north-central region of the country, the Midwest United States includes 12 states including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Although major urban centers such as Chicago are known around the world as key economic drivers, the Midwest is also home to several smaller cities that provide promising conditions for new businesses. WalletHub’s 2015 ranking of the best cities to start of a business in the United States included six Midwestern cities in the top 20. The ranking used a number of metrics, from the five-year survival rate of businesses to the affordability of office space.

Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri ranked as the best Midwestern city to start of business in the United States, according to the 2015 study. The city also placed first nationally in terms of access to resources, including financing and affordable office space. Known as the Queen City of the Ozarks and the Birthplace of Route 66, Springfield is home to the Missouri State University and Drury University. The third largest city in Missouri is the economic hub of an area that spans 27 counties in Missouri and neighboring Arkansas and is home to some 1 million people. The economy is based on health care, manufacturing, retail, education and tourism. The city has also been recognized for its high quality of life, and in 2008 it was among the best communities for young people by the America’s Promise Alliance and relocating families by Worldwide ERC.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The same ranking found that Sioux Falls was the sixth best city to start a business in the US. With a growing population, the city also ranked second in terms of the best business environment in the United States. It was also named as the next big boom town by The Atlantic in 2013. The largest city in South Dakota, Sioux Falls is a diverse economic center focused on financial services, health care and retail. Sitting on the crossroads of interstates 90 and 29, the city is within a day’s drive from many major cities in the Midwest. The lack of a state corporate tax has helped attract a number of financial companies to Sioux Falls, including Wells Fargo and Citigroup. Read the rest of this entry »

Highest and Lowest Tax Rates – 2014 State and Local Taxes

State and local retail sales tax rates can have an effect on an area’s population as well as its ability to attract businesses. There is a lot to be read from the tax data that is gathered around the country and there is a lot of important information that is revealed when you take a long look at how much others pay to live in an area.

What Does The Data Tell Us?

When we examine retail tax rates for any given state, it is incorrect to judge a state simply by its overall tax rate. There are tax laws on the books in many states that allow certain municipalities the right to create their own retail tax rate. For example, the retail tax rate in the state of New York varies from county to county and is a combination of the state rate and the local rate.

State and local tax data, when grouped together, will give us an indication of what the true retail sales tax rates are in an area. This can often be in great contrast to the numbers that are generated by only looking at state tax rates. Read the rest of this entry »

CNN recently announced its picks for the top 100 places to live in the United States, with Carmel, Indiana taking the top spot. Ann Arbor, Michigan rounded out the top 100 in the yearly piece done by the international news organization.

The specific criteria used by CNN to make these judgements are based upon the size of the city, the economic standing of the city, and a number of different factors. Once the list had been pared down to the “top 29,” CNN dispatched delegates to the cities in an attempt to gauge specific factors that couldn’t be quantified by statistics alone. Things like community spirit and traffic were gauged at this point. In the end, the tie-breaker qualification used to distinguish between equally-matched cities was the extent of job growth or losses in the area. In these tough economic times, job availability is at the top of many people’s considerations when considering a move. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a list of top 10 businesses to work for in Texas.

Balfour Beatty Construction

While this is not an American-owned company, this British company maintains a large workforce in Texas through their national headquarters in Dallas. This company specializes in high-class construction jobs like you would see at opera halls and museums. They even constructed the 9/11 Pentagon memorial. They are praised by their employees for minimizing layoffs during this tough recession hitting the United States.

Whole Foods Market

Whether you work in the stores themselves or in the corporate headquarters in Austin, Whole Foods Market is a popular place to be. New hires get a lot of different benefits straight out of the gate, including people that work in low-level positions in the retail locations. The focus of Whole Foods Market is to promote healthy bodies and communities, and part of that mission means treating employees well. Read the rest of this entry »

Tempo Miami
Tempo fashions itself as a Rock Resort of sorts, and it lives up to that name. All of the luxury furnishings are designed with a more modern, vibrant look than other hotels in Florida. Here, there is an emphasis on sleek designs, and the awesome Rock Resort Spa, located directly on the premises. The Tempo is a five star hotel, yet has a number of options that can suit most budgets.

Hilton Bently
This is a hotel that definitely has the luxury traveler in mind. The hotel is comprised entirely of suites, with different types of suites available for different budgets. The rooms are all furnished with European furnishings, and there is a lot of Italian marble throughout the building. The big reason for the popularity of the Hilton Bently is its proximity to everything you could ever want to see on Miami Beach. Read the rest of this entry »

Whatever variety of corporate entertainment an organization desires is available in Dallas, TX’s. An elegant evening meal and dance to present awards and recognition or a fun and entertaining team building venue can be booked any time of year for visiting VIPs or local firms.

One of Dallas’s newest event centers for both corporate and social occasions is Ashton Gardens. Their event specialists assist with theme suggestions, meal planning, audio/visual needs, and set-up for the venue. The experience their people provide keeps the event moving smoothly, impressing all in attendance with the excellent food, the quality technology available and always first-class service.

Ashton Gardens culinary team prides itself in preparation of original recipes consisting of the highest quality, fresh ingredients. Then their service staff takes over with 5-star pampering for every guest and anticipating their every need ensuring the event’s success. They have all-inclusive pricing packages that eliminate surprises for the corporate budget. Read the rest of this entry »

The east coast is well known for its many opportunities to get a quality business education. Most of the most popular business schools in the United States are found on the east coast, with most reports of the top ten business schools in the United States containing between 6 and 7 east coast schools. The age of the schools on the east coast give them a very impressive history, with many of them being founded while the British still controlled the colonies. Read the rest of this entry »

As tech companies offer higher pay for developers, ten cities stand out in the U.S. as the highest paying for IT jobs. San Jose, San Francisco and New York offer the highest salaries. Those who are searching for the highest paying IT jobs obviously need to head west. Statistics from the recruiting company CyberCoders points out that the average salaries in San Jose and San Francisco average $14,000 more than in third ranked New York City.

The top 10 list does contain cities scattered throughout the U.S. where lucrative jobs can be found. Major cities like Boston, Washington D.C., Dallas and Chicago are included on the list. The greatest increase in salaries has come in mobile development positions. However, IT salaries have gone up across the board in the last year. Individuals who acquire multiplatform skills and are able to design and code within the constantly changing world of mobile applications become the highest paid workers.

The cities that rank highest in pay for IT jobs in high-range, mid-range and low-range salaries are:
1. San Jose, CA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. New York, NY
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Boston, MA
6. Los Angeles, CA
7. Brooklyn, NY
8. Philadelphia, PA
9. Chicago, IL
10. Dallas, TX

The Roche Group is pushing back the frontiers of healthcare in 150 countries, employing about 80,000 workers. It has become one of the largest research-based healthcare groups. Genentech, a subsidiary, has led the biotech industry for over 30 years. They use human genetic information to develop specialized medicines for life-threatening diseases. The headquarters for Roche pharmaceutical operations are located in the U.S. Their philosophy is that the employees are their most important asset and they are dedicated to maintaining a great work place along with providing the best salaries for IT workers. Their CRM Techs provide expert technical information for Genentech’s Commercial Operations. They are responsible for maintaining project work, enhancements, and problem solutions. They work with onsite contractors and a Poland-based development team. These workers must be familiar with a variety of databases, with a strong technical foundation that includes advanced structured programming. Salary compensation for these positions is among the highest in the field.

CompuTech, located in Clarkstown, NY offers Desktop Support Tech positions with a world renowned computer manufacturing company. These are contract positions requiring backgrounds 5 years’ experience in both HP hardware and software, Windows XP and Windows 7 maintenance. Salaries are commensurate with experience and skill levels.

Similar positions may be found in any of the cities listed above. Depending on the applicant’s skills and training, and where he wants to work, high-paying IT jobs are available throughout the country.

Landmarks represent the richness and diversity of culture, history and heritage. It is no accident that many famous landmarks are used as corporate offices. Companies that commission such buildings have the power to create constructions that are impressive enough to become famous corporate landmarks. Here are several examples of striking corporate landmarks that incorporate a range of styles from high-tech modern to neo-classical. Each building has a function or feature so unique that it led to being famous all over the world.

The Woolworth Building in New York was designed in 1913 to be the tallest building in the world. From its completion until 1930 the building was the tallest in the world. The building was commissioned by Frank Woolworth to be the new corporate headquarters of Woolworth. The building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in the United States and the architecture resembles European cathedrals. The building was owned by the company for until 1998. Today, it is a monument not only to the originator of Woolworth, but the architect, as well who won acclaim for his detail and use of Gothic forms. Since 1966 the building has been a National Historic Landmark and a city landmark since 1983.

The US Bank Tower in California is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city of Los Angeles, as well as one of the city’s’ most famous buildings. When this building was completed it became the tallest building on the Pacific coast. It is the most recognizable building in Los Angeles and is often used for shots for television programs and movies. The top of the building brightly illuminates at night. The building was designed to withstand earthquakes of an 8.3 magnitude and even has the world’s highest helipad.

The Chrysler Building is a famous corporate landmark in New York City and in 1930 it was the tallest building in the world for a while. Chrysler had asked the architects for the highest building to compete with competitors, also trying to have the highest building. It was a highly decorated office building, because Chrysler wanted a bold structure and he got it. Chrysler was hoping that such a distinguishing structure would make his company a common household name. Although, Chrysler lost command of the structure during the 1950’s, the landmark still has the original name. Today, it is one of the most well-know buildings in the world. Additionally it is one the city’s greatest display of Art Deco and a national landmark.

The Sears Tower is a famous corporate landmark located in Chicago, Illinois. This skyscraper was designed for the Sears Company as their headquarters. The building was designed with additional space for expansion. Since, Sears was by far the biggest retailer in the world in 1969. The project was a disappointment, because it was unable to attract tenants and was sold to new owners in 1993. The top of the tower is the highest point in Illinois. Since then the building has attracted major tenants and is a highly desirable business location. The skydeck is on the 103rd floor, 1350 feet above ground and on a clear day tourists can see far over the plains of Illinois and across Lake Michigan. Every year thousands of visitors are attracted to the renowned famous skydeck.

The GE Building is a famous building in New York. It is a skyscraper in Manhattan and forms a focal point for illustrious Rockefeller Center. Three related companies are associated with this building, G E, Westinghouse and RCA. Previously the building has been known as the RCA Building. Today the building provides headquarters for NBC and General Electric. It is most famous for housing the NBC network. It was the first building to have grouped elevators. The building boasts a height of 855 feet and has 70 stories. The modern design features an open floor plan and was awarded the status of being a landmark in 1985.

The luminous Wrigley Building is a world famous office tower in downtown Chicago. The goal of Mr. Wrigley was to create an impressive headquarters for his company. One of the buildings most well-known features is the huge clock-tower and is a landmark in Chicago. In addition to being home for the Wrigley Company, the building houses many other companies. The flood lighting of the building at night is one of the nation’s most major commercial displays of light. For over 70 years the building has been one of Chicago’s most attractive structures. The well-proportioned architecture and the lighting have established the building as a symbol of the city in many motion pictures, books and television programs. It definitely is an unforgettable image at night for both residents and visitors.