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Tinley Park, IL – State and village officials gathered in September at the Tinley Park Convention Center to officially open and celebrate the completion of a major expansion. The project effectively doubled the facility’s size and added a host of new amenities, making this Chicago suburb a more competitive, cost-effective Midwest meetings destinations.

“This expansion creates an enormous leap for the Convention Center’s competitive edge in the regional marketplace,” said Edward Zabrocki, Mayor of Tinley Park. “With the anticipated creation of new jobs and its effect on the local hospitality and convention services sector, the new facility is expected to bring to our area an annual economic impact of $265 million.”

The convention center expansion, begun in April 2010, hosted its first major convention in June 2011 with the National Council of Corvette Clubs Annual Convention, drawing some 1,000 delegates. Tinley Park Convention Center management recently announced it will host the 2012 Illinois Republican Convention June 8 & 9, 2012.

“The expanded Tinley Park Convention Center meets the needs of the majority of meeting, event and convention planners, and its close proximity to restaurants, services, downtown Chicago, O’Hare and Midway Airports, and the interstate system make Tinley Park an ideal location for Midwestern meetings, events, trade shows and conferences,” said Jim Garrett, President/CEO of the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Owned by the Village of Tinley Park and managed by the Mid-Con Hospitality Group, the expanded Tinley Park Convention Center features: 120,000 square feet with 70,000 square feet of event space; 58,100 square feet of net contiguous exhibition space; Meeting space with 18 breakout rooms ranging in size from 750 to 4,000 square feet; Ballroom configurations from 2,000 – 12,000 square feet available; Full food service offerings and concessions; Business center; Sate-of-the-art high-speed internet access and audio-visual equipment; 1,500 free parking spaces and an attached 202-room full-service hotel.

“The Tinley Park Convention Center offers easy access, state-of-the-art facilities, quality service and  excellent value," said Reva Stillman, Owner/Principle of Mid-Con Hospitality Group. “With over 58,000 square feet of exhibition space, the expanded facility allows us to add national conventions and tradeshows to sales and marketing efforts that previously were mainly targeted to local and regional groups.”

The Tinley Park Convention Center is located in Chicago’s Southland region, about 25 minutes from downtown Chicago, only 45 minutes from  O’Hare International Airport and 18 miles from Midway Airport.  The regional commuter rail system, Metra, serves Tinley Park with two stations less than five minutes from the facility.