Ron Kaufman is one of the world’s leading motivational keynote speakers on the topics of achieving service excellence, increasing customer satisfaction, retaining loyal customers, and building sustainable service cultures. Rated one of the “Top 25 Who’s Hot” speakers by Speaker magazine, Ron presents powerful insights and global best practices from working with clients in every industry and on every continent for more than thirty years. His energetic keynote speeches have inspired millions, frequently earning standing ovations from audiences of all ages. In 2018, GlobalGurus rated Ron the #1 customer service guru in the world. Ron travels worldwide to speak at company meetings, industry conferences, and association events throughout the year.

Ron is author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller, “Uplifting Service! The Proven Path to Delighting Your Customers, Colleagues and Everyone Else You Meet” and 14 other books on service, business and inspiration. He is the founder of Uplifting Service, a global education and consulting company that enables leaders and organizations to build sustainable cultures that win the hearts and minds of customers, colleagues, and partners.

Chicago, located in Illinois on Lake Michigan, is one of the largest cities in the United States. With a population of 2.7 million, it is the third most populous city in the country, after New York and Los Angeles. Chicago is famous for its architecture which includes a large number of skyscrapers such as the John Hancock Center, the Neo-Gothic Tribune Tower and the Willis Tower, as well as for its 56 extraordinary museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago (renowned for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artworks), the Museum of Science and Industry, the Museum of Contemporary Art, or the Chicago History Museum. The city boasts with a vibrant cultural and artistic scene, hosting over 250 theaters, 225 music venues and 200 dance companies. Other important landmarks are the Millennium Park, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile. Chicago is a major international hub for technology, commerce, transport, finance and telecommunications and ranks fourth, after Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles, in terms of its gross metropolitan product (about $670 billion). It is also a renowned academic and research center, hosting prestigious universities such as Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Chicago as a Conference Destination

Home to the McCormick Place, the largest conference center in the States and the third largest in the world, Chicago is a major global conference and convention destination. Some of the most important events taking place here include: the Customer Relationship Management Conference (CRMC) and the Oracle Modern Customer Experience, two conferences focused on customer service and experience; the AOA Annual Business Meeting, the National Investment Center’s Annual Conference and the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, three of the most important business conference in the US; the AREMA Annual Conference and Exposition, one of the major industry conventions; and the Bank of America Marathon and Health & Fitness annual event, focused on sports and healthcare.

Chicago Food Options for Conference Delegates

Chicago offers many high-class restaurants where you can have a great dinner experience. Here is a selection of some of the best restaurants: Alinea (Phone: +1 312-867-0110), Boka (Phone: +1 312-337-6070), Oriole (Phone: +1 312-877-5339), and The Polo Inn Bridgeport U.S.A. (Phone: +1 773-927-7656), all specialized in New American cuisine; the Smoque BBQ (Phone: +1 773-545-7427), one of the best places in town to eat delicious steaks; Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf (Phone: +1 312-624-8154), a famous French steakhouse; and the Chicago Diner (Phone: +1 773-252-3211), a perfect place for vegetarians and vegans who wish to enjoy healthy green dishes.

Chicago Attractions for Convention Attendees

Due to its numerous tourist attractions, over 52 million people visit Chicago annually. Here are some of this city’s most important landmarks: the Millenium Park, 24.5-acre green space renowned for its public art samples, such as the Crown Fountain or the Cloud Gate, and summer art exhibitions; the Willis Tower, an immense 110 story skyscraper from which you can have breathtaking views of the whole city; the Shedd Aquarium, where you can admire a large number of aquatic species, and the Lincoln Park Zoo, home to over 1,200 animals; and the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the largest museums in the US, containing over 300,000 artworks.

Conference Center Venues

Chicago, Illinois has a large number of great conference centers and facilities, such as:

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (Location: N River Road)
Conference Chicago (Location: S State Street)
McCormick Place (Location: S King Drive)
Summit Chicago (Location: N Michigan Avenue)
The Conference Center (Location: Upper Wacker Drive)
World Outreach Conference Center (Location: E 111th Street)