Three Thoughts For Chicago’s Buildings and Businesses During NATO Summit

Since learning Chicago was selected as the host city for the 2012 NATO Summit, BOMA/Chicago leadership and staff have collaborated with public and private organizations to prepare members for the logistical and operational issues associated with hosting this global event. With the NATO Summit less than two months away, we wanted to share three ideas to help buildings and businesses in Chicago’s CBD prepare.

• Don’t comment on situations that are unrelated to your building or business. For example, a reporter may ask a property or business owner about civil liberty violations, the NATO Summit’s impact on taxpayers or national policy issues. We recommend that you refrain from commenting on these kind of subjects, as the published remarks may misrepresent your business, building and/or overall mission.

• Monitor social media channels and NotifyChicago for breaking information. The “real time” medium of Twitter allows us to disseminate information of relevance — street closures, public transportation reroutes, public gatherings/protests and other timely information. NotifyChicago is a new resource from the City of Chicago that provides Chicago residents with recorded telephone messages, text messages and/or e-mail alerts for various emergency and non-emergency situations taking place throughout Chicago. Register for free at www.NotifyChicago.org. Follow BOMA/Chicago on Twitter for the updates most pertinent to our members and the CRE community.
  
  
• Promote Chicago as a  world-class city to visiting national and international journalists. Nearly 2,500 international media are expected to be in Chicago during the NATO Summit. While some challenges should be anticipated, the Summit provides a great opportunity for local businesses and property managers to demonstrate to international media the many reasons why Chicago is truly a world-class city. Be prepared to share what makes Chicago a great place to live and work.

We will continue to reach out to our members and Chicago’s business community to provide up-to-date information on how to prepare for the NATO Summit in May 2012. What other NATO Summit-related topics are on your mind?