Pros
Great mission: Promote Chicago as a place for convention and visitor sales and tourism; opportunity to work with wonderful, varied partners (museums, restaurants, hotels, etc.); leads fun events like Chicago Restaurant Week.
Cons
- Old school mentality is pervasive throughout the organization - Departments are completely siloed with little collaboration (media relations, neighborhood strategy, corporate communications and marketing operate in their own worlds, for example) - Little room for strategic planning - Years-long history of ups and downs with furloughs and layoffs (this was a problem well before the pandemic) - Senior leadership aren't keeping pace with changing trends and technology barriers are pervasive - One Vice President doesn't live in Chicago, let along anywhere in Illinois - HR protects old leadership - Many departments outsource work to agencies - Many managers don't prioritize a healthy work/life balance - Horrendous onboarding experience - Terribly non-existent training for managers - Skeleton staff for such a large DMO