Chicago Venue

Route Collectors · Post by **Route Collectors** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:15 pm

Greg...... give us back the Marriot!!!!

Although this years venue was a big step up from our draft facility in Schaumburg last year....I still like our original location at the Oakbrook Marriot best.

It was great drafting at the same location we were staying in. There was no daily parking fee ($18)...no $7 bowls of cereal and there was a Starbucks in the lobby.

The Marriot had a great lobby where guys could meet up to hang out. They have a nice open bar area...good reasonably priced restraunt and best of all it took all of 5 minutes to get from your room to the draft room.

Any chance we can go back there next year?

BONGIZMO · Post by **BONGIZMO** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:30 pm

Funny as I had that very same conversation this weekend. The Marriot was one of the best spots and let's not forget all of the restaurants in walking distance right across the road if you needed a change from the hotel fare.

As I recall I think we originally left that spot due to scheduling conflicts but maybe Greg could look into it as a venue again.

Ted's Cracked Head · Post by **Ted's Cracked Head** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:56 pm

I do not like the Stephens Center for this event unless we get a couple of thousand drafters in Chicago.

I would rather we go back to oakbrook or downtown Chicago.

Downtown would be my first choice. So many more things to do and a car is not necessary.

Dyv · Post by **Dyv** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 6:44 pm

I think the Stephens center was fine, but definitely agree it had basically zero add-on value.

The Marriott site was by far the most appealing and I'm sure a few dozen others could be found in the monster city of Chicago.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:14 am

Originally posted by Route C:
Greg...... give us back the Marriot!!!!

Although this years venue was a big step up from our draft facility in Schaumburg last year....I still like our original location at the Oakbrook Marriot best.

It was great drafting at the same location we were staying in. There was no daily parking fee ($18)...no $7 bowls of cereal and there was a Starbucks in the lobby.

The Marriot had a great lobby where guys could meet up to hang out. They have a nice open bar area...good reasonably priced restraunt and best of all it took all of 5 minutes to get from your room to the draft room.

Any chance we can go back there next year? Jeff, the Oakbrook Marriott had a wedding booked a year in advance as they were the first hotel I contacted last year. Same for March as I wanted to go there for baseball as well. We would definitely prefer hosting the Chicago event at a hotel rather than a convention center and to hold it away from Downtown Chicago (where parking can be $60 a day). We have no commitments for 2010 in any city right now for the NFFC, but we will begin looking right away. In fact, I'm staying in Las Vegas this week primarily to meet with hotels and get the ball rolling on 2010 right away. I'll make a call to the Oakbrook Marriott immediately when I get back.

Fanball has some ideas on what they want from the hotels in 2010, so stay tuned. Upgrades are on the way.

Raiders · Post by **Raiders** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 4:22 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
quote:Originally posted by Route C:
Greg...... give us back the Marriot!!!!

Although this years venue was a big step up from our draft facility in Schaumburg last year....I still like our original location at the Oakbrook Marriot best.

It was great drafting at the same location we were staying in. There was no daily parking fee ($18)...no $7 bowls of cereal and there was a Starbucks in the lobby.

The Marriot had a great lobby where guys could meet up to hang out. They have a nice open bar area...good reasonably priced restraunt and best of all it took all of 5 minutes to get from your room to the draft room.

Any chance we can go back there next year? Jeff, the Oakbrook Marriott had a wedding booked a year in advance as they were the first hotel I contacted last year. Same for March as I wanted to go there for baseball as well. We would definitely prefer hosting the Chicago event at a hotel rather than a convention center and to hold it away from Downtown Chicago (where parking can be $60 a day). We have no commitments for 2010 in any city right now for the NFFC, but we will begin looking right away. In fact, I'm staying in Las Vegas this week primarily to meet with hotels and get the ball rolling on 2010 right away. I'll make a call to the Oakbrook Marriott immediately when I get back.

Fanball has some ideas on what they want from the hotels in 2010, so stay tuned. Upgrades are on the way. [/QUOTE]Greg,

On this note. Please instead of NYC, AC for 2010.
Or if not AC, any were within a hour of the City. Please. I want to draft live and enjoy meeting up with all my friends but going into NYC is not a good thing for me. So please look elsewhere.

Thanks,

John

Route Collectors · Post by **Route Collectors** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:40 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
quote:Originally posted by Route C:
Greg...... give us back the Marriot!!!!

Although this years venue was a big step up from our draft facility in Schaumburg last year....I still like our original location at the Oakbrook Marriot best.

It was great drafting at the same location we were staying in. There was no daily parking fee ($18)...no $7 bowls of cereal and there was a Starbucks in the lobby.

The Marriot had a great lobby where guys could meet up to hang out. They have a nice open bar area...good reasonably priced restraunt and best of all it took all of 5 minutes to get from your room to the draft room.

Any chance we can go back there next year? Jeff, the Oakbrook Marriott had a wedding booked a year in advance as they were the first hotel I contacted last year. Same for March as I wanted to go there for baseball as well. We would definitely prefer hosting the Chicago event at a hotel rather than a convention center and to hold it away from Downtown Chicago (where parking can be $60 a day). We have no commitments for 2010 in any city right now for the NFFC, but we will begin looking right away. In fact, I'm staying in Las Vegas this week primarily to meet with hotels and get the ball rolling on 2010 right away. I'll make a call to the Oakbrook Marriott immediately when I get back.

Fanball has some ideas on what they want from the hotels in 2010, so stay tuned. Upgrades are on the way. [/QUOTE]Thanks Greg. As always I know you're doing everything in your power to provide us with the best. It's obviously harder on you to keep finding a new place to headquarter our drafts every year so lets hope for no weddings in Chicago on draft weekend 2010.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:08 am

Jeff, I can promise you that I will work hard in finding the right location in Chicago. I just heard that the Convention Center didn't even have another event going in their big center, which is unheard of. That, of course, made the food court closed and even the surrounding hotels had restaurants and bars closed. Unreal. How bad is the economy when the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago doesn't even have a big event there on Labor Day weekend? Amazing.

My goal going forward in Chicago is to stay away from the convention ballrooms if possible. I think it's time to get into the hotels with surrounding restaurants, etc. The Rosemont Convention Center used to provide that and we had to live with the expensive parking, but it's time for a change. I'm moving it to a hotel with closer surroundings for all. I had always hoped that Chicago would expand to where we'd need 15,000 square feet, but the reality is that we can do this event with 10,000 square feet now and that's what we'll shoot for.

Look for more details in the coming months, but I hear ya loud and clear and I'm on it. Thanks.

Admiral · Post by **Admiral** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:31 am

I too think that the Marriott was the best.