Fall in Chicago belongs to McCormick Place. Between PACK EXPO International (Oct. 18–21), SC26 (Nov. 15–20), and RSNA (Nov. 29–Dec. 3), thousands of exhibitors are going to spend a long stretch of 2026 walking our lakefront convention center — and a lot of them will barely see the city surrounding it.

That's a shame, because Chicago is one of the best convention cities in the country to actually get out into between sessions. We're based here year-round, we build exhibits for all three of these shows, and we get asked constantly by out-of-town clients what to do once the booth is built and the floor closes for the night. Here's our honest, local answer.

Get outside with a free, local guide

If you only do one non-work thing during your trip, sign up for a Chicago Greeter walk. It's a free, volunteer-led tour matched to your interests — architecture, food, neighborhoods, public art, whatever you're into — and it's one of the best ways to see a side of the city you won't find from a cab window between McCormick Place and your hotel. Same-day options exist too if your schedule doesn't allow advance planning.

For the RSNA crowd (Nov. 29 – Dec. 3)

RSNA, the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting, is radiology's biggest yearly gathering — a full week of scientific sessions, education programs, and a packed technical exhibit hall covering the latest imaging equipment, AI tools, and diagnostic technology. Full details, registration, and the exhibitor schedule are on the RSNA Annual Meeting site.

You'll be here right as the city turns on its holiday lights, which makes this an easy trip to enjoy beyond the exhibit hall. Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile is fully decorated by late November, the German Christkindlmarket runs downtown through the show, and the ice rink at Millennium Park is worth twenty minutes even if you don't skate. If you need a break from radiology, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum are both a short ride from McCormick Place and easy to fit into a half day.

For the PACK EXPO crowd (Oct. 18–21)

PACK EXPO International is the largest packaging and processing trade show in North America, held every two years at McCormick Place and drawing thousands of exhibitors across dozens of industries — from food and beverage to pharmaceutical and industrial packaging. Show details, registration, and exhibitor resources are on the PACK EXPO International site.

Mid-October is Chicago at its best — cool enough for a real walk, warm enough to actually enjoy it. Take the Chicago Architecture Center's river cruise if you only have an hour; it's the single best introduction to the skyline you'll build all week at McCormick Place. If you've got an evening free, the West Loop's restaurant row is a short cab ride and covers everything from casual to serious tasting menus. October also means Chicago is deep into fall — Millennium Park and the Lakefront Trail are worth the walk if the weather holds.

For the SC26 crowd (Nov. 15–20)

SC26 is the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis, running under the theme “HPC Unites.” It's the premier annual event for the global HPC community, combining a technical program of papers, tutorials, and workshops with an exhibit hall spanning industry, academic, and government research groups, plus SCinet, the show's own ultra-high-speed temporary network. Full program and exhibitor details are on the SC26 conference site.

You're in town during a good stretch for museums and low-key exploring, before the holiday crowds hit. The Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park is worth the trip for a technical crowd, and Hyde Park itself has a genuinely different architectural character than downtown, including work tied to the University of Chicago campus. If your team wants a low-effort evening near the hotel, Chinatown is a straightforward ride from McCormick Place and consistently good.

A few things that work no matter which show you're at

• Millennium Park, home to Cloud Gate (better known as 'the Bean'), is walkable from most downtown hotels and worth a visit any time of year
• The Chicago Riverwalk is a quiet, easy stretch to clear your head between meetings
• Deep-dish is a fine novelty, but ask a local where to get an actual Chicago-style hot dog — it's the more interesting food story
• Public transit (the 'L') is genuinely the fastest way to get around downtown once you know one or two lines

While you're planning the trip, let's plan the booth

We mention all of this because we like our city, but we'd be missing an obvious point if we didn't say it plainly: we build trade show exhibits for a living, based right here in Chicago, and McCormick Place is essentially our home court. Whether you're headed to RSNA, PACK EXPO International, or SC26, being local means shorter load-in times, no cross-country freight delays, and a team who knows the venue's rules and quirks better than an out-of-town exhibit house ever will.

If you're still finalizing your booth for any of these shows, get in touch — we'd rather help you build something that turns heads on the floor than just tell you where to get a good hot dog afterward. Though honestly, we're happy to do both.