2023 EDA University Center Showcase

September 12-13, 2023  |  Big Ten Conference Center  |  5440 Park Place, Rosemont, Illinois  60018  |  (847-671-4444)
Hosted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign EDA University Center
Event Contacts: Rebecca Motley (motley1@illinois.edu) and Cheri Soliday (csoliday@illinois.edu).

Registration Information

Showcase Registration Fee: $150.00 per person

Includes: breakfast, lunch, and snacks at Showcase sessions on September 12 & 13.

LAST DAY TO REGISTER: 9/6/2023.

Cancellation Deadline: August 25 by end of day. Cancellations after this date may not be eligible for a full or partial refund.

Important Dates

8/25/2023: Last day to ensure Block Rate at Aloft Chicago O’Hare.

8/25/2023: Registration Cancellation Deadline.

9/06/2023: Last Day to Register for Showcase and Tour.

9/11/2023: Pre-Event Innovation District Tour 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Meet at Aloft Chicago O’Hare to Board Bus.

9/12/2023: Day 1 of Showcase Sessions. 8:15 AM to 4:15 PM.
Reception and Networking: 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

9/13/2023: Day 2 of Showcase Sessions. 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Tour

Optional Event. Registration is FREE and is limited to 50 seats on the bus.* 

September 11  |  Aloft Chicago O’Hare  |  Arrive by 11AM

Registered participants will meet at Aloft Chicago O’Hare to board the charter bus at 11AM. We anticipate returning to Aloft around 6:30PM. Lunch will be provided. The tour may also involve a light reception at the final destination.

Please Register for Tour no later than September 6.
Space permitting on the bus, we may be able to accommodate late adds the morning of the tour. Show up at Aloft no later than 10:40 AM. 

*Those who are local to Chicago can choose an option to meet us at the first tour stop and travel on the bus for the remainder of the tour. The bus will return you to the first tour stop. We can also accommodate local caravans that want to follow the bus throughout the tour. Indicate your preference during registration.

Tour Agenda: Tour participants will visit three leading Chicago locations for entrepreneurship and community development. 

  • We will begin by visiting The Hatchery where we will learn more about their food & beverage 67,000 SF incubator, tour the facility, and enjoy lunch together. The Hatchery’s commercial kitchen facility in East Garfield Park is home to over 100 local food and beverage startups. The project includes 56 private, rentable kitchens (26 small and 30 mid-sized) and a variety of shared spaces, including a shared kitchen, dry and cold storage, warehousing facilities, and shared office space.
  • Then we will visit Polsky Exchange in Hyde Park which is operated by University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and provides incubator and entrepreneurship services to surrounding neighborhoods. The Polsky Exchange is a 34,000-square-foot startup incubator featuring work and meeting spaces, a Fabrication Lab for prototyping physical products, and a full calendar of programming and workshops designed to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their ventures. The Polsky Center has 100+ mentors and home to a new SBDC. Since its launch in 2015, the Polsky Exchange has been home to 446 community-owned businesses, and 305 students have provided technical assistance to local businesses while learning about the operations and realities of owning a business.
  • Next, we are excited to have pre-opening tour of mHUB’s brand new facility located in Chicago’s Kinzie Industrial Corridor on the city’s Near West Side. mHUB, an Innovation Center for All Things HardTech, offers a hyper-resourced environment that creates conditions for physical product innovation to thrive. mHUB is moving its operations to expand into $50M Innovation and Commercialization Center in a historic 80,000 SF facility in Chicago Near West Side with unparalleled resources and venture, making mHUB the largest independent manufacturing center in U.S. Launched in 2017, mHUB has supported over 500+ startups and 200 manufacturers from all over the world that have created 5,000+ jobs and generated over $2.6B of economic activity.

Showcase Hotel Block

Aloft Chicago O’Hare | 847-671-4444
9700 Balmoral Ave, Rosemont, IL 60018
Link to Hotel Website (see below for link to block/rate)

Rate: $179/night + taxes. Includes complimentary shuttle from/to O’Hare Int’l Airport, complimentary WiFi in guestroom, and discounted on-site parking fee for hotel guests ($15/day per vehicle; regularly $23/day).

Dates:  9/10/2023 thru 9/15/2023

Make sure to adjust dates before clicking Check Availability.

Room block and rate has been extended through 8/25/2023. Make sure to adjust dates before clicking Check Availability. If the block is full or if the link is no longer active, Aloft will try to accommodate the rate (pending inventory). Call them directly at (847-671-4444 Ext. 2 OR 847-671-2064).

We look forward
to seeing you!

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