The blistering summer days and crisp autumn months in the Windy City are filled with excitement that ripples from various unique festivals. Each of the top ten Chicago festivals is never short of bustling crowds. Chicagoans from all parts of the city, both near and far, make their way to the many local festivals to participate in the colorful presentations of food, fun and activity. They also make great corporate events for team-building and socializing!

Top 10 Chicago Festivals

1. Taste of Chicago

The Taste of Chicago festival is a smorgasbord of local flavors. Entry is free, but to sample various cuisines, participants pay with purchased tickets. Chicago is best known for its deep-dish pizza, and Taste of Chicago attendees get to dive deep into this authentic fare plus much more.

Taste of Chicago has ballooned from a small, one-day festival back in 1980 to the present-day fun-filled event. Aside from food, the festival holds cooking demonstrations for those interested in what goes into Chicago’s various ethnic cuisines. Music concerts round out the day at this spectacular event.

2. Lollapalooza

Chicagoland’s music festival Lollapalooza attracts a worldwide audience. Taking place in Chicago’s Grant Park, Lollapalooza is a mecca for music lovers. Over 170 bands play at the festival. Headliners, like Lady Gaga, Death Cab for Cutie, and Ariana Grande, show off their talents on any one of the eight stages.

Tickets, from one-day to four-day, give attendees access to the enlivening experience. While music takes center stage, Lollapalooza guests are entitled to relish the city’s favorite restaurant foods. VIP passes offer breathtaking views of the skyline and a prime space away from the boisterous crowds.

3. Chicago Gourmet

Bon Appetit presents the grand food festival known to Chicagoans as Chicago Gourmet. Millennium Park gets to host this classy event. Celebrity chefs whip up fine cuisines, while answering audience questions and even taking selfies. Sommeliers and mixologists reveal their secrets about wines and cocktails.

Get full access to renowned chefs, like Rick Bayless and Jose Garces. Main stage cooking demos from chefs include Eat, Plate, Love and Pulp Fiction: Citrus & Ceviches. The culinary stage showcases cooking demos from audience favorites, like Laura Cheng and Johnny Andres.

4. Chicago Ginza Holiday Festival

Although smaller, the Japanese cultural event Chicago Ginza Holiday Festival is able to draw crowds. Wide-ranging entertainment keeps audiences at the edge of their seats. Minyo Japanese Folk Dance, Taiko Drumming and Judo demonstrations are just a sample of events that took place in 2019.

5. Chicago Kids and Kites Festival

Held on the grasses of Lincoln Park, the Chicago Kids and Kites Festival is a free family friendly event. Kites featuring brilliant colors soar in the city’s afternoon skies. Children have the opportunity to build their own kites or purchase and fly magnificent kites at the event itself.

The Windjammers Professional Kite Team demonstrates how kite flying is done. Included in their skills are synchronized flying techniques using uniquely shaped, oversized kites. As the sky is covered with stunning kites, the ground-level buzzes with balloon artists and circus arts.

6. Chicago World Music Festival

The city’s Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for this gem: the Chicago World Music Festival. Showcasing the world’s diverse musical cultures, music performances are scattered around Chicago. Events may be held in museums, parks, and cultural clubs with either free or low-cost admission.

7. Chicago Pride Fest

The LGBTQ community gets a festive weekend in the city with the Chicago Pride Fest. The two-day festival attracts up to 100,000 attendees. Diversity and equality are celebrated through art and song from popular artists, arts and crafts vendors, drag shows and the famous Chicago Pride Parade.

8. Chicago’s Oktoberfest

Three spectacular autumn days are set aside to celebrate the colorful sides of Bavarian food and drink. Attendees dig into hot brats and imbibe craft beers over the course of one weekend. Chicago’s Oktoberfest is one of the city’s most popular festivals come fall.

Also in Chicago is Revolution Oktoberfest, held in the city’s Logan Square neighborhood. Revolution Oktoberfest delivers the finest in craft beers. The festival has a philanthropic bent, with proceeds going to Friends of Goethe School. Eat, drink and be merry at multiple Oktoberfest events around Chicago.

9. Edgewater Arts Festival

Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood is one of the city’s most artistic. New and experienced artists showcase their latest artwork under crimson autumn leaves. The Edgewater Arts Festival offers residents and visitors much to talk about with its displays of bold art as well as theater and music.

10. BeerHoptacular

Held in a helicopter hanger, the Beer Hoptacular festival is one to write home about. In one afternoon, attendees are surrounded by the most expansive selections of craft beers. Over 150 brews are available to sample. Homebrew competitions are held to liven up the already energized festival.

Chicagoans are out and about come summer and autumn. With an array of festivals to keep them entertained, residents in the Windy City keep their schedules full. Celebrations come and go, but one event that remains especially significant to area businesses is an upcoming business relocation.

Chicago Corporate Relocation

Sure to be celebrated once complete, a corporate relocation can be stressful to start. Chicago Office Movers takes the hassle out of moving day. With a dedicated crew of licensed and background-checked movers, our moving company is positioned to shift your office property quickly and affordably.

Chicago Office Movers is equipped with the moving gear to safely move your business long distance, locally, or internationally. Our moving trucks are also climate-controlled to safeguard sensitive equipment. With tracking available, customers have the ability to track the movement of their office possessions.

Business owners with an upcoming office relocation have immediate support from Chicago Office Movers’ specialists, who are ready to assist with planning. With a free estimate, ample support and reasonable prices, business managers have every reason to turn to Chicagoland’s most reputable and reliable commercial mover, Chicago Office Movers.

Contact Us

Looking for a quote on your next commercial move? Give us a call at (312) 244-2246 or fill out a contact form and we will get back to you shortly. We look forward to working with you!

The upcoming office relocation invokes a flurry of anticipation as well stresses. One of the hassles is deciding whether or not to discard the existing office furniture and replace them with pristine ones to better suit the brand-new digs.

Reasons abound for selling off the old furniture in favor of the new:

1. Size

Businesses shift gears when their company downsizes or expands. Your future office space will accommodate the changes in business structure. For example, when companies expand, business owners are likely to invest in extra square feet, meaning the building will be larger.

Relocating to Smaller Office

When your business merges with another company or is forced to lower costs in order to stay afloat, downsizing is the solution to remaining profitable. As a consequence, relocating to a smaller office will be in the business’ foreseeable future.

In either scenario, business owners will want furniture that fits into their new workspace. Properly sized desks, chairs and cabinets add to, rather than detract from, the ambiance of the future setting. Old furniture may be either too big or exceedingly small to suit the new floorplan.

Relocating to Larger Office

Office staff may feel awkward working in a huge room fitted with tiny desks. The atmosphere hardly sits right. On the other hand, lugging the enormous desk and chairs from the previous office and stuffing them into the new, cramped room will be equally uncomfortable for employees to work in.

The solution is to invest in brand new office furniture, ones that ideally fit the new floorplan. What results are comfortable employees who can focus on their tasks, rather than letting their minds wander in either the vastness of the office space or the squeezed, snug room they inhabit.

2. Aesthetic

Akin to producing a pleasing workspace is tending to aesthetic. The parrot-green chairs from the 1960s may have served the company well for decades but introducing these outdated furniture items into a contemporary space with clean lines and neutral colors fails to incorporate style.

BICOM Communications, for example, renovated its office spaces to include contemporary wood paneling and faux grass. Imagine bringing in heavy, antique desks and chairs. You can see how the resulting mood would undermine the designer’s original vision of creating a space that inspires creativity and collaboration.

Or, take a cue from Google Japan. The company renovated its workspace to feature bold wall colors and splashy patterns. Bringing in dated furniture from a prior space would hardly sit ideally in this new one. Colors would clash, making moot the point to create a fun, upbeat office environment.

Rather than repaint the new office walls to suit old furniture, the more sensible approach is to exchange the existing furniture for items that meet the aesthetic requirements of the new setting. Even natural lighting, or the lack thereof, can alter the look of the furniture and the overall space.

3. Condition

Practicality has its place during a relocation. Old furniture may be so worn that it begs for an update. When shifting to a new building, seize this prime opportunity to invest in new furniture. Your mint desks and chairs will last far longer than the tired ones from years prior.

Plus, what employees would want to put forth their best effort while sitting in ripped chairs, working from dented, scratched desks and pulling paperwork from file cabinets that stick? Your staff will experience a boost in happiness and productivity from a simple, timely furniture update.

4. Surplus

An office move inspires change and evaluation. When considering the layout of your new office space, factor in what is necessary and what is not. Over time, office buildings can accumulate a medley of excess furniture, including broken chairs that have yet to see the insides of a trash bin.

Or, during the process, you discover your staff requires only one cabinet instead of four. Relocating prompts business owners to re-evaluate. You are forced to toss the surplus and nonfunctional. Shifting gears provides excellent reasons to purchase furniture that is more relevant to the new workspace.

5. Convenience

Matters of convenience can spark change. Consider that wrapping the shaky cabinet with loose hinges in order to prepare for moving day will cost business owners more in time and money than investing in a new, functional one. Avoid the hassle and sell the old goods.

Selling used office furniture can provide business owners with some cash, especially if the furniture is desirable and in high demand. However, companies are rarely in the know when it comes to understanding what items are in demand and at what times. Demand is extremely unpredictable.

If 150 office chairs need to be sold and there is no demand or interest from third-party companies, some services will provide the labor and time to remove these goods from your workplace. You may feel satisfied getting rid of the old furniture, even if there is no monetary payout.

Work with a Commercial Mover

When a corporate move is on the horizon, Chicago Office Movers has you covered. Our experienced team of union, commercial movers have successfully relocated common office equipment, like heavy electronics, HVAC equipment, assembly lines, libraries and various standard furniture items.

As dedicated, professional office movers, the team at Chicago Office Movers does not stop with simply shifting your office property to a new building. We will also help you set up your new furniture and equipment in the new space. Plus, our dependable storage solutions are ideal when your new office is not yet ready to be moved into.

Chicago Office Movers reliably serves the Windy City. We’ve helped our customers move from the city, into Chicago and within the metropolitan area. No matter how large or small your business happens to be, Chicago Office Movers is prepared with the skilled manpower and equipment to safely and efficiently relocate your business.

Contact Us

A free estimate is available at 312-244-2246 for business owners who are ready to plan their upcoming office move.

Fort Myers, FL is America’s fastest growing city, according to Thrillist. Big surprise, right? This was based on the reports from WalletHub, measuring 515 cities in the U.S. based on size and population.

In sum, the factors measured from these reports include population and economic growth. In this case, Fort Myers, FL took first place, followed by Midland, TX.

After analyzing the past 7 years of data, WalletHub concluded the study with a list based on a total of 15 different criteria. In addition to population growth, growth of median household incomes, housing prices, number of startups, and businesses moving to the area were measured. Declines were also taken into account, such as poverty rates and unemployment.

Why Fort Myers, FL?

Fort Myers, FL wasn’t always at the top of the list, according to the reports; it didn’t reach the top of the list until 2018. In 2017, the Mayor of Fort Myers, Randy Henderson, told the local News-Press the reason for the boom in economic growth was because of the efforts to attract private investment, build affordable housing for Millennials and young professionals, and update the city’s infrastructure.

Growth in Nearby Cities

Also experiencing high growth is Miami and Lehigh Acres (also on the list of top 15). It’s quite possible that the area in general is experiencing growth, due to the number of families and businesses moving to the same region.

Growth in Other States

What the cities on the list share in common is that many are in the same state. So it may be safe to say that not only cities are growing, but the states too.

Check out the top 20 list of America’s fastest growing cities:

1. Midland, TX
2. Pearland, TX
3. Bend, OR
4. McKinney, TX
5. College Station, TX
6. Lehigh Acres, FL
7. Mount Pleasant, SC
8. Enterprise, NV
9. Irvine, CA
10. Milpitas, CA
11. Pleasanton, CA
12. Murfreesboro, TN
13. Meridian, ID
14. Redwood City, CA
15. Frisco, TX
16. Round Rock, TX
17. Austin, TX
18. Miami, FL
19. Saint George, UT

What to Conclude About these Cities

So what is actually attracting people and businesses to these cities? The weather? For some, it’s true but most commonly, it’s the job opportunities and affordability of housing. While cities like Chicago and Los Angeles continue to become more expensive with taxes and costs of living, others are booming as people flock to the south for an easier, more enjoyable lifestyle.

Looking to Move Your Business?

If you’re looking for a change, always be sure to do your home homework and research all options before moving. Just because it’s growing and there are many opportunities, doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for your company; what may be right for every other industry may not be for yours.

One of the best ways to research cities to move your business is to research the economic growth as well as any vendors in the area, culture of the city, local leasing or investment rates, and target market. Surely there’s no place for a snow plow company in Fort Myers, FL.

Contact Chicago Office Movers

After deciding where you want to relocate your business, rely on the professional services of Chicago Office Movers, based in the Chicagoland area. When working with our experts, you can expect complete care while handling your assets. We have moved everything from desks to machinery to even libraries.

Chicago Office Movers also provides a number of specialty services, including storage, packing, paperwork storage, crating, furniture assembly, office decommissioning, server room moving, and more. Each of our movers is also experienced, trained, background-checked, and insured for your peace of mind.

Get a Free Estimate

To get a free estimate on your next business move, contact Chicago Office Movers at (312) 244-2246.

Businesses run on money, making a price point the single most significant decision-maker when it comes to buying or leasing a commercial building. While the financial health of a company is chief, a variety of accompanying factors also come into play. The following key points weigh heavily in a business’ choice to either lease or buy a commercial property.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before deciding to rent or buy a commercial property.

How long is the business expected to remain in a specific location?

When deliberating to buy or lease, business owners should consider the length of time the business will remain in that location. Buying the property is optimal when a business plans to stay put for seven years or more. Expecting to inhabit a space for less than seven years warrants leasing.

For example, a technology startup that expects to occupy a property for 15 years will pay 80 percent more to lease the building during that duration rather than buy. However, the same startup that plans to relocate in seven years will pay far less to lease during those few years.

What is the business’ growth potential?

Companies that are expected to experience rapid growth ideally will consider leasing a commercial property. The physical space required to accommodate growth will simply increase when businesses prosper, making a new building in the future foreseeable. In such cases, leasing is optimal.

Another benefit of leasing is the flexibility. Since lease terms usually fall between three and ten years, a company expecting to expand its size within this short span of time has no barriers when it comes to relocating to a larger, more suitable property.

On the other hand, businesses that have already seen explosive growth and experience stability in their market sphere will find security in an existing property, making buying a commercial space more practical. Buying commercial property is appealing, since mortgages are more stable than leases.

Can a business afford the upfront costs?

Leasing a commercial building requires hefty upfront costs, such as attorney fees, a substantial security deposit, and the pre-lease inspection. Upfront costs are high in comparison to buying a commercial space. In fact, these initial costs can total one-sixth of the costs of buying real estate.

Buying a commercial property has equally high upfront costs, including the down payment (up to 40 percent), closing costs, repairs, and appraisal fees. Many business owners do not have the significant capital required to cover these initial costs, which can be better applied toward reinvesting in their business.

How do business owners view building maintenance?

Leasing a commercial property comes with less maintenance headaches. The landlord manages all repairs, plumbing, and HVAC maintenance and any issues related to building upkeep. When leasing, business owners can focus on growing their business rather than be distracted by property problems.

The downside to leasing and avoiding maintenance responsibilities is that this perk comes with a monetary price. The rent will include the expenses related to repairs. The leasing manager includes these operating fees as outlined in the Common Area Maintenance expenses.

Buying a property means the owner is responsible for all repairs. Running a business leaves little time to handle maintenance, making hiring a property management company a necessity. Bringing on board a facilities services team is an added expense that digs deep into profits.

How critical to the business is rent control?

Along with the flexibility of renting comes the possibility of the landlord negotiating an increase in the monthly rent. When leasing, tenants are subject to the rent caprices of the landlord, forcing businesses that are unable to pay the rise in rent to either downsize or relocate.

Buying a commercial property offers price stability and control. Mortgage payments are fixed, and property owners have the benefit of growing equity in their building. In the long term, businesses have an opportunity to sell their property or refinance, bringing in substantial equity for the company.

Are renovations beneficial in the long run?

When a tenant makes improvements, like wall finishes or new carpeting, these enhancements directly benefit the landlord in the long run. As a tenant, the business owner temporarily benefits; but, when it is time to relocate, these improvements cannot be shifted to the new office space.

Renovations stay put when a business owns the property and do not have to be redone with every relocation. As an added benefit, any upgrades made to the commercial space only increases its value when it sells, dramatically spiking the financial returns on the sale of the property. 

How important is the opportunity to rent out space?

Renting extra space to various tenants is a financial bonus of owning a building. With the extra monthly cash flow comes the burden of being responsible for managing tenants. Hiring a property management company is a solution, but it comes with a price tag that eats into rental income profits.

When deciding to rent or buy a commercial space, the factors that will influence your decision are many. Despite the dizzying array of buying versus renting pros and cons, one clear advantage to your bottom line is hiring Chicago Office Movers for your upcoming office relocation.

Work with Chicago Office Movers

Chicago Office Movers is a locally based company with a crew of trained, unionized and licensed movers. A reputable commercial mover, Chicago Office Movers are experienced in moving all types of office equipment, including heavy machinery, lab equipment, and the standard office furniture and computers. Included in its comprehensive services are office renovation and remodeling.

A feature that distinguishes Chicago Office Movers from its competitors is the company’s commitment to the environment. The movers utilize only recycled packaging and have made strides in reducing waste and energy consumption.

Whether your business is a small startup or a large corporation, Chicago Office Movers brings the right experience to fulfill your vision of successfully moving your company across the country or just down the street.

Get a Free Estimate

Streamline your company move with Chicago Office Movers. A free estimate is available to jumpstart your relocation efforts. Give us a call at 312-244-2246 to get started!

When business leaders are motivated by the familiar maxim, “The grass is greener on the other side,” they may just literally pick up and relocate to access more nourishing pastures. Companies shift locations for numerous reasons.

Here are the top reasons why companies move:

1. Access to the Best Talent

A company makes great strides when employees make quality contributions to services and products. In order to access talent with specialized skills, companies are willing to relocate. No longer are potential workers moving to where the jobs are. Companies now move to actively seek out top talent.

For example, a tech startup may relocate to San Francisco, a flourishing tech hub, to attract workers skilled in technology. Or, a business operating in the finance sector may shift to New York City, a key player in the financial market, to appeal to the right candidates.

Plus, businesses are willing to relocate to areas near top universities. The reason is clear: Leading companies benefit from continual access to highly qualified recent graduates, who have the skills to make a meaningful dent in the company’s output.

General Electric, for example, shifted its headquarters to Boston, Massachusetts from Fairfield, Connecticut. As a company with a 124-year history, keeping up with advancements requires access to educated workforces and agile tech companies. The relocation made the leaders’ goals possible.

2. Offer Quality of Life

Youthful, creative talent, like Millennials, are attracted to the hustle and bustle of city life. Cities that stay awake 18 to 24 hours a day are peppered with high-end dining options, luxury apartments, streams of entertainment venues and the convenience of public transportation.

Given that happy employees are more productive, companies are relocating their headquarters to where these young, educated, and skilled workers want to live, work, and play. Growing cities, like Denver, Seattle, and Boston, offer lifestyles that entice youthful workforces, making business leaders consider relocation a viable option to stay competitive.

3. Updated Facilities

Expanding companies may outgrow their existing facility, prompting the need to move to a more updated space. Rather than invest in the scarce time and capital necessary to build a brand-new facility, businesses make the practical decision to relocate.

A new office space may feature co-working environments to encourage collaboration, technology resource areas, plenty of glass, moss walls and generous amounts of desk space. Employees also experience rejuvenation when the company relocates. The boost in morale prompts workers to innovate.

4. Improve the Brand

Customers and investors make critical, initial judgments about a brand based on the company’s office. Business leaders jump at the chance to improve the message they want to convey to outsiders. Relocating gives companies an opportunity to enhance their brand’s personality.

Whether a company’s brand is youthful and fun or traditional can be easily inferred from a visit to the office. Business leaders know their brand’s tone can be transformed by shifting to a thriving city or moving to a contemporary office space.

Returning to the example of General Electric’s recent relocation, the traditional company aimed to keep up with society’s progress rather than be seen as an antiquated business. Their move to a major city helped shape their vision for a business that is able to cater to the current needs of its customers.

Similarly, ConAgra relocated its headquarters to Chicago to rebuild its brand. The decision to move was also partially prompted with the goal of attracting the type of new talent that would, in turn, help shape and reinvigorate the company’s existing brand.

The companies who actively seek to re-establish their brands through relocation efforts show customers and business partners that they are invested in staying current and are able to meet the current demands of the marketplace. Rather than stagnate, businesses aim to shine in evolving times.

5. Decrease Operating Expenses

The cost of running a business is extremely high. Hefty recurring expenses include commercial lease costs (which are based on the building’s square footage), high taxes ,and even environmental regulations. Companies have a reason to move when overhead costs skyrocket.

Marriott International’s headquarters, for example, is currently at nearly a million square feet. With the company’s lease expiring in 2022, the company’s CEO is considering relocating for many reasons, among which are to access a higher quality talent pool.

Companies seek to shift to a location where the roads are passable, public services, are ample and the financial stability of local and state communities is high. Leaders choose areas where utility services are dependable and will not interrupt day-to-day business.

Indiana, for instance, incentivizes businesses to move to the state with a credit that reduces corporate income tax liability. Similarly, Kentucky offers businesses an income tax credit. Louisiana, to facilitate relocations, gives companies a rebate that offsets relocation costs up to 25 percent.

With all the advantages surrounding business relocations, shifting a company is a challenge. When business leaders know they have professional office moving help, like from Chicago Office Movers, relocating becomes less of a hassle and more of an event to anticipate.

Choose a Commercial Moving Company

The commercial movers at Chicago Office Movers are licensed, background checked and unionized to ensure maximum peace of mind for all business clients. All movers are trained to carefully handle all office properties. Included in our moving services are planning, packing and unpacking.

Chicago Office Movers has earned a stellar reputation among its many clients, which include Northwestern University and Alcatel Lucent, among many other major institutions and companies. Whether your office is small or large, Chicago Office Movers is prepared to offer top-notch service.

We are available to move businesses locally, long distance or internationally. Chicago Office Movers will get business owners started with planning their corporate relocation and provide execution of the moving plan. A free estimate is available to businesses ready to embark on their new venture.

Get a Free Estimate

To request a free estimate with our corporate movers, contact Chicago Office Movers at 312-244-2246.