Chicago 2024 Host Committee

What Chicago 2024 Host Committee does

The Chicago 2024 Host Committee, legally organized as Development Now for Chicago, is a non-profit civic entity established in 2024 to serve as the official local host organization for the Democratic National Convention held August 19-22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The committee operates in direct partnership with the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), functioning as the local gateway for vendor and venue participation in convention logistics, procurement, and ancillary events.

The committee's operational platform consists of four core web-based products: a 5-step Vendor Interest Form for SMB intake, a searchable Vendor Directory holding 3,292+ Illinois vendors (2,631 in Chicago) with diversity/ownership and union filters, a Venue Directory of 500+ Chicago venues (542 venue listings, 332 restaurants & bars) with capacity, ADA, and location filters, and an RFP System distributing formal procurement documents for credentialing, transportation, video production, and communications access. Underlying technology is commodity: WordPress hosting, Wistia video, and Google Maps integration — no proprietary platform or AI/ML components.

Funding flows through political committee mechanisms and DNCC partnership, not commercial sales or pricing. Headcount is 11-50 employees supporting a single-event mission; the organization does not charge vendors or venues for directory inclusion, and no recurring revenue model exists beyond the convention window.

Name

Chicago 2024 Host Committee

Legal name

Development Now for Chicago

Website

https://chicago2024.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago 2024 Host Committee is the official non-profit local host organization for the August 19-22, 2024 Democratic National Convention, partnering with the DNCC to coordinate Chicago-area vendor engagement, venue sourcing, and RFP procurement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Convention Event Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue Sourcing & Contract Negotiation Specialists (THAHACAH), Corporate Meeting & Conference Planning (Internal/External) (THAHACAB)

Keywords

• Political convention hosting
• Vendor directory services
• Event venue sourcing
• Convention logistics coordination
• RFP distribution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Convention Host Committee Operations: The organization operates as a political convention host committee, funded through political committee mechanisms and partnerships with the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) to coordinate the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Chicago 2024 Host Committee (legally Development Now for Chicago) organizes and coordinates the 2024 Democratic National Convention held August 19-22, 2024 in Chicago. It operates as the local civic entity partnering with the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) to recruit local vendors, manage RFP processes, source event venues, and coordinate community and volunteer engagement for the convention. The committee runs an online Vendor Directory, Vendor Interest Form, Venue Directory, and RFP system to connect local Chicago and Illinois businesses with convention procurement needs.

Product overview

The Chicago 2024 Host Committee operates a platform for the Democratic National Convention (August 19-22, 2024) that connects local vendors and venues with convention-related procurement needs. The core offering consists of the Vendor Directory (a searchable database of diverse local businesses), the Vendor Interest Form (for businesses to register), an RFP System for convention contracts (Credential Platform, Printing, Design, Transportation), and a Venue Directory for event space sourcing. These services are designed to showcase Chicago's diverse vendor ecosystem and ensure inclusive economic opportunity from the convention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 vendors registered in directory with diverse ownership characteristics including MBE-certified, women-owned, LGBTQ+-owned, veteran-owned, and disability-owned businesses.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2024The DNCC is the national organizing body for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. The Chicago 2024 Host Committee works in partnership with DNCC to coordinate local vendor engagement, venue access, and convention logistics in Chicago. The Host Committee serves as the local entity facilitating DNCC's contracting and vendor needs for the August 19-22, 2024 convention.
• Development Now for ChicagocoreOthersDevelopment Now for Chicago is the legal entity name of the Chicago 2024 Host Committee. This organization is the official host committee responsible for organizing the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, operating the vendor directory, venue coordination, and community engagement programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): Industry association for convention and meeting professionals, setting standards and providing education for association and corporate conference organizers. Comparable as the broader professional body whose best-practice frameworks the Host Committee is implicitly following.

Direct peers

• Charlotte 2012 DNC Host Committee: Host committee for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, an earlier DNCC-aligned organizing committee with the same association-conference mandate and post-event dissolution profile.
• Milwaukee 2024 Host Committee: The official Republican counterpart host committee for the 2024 Republican National Convention, operating the same year with the same single-event lifecycle, DNCC-equivalent partnership with the RNC, and parallel vendor/venue directory build-out. Structurally the closest comparable entity.
• LA 2028 Olympic Organizing Committee: Organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. Comparable as a single-purpose, time-boxed mega-event organizing entity coordinating local vendor/venue logistics for a national and international audience.
• Cleveland 2016 Host Committee: Republican counterpart host committee for the 2016 Republican National Convention. Comparable in scope, lifecycle, and single-event nature, making it a useful peer for benchmarking one-time organizing committee outcomes.
• Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee: Host committee for the 2016 Democratic National Convention, with an identical mandate to organize vendor engagement, venue sourcing, and local logistics for the DNCC. Provides the closest historical precedent for execution model and wind-down profile.

Broad incumbents

• Freeman: One of the largest global event experiences and exhibition services companies, providing audiovisual, logistics, and vendor orchestration for conventions and trade shows. Comparable as a broad incumbent that handles many of the same workstreams the Host Committee is contracting out via RFP.
• Encore Global: Global event technology and production services provider (formerly PSAV), delivering audiovisual, staging, and venue technology for conventions and conferences. Comparable as a broad incumbent with established convention-industry vendor relationships.

Regional players

• Choose Chicago: The official Chicago convention and visitors bureau, which already aggregates Chicago venue and vendor information for meeting planners. A natural destination for any post-event transition of the Host Committee's directory assets.
• C3 Presents: Chicago-headquartered live-event producer behind Lollapalooza and other major festivals. Operates in the same geography with overlapping vendor/venue sourcing needs but as a recurring commercial producer rather than a one-time civic committee.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/2024Chicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-2024-host-committee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago 2024 Host Committee