chicago southland convention & visitors bureau

What chicago southland convention & visitors bureau does

The Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau (operating as Visit Chicago Southland) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit destination marketing organization established in 2001 and headquartered in Matteson, Illinois. It serves as the official DMO for 60 municipalities in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs, marketing the region to leisure travelers, meeting and convention planners, sports event organizers, group tour operators, and social event planners. The organization's core platform is the VisitChicagoSouthland.com website, supplemented by a mobile app (including a Biking & Walking Trails App), an email newsletter, active social media channels, a podcast series launched in 2026, and an annual 84-page Visitors Guide now in its 38th edition. It also operates a dedicated Sales Experts team that supports RFP-driven bookings across the meetings, sports, group tour, and social event segments, and it runs the gamified Passports to the Southland program to drive cross-community visitation.

The underlying technology stack is conventional content and marketing infrastructure — a content-managed website, Constant Contact for email, mobile apps for trail navigation and trip planning, and online RFP forms — rather than a proprietary software platform. The organization holds DMAP accreditation and Illinois Destinations Association certification, and partners with Enjoy Illinois, the America 250 campaign, Forest Preserve Districts of Cook and Will Counties, Governors State University, and dozens of member hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

The business model is nonprofit membership-and-assessment based: revenue derives from membership dues from local tourism-related businesses (hotels, restaurants, attractions), a tourism improvement district (TID) assessment, advertising/sponsorship placements on the website, and public funding sources. Pricing is not applicable to its core visitor-facing operations; the organization does not sell products directly to consumers but rather drives bookings to partner businesses and venues.

Name

chicago southland convention & visitors bureau

Legal name

Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau

Website

https://visitchicagosouthland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Visit Chicago Southland is a 501(c)(6) destination marketing organization that markets 60 south and southwest Chicago suburbs to leisure travelers, meeting planners, sports organizers, and group tour operators via a website, mobile app, podcast, and sales team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

MICE & Event DMCs (Meetings/Incentives/Conferences) (THAKAEAB), Experiential & Cultural Programming (Tours, Activities, CSR/Voluntourism) (THAHADAF), Venue & Special Event Site Sourcing (Unique Venues, Permitting) (THAHADAE)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Convention sales support
• Sports tourism planning
• Group tour coordination
• Regional tourism promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Matteson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tourism Marketing & Membership Dues: The organization is funded through membership dues from local businesses, hotels, attractions, and restaurants, as well as through a dedicated tourism improvement district (TID) assessment. As the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Chicago's south and southwest suburbs, it is primarily financed by local tourism-related business contributions and public funding.
2. Advertising & Sponsorship: The website displays sponsored advertiser content (banner ads) from local businesses such as Slick City Action Park, Old National Bank, Dave & Buster's, and others. These advertising placements generate revenue for the organization.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Chicago's south and southwest suburbs, marketing the Chicago Southland region as a travel, meeting, group tour, sports, and social event destination. It provides free destination planning support, venue sourcing, RFP submission handling, and visitor information through a digital platform, mobile app, visitors guide, podcast, and dedicated sales experts serving 60 communities.

Product overview

Visit Chicago Southland operates as the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Chicago's south and southwest suburbs, functioning as a comprehensive visitor services platform. The organization offers a digital destination portal (Visit Chicago Southland Website) as its core product, supplemented by the annual 2026 Chicago Southland Visitors Guide (38th edition), a mobile application for trip planning and trail navigation, and the 'Where Boring Doesn't Exist' podcast series. Service offerings include Meetings & Conventions Services, Sports Event Services, Group Tours Services, and Social Events Planning, all designed to market the region to visitors and event planners. Additional products include the Biking & Walking Trails App, the Passports to the Southland gamification program, and curated travel itineraries covering heritage tours, outdoor adventures, and culinary experiences across 60 communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Visit Chicago Southland: Primary operating brand name for the destination marketing organization promoting tourism in Chicago's south and southwest suburbs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 consecutive editions of the Visitors Guide published, demonstrating sustained brand reputation and operational continuity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Illinois Destinations Association (IDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chicago Southland CVB holds IDA certification, indicating membership in and endorsement by the state's official destination marketing organization association. The IDA-certified badge appears on the organization's website footer alongside the Destination Marketing Accreditation seal.
• Enjoy IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Enjoy Illinois logo appears on the CVB's website footer, indicating official partnership with the Illinois Tourism Board's statewide marketing initiative. This affiliation provides cross-promotion of Chicago Southland listings on the statewide tourism platform.
• America 250 (IL250)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisit Chicago Southland is an active participant in the America 250 (America's semiquincentennial) campaign celebrating 1776-2026. The CVB's 2026 Visitors Guide prominently features America's 250th anniversary, and the organization has a dedicated landing page at VisitChicagoSouthland.com/America-250. The IL America 250 logo appears on the website footer.
• Local Hotels & Accommodations (60+ Member Properties)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe organization partners with over 60 accommodation properties across the region including full-service hotels, select-service hotels, boutique hotels, and motels. These partners benefit from CVB marketing and reservation links, while the CVB directs visitors to these properties for lodging.
• Local Restaurants & Dining EstablishmentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe CVB promotes hundreds of local restaurants through its dining section, Savor the Southland program, and the Bites & Brews mobile passport program. Restaurants benefit from CVB-driven tourist traffic while contributing to the region's culinary tourism appeal.
• Local Attractions & Entertainment VenuescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with regional attractions including Brookfield Zoo Chicago, major event venues, nature centers, golf courses, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. These partners are featured prominently on the platform and benefit from joint marketing efforts.
• Forest Preserve District of Cook CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Forest Preserve District of Cook County manages significant trail systems and natural areas featured in the CVB's outdoor recreation content. Trail maps and nature center information are cross-promoted, supporting the CVB's outdoor tourism messaging.
• Forest Preserve District of Will CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Forest Preserve District of Will County provides trail systems and natural areas featured on the CVB platform. TrailLink.com integration and cooperative marketing support shared outdoor recreation goals.
• Village of Orland ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrland Park is highlighted for its historic district shopping, Centennial Park West venue hosting free concerts in the park, and as a key community in the 60-municipality Chicago Southland region.
• Governors State University / Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park (theNate)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park at Governors State University in University Park hosts 34 large-scale outdoor sculptures across 100 acres and is prominently featured as a key attraction. The CVB promotes the venue through its attractions and itineraries sections.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Choose Chicago: Official DMO for the City of Chicago operating as a 501(c)(6) with the same business model — destination marketing and sales for meetings, sports, leisure, and group tours across the broader Chicago metro, making it the most direct peer by both model and feeder market.
• Discover DuPage: Convention and Visitors Bureau serving DuPage County in Chicago's western suburbs; operates as a DMO under the same DMO-plus-meetings/sports/GTO GTM motion targeting planners for suburban Chicago hotel venues, making it the closest geographic and structural peer to CSCVB.
• Visit Schaumburg: Village-level Illinois CVB focused on meetings and conventions in northwest suburban Chicago, sharing the same DMO model and planner customer base in close geographic adjacency to CSCVB.
• Visit Lake County Illinois: Lake County IL CVB and suburban Chicago DMO pursuing meetings, leisure, and group tour business across northern Chicago suburbs with a nearly identical product offering of free parking and access to regional attractions.

Regional players

• Visit Quad Cities: Regional CVB serving the Quad Cities market along the Iowa/Illinois border with similar convention/sports/leisure DMO responsibilities but operating in a distinct Midwest geography.
• Visit Raleigh: Destination marketing organization similar in size and service mix, marketing meetings/conventions, sports, and leisure travel in a mid-sized US metro comparable to the Chicago Southland footprint.
• Experience Champaign-Urbana (Visit CU): Illinois-based regional DMO serving the Champaign-Urbana market with comparable meetings, sports, and leisure marketing functions, providing an Illinois-CVBs-of-similar-scale benchmark.
• Experience Grand Rapids: Mid-sized Midwest regional DMO comparable in scale and service mix (meetings, sports, leisure marketing) but operating in a different metro market without geographic overlap with Chicago Southland.

Broad incumbents

• Brand USA: National destination marketing organization promoting inbound travel to the United States; not a direct competitor but a thematically adjacent organization that influences the macro environment for regional DMOs like CSCVB.
• Illinois Office of Tourism: State-level DMO that oversees statewide tourism promotion; CSCVB operates under IDA certification with the Enjoy Illinois logo in its footer, making it more of a parent-and-channel-partner relationship than a pure competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VisitSouthland
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ChicagoSouthlandCVB
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagosouthland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-southland-convention-&-visitors-bureau
• Instagraminstagram.com/VisitSouthland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

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