ALA | American Library Association 2026

McCormick Place is a flagship convention center on Chicago's lakefront, purpose-built for large-scale conferences and exhibitions, offering expansive exhibit halls, versatile meeting spaces, advanced technical infrastructure, and on-site services, with convenient access to downtown hotels, airports, and public transportation. It is the largest convention center in North America. The Metra Electric line deposits riders directly on Level 2.5 of the Grand Concourse; internal walkways and shuttles help attendees move between the West Building and Lakeside Center; and food courts are available in each building. ENDO 2026 is held in the West Building.

McCormick Place operates several cashless parking lots:

• Lot A: $27 for up to 16 hours and $40 from 16 to 24 hours. Lot A is a six-level garage with 2,100 spaces adjacent to the West Building, and overnight parking is available in Lot A only.
• Lot B: a flat fee of $18 per day, with no in-and-out privileges.
• A limited number of prepaid guaranteed parking spaces are available at $40 per day via an Attendee & Exhibitor Parking Permit, which allows in-and-out privileges and guarantees a space even if lots fill.

Covered walkways from Lot A lead directly into McCormick Place, Wintrust Arena, Marriott Marquis, and the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place.

The nearest major hub is Midway International Airport (MDW), about 20 minutes southwest, while O'Hare (ORD) is the primary international gateway roughly 45 minutes away.

Public transit:

• CTA Green Line (Cermak-McCormick Place station) exits onto a pedestrian bridge to the Grand Concourse, about a 5-minute walk to the West Building.
• Metra Electric from Millennium Station arrives at McCormick's South Building in about 7 minutes for $4.25.

Rideshare: Rideshare pickup zones (Gate 4 for South, Gate 40 for West) become congested when the show floor closes, so walking to the nearby Hyatt or Marriott to call a car can save time.

Several hotels are within walking distance of McCormick Place, many connected by climate-controlled skybridges:

• Hyatt Regency McCormick Place — the closest hotel at about 0.1 miles, with a skybridge to the convention buildings.
• Marriott Marquis Chicago (about 0.4 miles) and Hilton Garden Inn Chicago McCormick Place (about 0.5 miles).
• The Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, and Home2 Suites tri-plex are linked directly to the convention buildings via climate-controlled skybridges.

Additional downtown/South Loop options include the Hilton Chicago, Palmer House, and other hotels along Michigan Avenue. From Michigan Avenue hotels, riders can take the Green Line one stop south from Roosevelt to Cermak-McCormick Place or the Metra Electric directly to McCormick's South Building, each under 15 minutes. Official housing is arranged through Maritz.