Chicago 2016 and the Chicago Tech Community
I walked into my building two days ago and wine and cheese was waiting for me in the lobby. The hospitality industry of Chicago was holding events to drum up support (and signatures) for a petition that outlined their backing of the 2016 olympic games. I definitely enjoyed the delicious Brie and Greg Norman Chardonnay.
The hospitality industry in Chicago wants the 2016 Olympics badly. They want rent prices to rise basking in the post-Olympic glow, they want to charge exorbitantly for hotels and have 2 hour waits at every restaurant. I don’t blame them. But this got me thinking, what would the 2016 Olympics mean for the Chicago tech community?
1) Jobs. Lots of them.
Hosting the Olympics is a major production (understatement of the century) and as online technologies continue to thrive, coders, designers, PR people, marketers etc will be in high demand.
2) An influx of new talent.
The tech community will grow exponentially as people travel from all over the world to both spectate and work at the olympic games.
3) A perfect opportunity to leverage your Chicago pride.
So many in the tech community love this city. The Olympics would place an absurdly bright spotlight on Chicago, for all of us to talk about our favorite restaurants, hang outs, and sites around the city. The entire world would be focused on our Chicago inspired lifestyles.
There are absolutely pros and cons to having the 2016 olympics in Chicago. But, for the tech community, it seems like an opportunity that we can’t pass up. What do you think?
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