For those of you that don't know, this past memorial day weekend Chicago was once again the host city to the International Mr Leather contest, a contest where people from all over the world comes to participate in. This usually flies under the radar for most people (unless you happen to pass by the Congress hotel on Michigan Av that weekend, highly recommended). This year it was its 39th year (it was founded in Chicago) and it attracts around 17,000 people every year, making it one of the biggest Chicago conventions. This year alone I hosted people from Montreal, the US and Ireland at my home, and every single one of them were amazed at how amazing the city is and said they can't wait to come back.
This year we had 59 total contestants, 3 contestants from Australia, one from Israel, Austria, Germany, France, Canada, etc..It has very high visibility in the Gay community worldwide and it brings tons of people into our city with lots of dispossible income. New Jersey took the title this year, but Chicago got second AND third place, marking the first time Chicago has ever reached the podium and the end of "the curse" (maybe the CUBS "curse" will also be broken this year). The Congress hotel is way too small for this event, so the Travelodge, Hilton, Palmer house and others nearby were also packed with atendees.
If you're curious and want to find out more, PVT message me. This event brings tons of revenue and publicity to our city