FAQ
1. About Chicago Travel & Tours
Is Chicago Travel & Tours a U.S. based DMC?
Yes. Chicago Travel & Tours is an American company, founded and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with a multicultural operational team. We operate as a Destination Management Company (DMC) across the U.S. Midwest, specialized in receiving international groups. This structure allows agencies and tour operators worldwide to contract a local operation in the United States, with multilingual support, cultural fluency aligned to international travelers, and hands-on knowledge of the destination.
How many years has Chicago Travel & Tours been operating with groups?
We have been operating groups in the U.S. Midwest for over 14 years. This time in the market allowed us to build a network of strategic suppliers, develop expertise across different niches, and refine our operation to support everything from small technical groups to large scale programs with hundreds of participants.
What types of groups do you work with?
We work with a wide range of profiles, with consolidated experience in four main niches: Incentive, Architecture, Agribusiness, and Leisure. We also operate congress groups, educational programs for senior travelers, and technical delegations across healthcare, retail, industry, technology, financial services, automotive, pharmaceutical, insurance, banking, cooperatives, and professional associations. Each program is built from scratch, tailored to the group’s profile.
Which Midwest states do you operate in?
Our operation covers the entire U.S. Midwest. We regularly run programs in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Kentucky. For Agribusiness programs in particular, it is common to include farms, cooperatives, and research centers across multiple states in the region. On select occasions, with long-standing clients, we have also delivered programs in other regions of the United States, such as California, New York, and Las Vegas — though our active focus is exclusively the Midwest.
Do you only handle the destination, or also help with airfare and travel insurance?
Our focus is the local operation — everything that happens from the moment the group arrives at the destination. International airfare, travel insurance, and visa support remain the responsibility of the contracting agency or tour operator in the source market. This division ensures that each part of the trip is managed by whoever is closest to that specific operation.
2. How to Engage Chicago Travel & Tours
Who are your direct clients in the group segment?
We work exclusively on a B2B model. Our direct clients are incentive agencies, tour operators, corporate travel agencies, and, in some cases, companies organizing in-house programs for their employees, clients, or partners. We do not work directly with end travelers. All contractual relationships and communication happen with the contracting agency or company.
What is the minimum lead time to confirm a group?
The recommended minimum lead time is 90 to 150 days before the group’s arrival, especially for programs involving technical visits, events, or hotel reservations on critical dates. For large-scale incentive groups, with award ceremonies, themed dinners, or more complex corporate structures, we recommend starting planning 9 to 12 months in advance. The earlier the project begins, the greater the access to strategic suppliers and better commercial conditions.
What is the minimum group size you operate?
We operate groups starting from 15 participants. The structure is sized to each project, and we have run programs with more than 600 guests in large corporate incentive groups. We do not work with open registration formats. All programs are private, contracted by agencies, tour operators, or companies.
How does the process work, from briefing to proposal?
Everything starts with a detailed briefing from the contracting agency or company, describing the group’s profile, dates, duration, program objectives, and approximate budget. From there, we build a proposal with suggestions for accommodation, transportation, itinerary, restaurants, events, technical visits, and other relevant elements. After approval and signed contract, we move into the operational phase, with supplier confirmation, schedule organization, and continuous communication until the group’s return.
How do I request a proposal?
Access our Contact Us page and submit the proposal form. The more details you share in the initial briefing — group profile, dates, number of participants, travel objectives, and approximate budget — the more precise the proposal will be. Our team responds within 48 business hours.
3. On-Site Operation
What languages does your team operate in?
Our team is multicultural and operates in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. All guides are part of our local team in Chicago and know the city in depth. They are trained to lead groups across all niches: Incentive, Architecture, Agribusiness, and Leisure. For Architecture groups specifically, we also provide guides with deep expertise in architecture, urbanism, urban planning, periods, styles, and reference architects — the level of depth an architecture group expects.
How does translation work during technical visits?
Technical visits in Incentive, Agribusiness, and Architecture programs are typically led in English by American hosts — university professors, corporate executives, speakers, farm operators, and architects. To ensure full content absorption, we provide simultaneous interpreters with professional translation equipment (radios and individual headsets), so each participant receives the content in their own headset without losing nuance or context. We can arrange interpreters for Portuguese, Spanish, and other languages on request. This service does not apply to Leisure groups, as leisure programs do not involve technical visits.
Who is responsible for day-to-day operation on the ground?
Operation is conducted directly by the Chicago Travel & Tours team in Chicago. We do not outsource coordination to other DMCs or local agencies. The team that sells the program is the same team that executes it on the ground. This model reduces risk, ensures consistency, and protects the reputation of the contracting agency’s brand in front of their end client.
How does payment work? In USD or local currency?
We work in USD, following standard practice for international B2B operations. Commercial terms are defined by contract for each project, with an advance deposit and remaining balance per the execution schedule. This model ensures predictability and security for both sides.
What is included in the local operation?
We handle the entire on-site operation: hotels, transportation, transfers, guides, simultaneous interpreters, restaurants, attraction tickets, technical visits, lectures, corporate events, themed dinners, award ceremonies, brand activations, custom gifts, and real-time local support throughout the program. Each project is designed according to the briefing received.
Do you have 24/7 support during the program?
Yes. Our team provides on-site support throughout the program duration, with a 24-hour emergency line available to group leaders and contracting agencies during the trip. Real-time adjustments to the itinerary — whether due to weather, supplier issues, or group needs — are part of how we operate.
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4. Incentive Groups
How does an incentive program with Chicago Travel & Tours work?
Incentive programs are fully tailor-made. Each project is built from scratch, based on the group’s profile, campaign objectives, brand positioning, and budget. We combine itineraries, events, themed dinners, exclusive experiences, cultural activities, educational content, brand activations, custom gifts, and leisure moments. The operation covers everything from arrival to departure, with constant presence from our local team.
Do you organize themed dinners and award events for incentive groups?
Yes. We organize welcome dinners, farewell dinners, and award ceremonies with complete structure: venue rental, stage, backdrop, lighting, audio and video systems, simultaneous interpreters, technical crew, decoration, live band, customized cuisine, branded menus, and branding activations throughout the event. We work in unconventional locations — museums, exclusive venues, outdoor settings with full infrastructure, and custom-built environments designed around the program’s objective.
Can you include mini MBAs at Chicago universities in incentive programs?
Yes. Chicago is one of the most relevant university cities in the United States, with two institutions consistently ranked among the top ten in the country. We structure educational programs within universities, including mini MBAs, lectures, workshops, and academic technical visits. We also bring in speakers aligned with the company’s themes, ensuring high-level content for the group. This format is common in corporate incentive programs.
How many participants can an incentive group have?
There is no maximum limit. We operate incentive programs of any size, with proven capacity to support groups with more than 600 guests. Structure, team, and supplier sizing is calibrated to the size and complexity of each project.
How does brand presence work during the incentive program?
Branding is central to any incentive program. We build a brand plan aligned with the contracting company’s positioning, with brand presence across different moments of the experience: brand activations during events, themed dinners with visual identity, branded menus at restaurants, themed space design, custom gifts, branded informational materials, targeted hospitality actions, and experiences created exclusively to reinforce the perception of the company in front of participants. Every element is designed so the guest lives the brand throughout the trip.
5. Architecture Groups
Do you organize specific itineraries for architecture groups in Chicago?
Yes. Chicago is considered the birthplace of the skyscraper and one of the most relevant destinations in the world for architecture, urbanism, and design. We build progressive itineraries with storytelling, connecting the city’s master plan, urban development, major architectural landmarks, different styles and periods, and contemporary architecture.
Can you arrange technical visits to architecture firms in Chicago?
Yes. We arrange technical visits to working architecture studios and firms in the city, where professionals receive the group, present their creative processes, share project insights, and open space for questions and exchange. This level of access is the result of relationships built over more than 14 years of operation in the city.
Do you serve only architects, or also designers and industry retailers?
We work with architects, interior designers, design professionals, retailers in the décor, furniture, and construction sectors, and multidisciplinary groups connected to creation, space, and aesthetics. Chicago offers a complete ecosystem for this audience: museums, architecture centers, iconic neighborhoods, specialty stores, showrooms, studios, and cultural spaces.
Are your Chicago tours focused on architecture?
Yes. We restructured the conventional tours so the focus is architecture, urbanism, and urban history. Instead of a generic presentation, the group receives a technical reading of the city — drawing parallels between styles, periods, architects, and movements. Walking tours through the financial district and strategic areas explore everything from the post-Chicago-fire reconstruction to contemporary interventions, always with architecture-specialized guides.
Can you include visits to works by renowned architects in Chicago?
Yes. Chicago is one of the cities that most exports architecture to the world, with internationally recognized firms headquartered in the region. We build itineraries with visits to works signed by renowned names — such as the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, and buildings designed by contemporary firms like Studio Gang by Jeanne Gang, responsible for landmarks of the city now used as hotels and mixed-use spaces. These are just examples — there are several other Chicago-based architecture firms producing on a global scale, and we have organized visits to major firms in past programs. Each itinerary is designed according to the group’s interest and repertoire.
What group size works best for architecture?
We host architects, designers, and industry professionals in groups of 15 to 30 participants — a size that favors exchange, intimacy, and technical depth. This format allows us to build connections between participants, organize private visits to studios and firms, and maintain focus on content during walking tours.
6. Agribusiness Groups
How does an agribusiness program with Chicago Travel & Tours work?
Agribusiness programs are built from scratch, based on the group’s profile, travel objectives, the participants’ technical level, and the U.S. harvest seasonality. The Midwest is one of the most relevant agribusiness hubs in the world, and our operation leverages this context to deliver programs with strong technical density and real knowledge exchange. The group speaks directly with American farm operators, researchers, university professors, cooperative executives, and professionals who live agribusiness in practice — building international networking bridges. Each program combines multiple technical visits, realistic logistics, educational content, and cultural experiences, always adapted to the harvest moment and group objectives. The most common windows for international agribusiness groups are between June and October, when the American operation is in full activity and offers the highest educational value possible.
What types of technical visits do you organize for agribusiness groups?
We structure visits to operational family farms, tech-driven farms, grain elevators, ethanol plants, cooperatives, rural associations, research centers, universities, machinery and combine manufacturers, input factories, industry plants, agritech startups, and innovation hubs applied to agribusiness. Each visit is structured with a detailed technical agenda, schedule validated with the hosts, and real-time support throughout the operation.
Do you work with international groups attending the Farm Progress Show?
Yes. We regularly operate international groups coming to the Midwest for the Farm Progress Show, one of the most important events in global agribusiness. Because the event concentrates very high demand in a single week of the year, strategic suppliers in the destination are scarce and early planning is critical. We have been operating Farm Progress Show groups for many years, which allowed us to develop a refined operation for this specific period — with complementary technical visits scheduled, strategically reserved accommodations, and logistics adapted to the show’s dynamics. For programs focused on Farm Progress Show, we recommend starting planning well in advance (ideally 9-12 months).
In which states do you operate agribusiness programs?
The U.S. Midwest is considered the Corn Belt and concentrates globally relevant companies in the agribusiness sector. We operate programs in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Ohio, adjusting the itinerary by theme, seasonality, and group interest.
How many agribusiness groups do you operate per year?
We deliver an average of six to eight agribusiness groups per year, which makes this niche one of our main specializations. This frequency allowed us to build a solid network with American farm operators, cooperatives, universities, research centers, and strategic suppliers in the region.
Can groups visit family farms with American farmers?
Yes. We organize visits to family farms often in their fifth or sixth generation, where the group is received by the American farmer themselves. These visits tend to be informal and deep, with open exchange about routine, soil, climate, productivity, technology, inputs, innovation, and harvest challenges. For international farmers and agribusiness professionals, these encounters generate real connection and practical learning.
7. Leisure Groups
How does a leisure program with Chicago Travel & Tours work?
Leisure programs are built from scratch, considering group profile, age range, pace, available time, seasonality, and travel objectives. We do not work with standardized itineraries. We handle hotels, transportation, sightseeing, city tours, restaurants, attraction tickets, daily logistics, and local accompaniment.
Do you offer guided city tours in different languages?
Yes. Our Chicago city tour can be conducted in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, led by guides on our team who know the city in depth. The content is adapted to the group’s profile, with strategic stops, historical context, urban reading, and real-time adjustments based on weather, traffic, and tourist flow.
Do you serve senior groups or groups with individual registration?
We serve senior groups and other specific profiles, as long as the group is private, contracted by an agency or tour operator. We do not work with open registration groups. All programs are closed, contracted by an agency, tour operator, or company.
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