2001 Chicago Auto Show
by Rick Smith
This is the 100th anniversary of the Chicago Auto Show. Despite what some New Yorkers say, this is the largest and longest-running auto show in North America. It is being held in the South Building of McCormick Place and runs from February 9 through 18, 2001.
To give you a sense of how truly big the South Building is here are some stats:
840,000 square feet (78,038 sq. meters) of exhibits
the show floor could dock four Nimitz-class U. S. aircraft carriers side-by-side, including the 320 aircraft they carry.
the equivalent of an 8-foot wide, 20-mile roll of carpet covers the exhibit floor
it's about a quarter mile from corner to corner, so wear comfortable shoes
720 tractor-trailer loads of freight are needed during construction (that's a convoy over 8 miles long).
Even though the surface area is huge, the show takes only five days to set up, using 65,000 hours of labor (over 20 man years). During the show, it takes 300 porters and polishers to keep the 1,000 vehicles on display looking good.
2001 Chicago Auto Show Floorplan
Dated: February 5, 2001
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