When your peers include Châteauform’ Le Chalet de Champéry, the Royal College of Physicians, and Tokyo Conference Center Shinagawa, you know you’re in good company.

This week, we’re proud to celebrate our membership in the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC)—a distinction held by fewer than 400 venues worldwide. That places the OLC among the top 1% of conference and education centers globally, alongside a small, highly vetted group of peers.

IACC certification is deliberately hard to earn. It’s reserved for venues that are purpose-built for meetings and learning, and that meet exacting standards around design, service, technology, and operations. The certification process looks closely at how people move through a space, how sessions are supported, how teams work behind the scenes, and whether the environment consistently supports focus and outcomes. Being part of this group reflects not just quality, but consistency.

For us at the OLC, those standards align closely with how our space was designed and how it operates every day. A few details planners often tell us matter most:

• 14,000+ square feet of purpose-built space, designed for focus, flow, and flexibility across multi-day programs
• Dedicated meeting and breakout rooms with clear separation, supporting complex agendas without disruption
• Integrated AV and on-site technical expertise, built into the rooms rather than layered on
• Sustainability practices woven into daily operations, including refillable water stations, energy-conscious systems, and waste-reduction efforts
• Partnerships with local vendors, supporting both sustainability goals and the broader Rosemont community
• Minutes from O’Hare, plus walkable access to exciting Rosemont restaurants, nightlife, entertainment, hotels and more outside the meeting rooms

Around the world, venues in this community look very different from one another. Some are set in historic institutions, others in Swiss alpine towns or dense urban centers. Each serves very different audiences, yet all share a commitment to event excellence.

To be counted among peers like these is both an honor and a responsibility. We look forward to another year of doing the work that brings people together—thoughtfully, deliberately, and with excellence.