Donald E Stephens Convention Center

Attended the World of Wheels auto show at the Stephens Convention Center. For me, it was quite convenient. Coming from the south, I simply exited the Tri-​State Tollway (I-​294) at Balmoral Ave, turned right and then left at the next light (1 block) and entered the large parking garage. Parking is paid at ATM-​like machines in the elevator lobby and the ticket is checked when driving out of the garage. Parking cost is $ 15. The Sky Bridge is an enclosed walkway takes you from the garage to the convention center.
The convention center is quite large and can host good size events. Restrooms are spread around and were clean and well kept. There is the Expoteria restaurant and a Starbucks in the convention center.
If you’ve had your fill of activities in the convention center, you can do some (relaxing?) shopping at the Fashions Outlet mall which is a short walk away (near the Balmoral exit off I-​294).

Do not go here for any convention if there is one available anywhere else on the planet. The absolute worst parking I have ever seen and I work in Chicago every day. The place is a dump and everything is haphazardly marked with cheap signs. A waste of a valuable day. Thanks for nothing. Never again.

We came here for the International Motorcycle Show.
The walkway from the cold parking lots was much appreciated so we didn’t have to schlep and babysit our big winter coats at the show.
The staff are really nice, everything seemed organized and well laid out. The size of the space is quite large, but again there are visible signage pointing you to the right direction.
They had coat check, at least for this show.
The bathroom facilities were clean and abundant, the former being very important at large conventions such as this one.
$ 15 special events parking.

I came here for New Year’s Eve for the Reaction NYE Music Festival. As a person who is a big fan of music, I was really impressed by how this venue is set up. I have been to a lot of indoor arenas for concerts and have had a lot of terrible experiences, but this Convention Center really had a great setup that made it have the feel of some outdoor venues. There was plenty of space, and at no point did I not have an area to go to to escape from the crowd.
There were a few things that I did not love about this venue in particular. One of them was the cost of parking. Rosemont is a place where you have to pay for parking even at the hotels, which is a little silly considering that I had come to Rosemont for NYE to escape the city and did not expect to pay $ 75 (hotel and venue) for parking outside of downtown Chicago. That’s a chunk of change when you’re laying $ 130 for GA (and fees) for two day tickets.
This is also a very wide venue, so be careful where you stand! Even if you are at the front, from certain angles you cannot view the artist and you may have to move back to even be able to see the show. This was my biggest pet peeve, because I missed a lot of the show I went to see. I will say though, once you do step back, the view is pretty cool. The bigger artists had light shows that took up the entire wide-​angle view from all the way in the back, and it was amazing to see that perspective.
In terms of indoor venues, the actual place itself and the crowd was not bad! I had a good experience, and have not said that for a lot of indoor EDM music events.

I’ve been here for an animé convention and a music concert. For the animé convention, it was good! For the music concert though, it was far too crowded. It is hard to see whoever is performing. If you have the option of going to a concert at a different venue, I would suggest that you do so! Parking was also knocked up by $ 7 for the event! ($ 20 in total!)

I plan on checking out the Lego Event!
I love legos and it looks like it will be a lot of fun!

Decent little conference center. I’m totally kidding. The conference center is freakin’ gigantic. Nothing little about it. It has skyways that connect the two nearby hotels as well as the parking garage, but be prepared for a lot of walking to get to your destination. The hotel is in great shape, though, with the bathrooms clean and well-​cared-​for.
I think the hotel could use a new system for getting into their convention parking though. The road is insanely busy, and even with people directing traffic, expect delays attempting to get parked. The driveway to get into the parking area is also pretty hidden, so be on the lookout or it’s easy to drive right by it. Parking is $ 13.
While the convention center was gorgeous and well taken-​care-​of, the parking area was not. Two of the four parking-​payment stations were out of order. This made a long line to pay for parking before leaving. On top of that, my parking ticket wasn’t functional, so I had to wait in line multiple times and then still go through a line and pay on my way out. For the price that parking costs, I really would like a whole lot less of a hassle to deal with it. The point of parking right at the convention center is convenience, and my experience was less-​than-​convenient.
If parking to go to events here wasn’t literally the biggest pain in the butt I could imagine, I could rate this place more highly. Be prepared to deal with the parking issue (or find an alternative solution), though, and you’ll probably enjoy the event you go to at the center.

First of all, let me preface this review with some cold and hard facts, I am NOT here for a convention or anything legit for that matter. I’m staying at the Hyatt that is connected with a walkway so I decided to take a look just for the hell of it (and it’s freezing like Siberia outside so I’m not going far).
The conference rooms look nice and are decorated well. The bathrooms are clean and spacious which is important during events. You can also walk from here over to the other side of River Road with an enclosed bridge.

Great habit trails when it’s freezing outside. Temperature kept very comfortable which is hard to do with people coming in & out. Pleasant place to hold seminars and shows. Well maintained bathrooms, very nice and attentive staff and the carpet is a nice soothing blue and doesn’t give you a headache. Reason for not more stars is that is has one of The WORST food concessions stands of all the shows all over the United States that we attend. I now pack food from home, bring left-​overs from dinner the night before or eat at the 1 Starbucks. The only 2 places I have ever gotten sick with food has been here and the Washington DC show.
Get some other food vendors, PLEASE!

Omg The international Gem Show, i was like a kid in the candy store! Had a great time, blew the bank and so much fun. Will go back every year for sure and not wait for another decade like i did last time.

I hate to take out my frustrations for the obscene ripoff called «comicon» on your Donny Stephens but your poorly laid out, difficult to park at, smelly convention center made me do it.
First you start out by parking in a parking garage that was designed by absolute idiots. You wrap around pole after pole and floor after floor directed by bumbling employees without a sense of direction. Once you have parked you must begin the mile hike to get to the inconvenient entrance to the convention center.
Once inside prepare to be confused. Where do you go for your passes? Which direction should you head? Who knows and the hell with you guys that paid 70bucks to get in!
Snacks? Well only if you want to wait 40 minutes in a line for dog food!
Tired of our poorly run convention center? Wanna leave? Good luck! Have fun weaving your way out of this confusing mess and finding your car in our dump of a parking lot.
Goooooooooooooooo Mob!

Midwestern University had their annual white coat ceremony here. Parking is $ 13/​car. Park and cross the overpass to get to the convention center without going outside and facing the rain/​snow. The convention center is huge so be sure to know where your event is or just ask the front desk to direct you in the right direction.

This is a nice center. I’m very happy with my experience here for Comic Con. It was fun and was able to take advantage of the so much of the building you didn’t feel overwhelmed by people.
The rooms the panels were in were nice and comfortable. The sound system was good and if there was a problem it was solved quickly. What I didn’t like was sometimes you’d be a one panel and you could hear cheering or stuff coming from another room. There should be more padding of something. But it wasn’t so bad or distracting usually.
The staff were nice and friendly and seemed competent enough to me. I heard other people complaining about their experiences with staff but I didn’t have a problem. I was a little worried when I heard some staff talking about leaks and flooding in the building. Maybe that was a discussion they shouldn’t have had in front of people. Oh well.
The location is great since it’s close to the L line — an easy walk from the rosemont stop. And it’s close to the mall and hotel so easy to get around in the area.
Overall, very nice.

I attended the comic con for the first time and was very much impressed with the layout of the convention center. Directly across the street there is a huge parking lot, which made finding a spot hassle free. We were easily able to walk to the front door and purchase our tickets at the window.
The area is absolutely huge-​with tons of booths. You can seriously spend an entire day walking around the center as it’s so spacious. The people who work here were very helpful and seemed excited to point us in the right direction of various booths. In the back there is a coffee shop. I also really like the location. Because this convention center is along River Road, it’s easy to find restaurants, hotels and bars. Next year, I’ll probably just rent a room across the street so I can go two days in a row. I’ll visit again.

I came here for the gem and jewelry show and they had a great layout. It’s right off the highway so you don’t have to navigate too much to get here. The actually convention space is huge but they broke it down and kept it pretty organized with the different booths.
They have everything from superior diamonds and 18k gold to costume jewelry and hair accessories for $ 1. They also have jewelers there that can resize rings and make different pieces on the spot. I would have loved to stay longer but the snack selection is a bit scanty. On the plus side, there is a Starbucks in the lobby.

I was just here today for the quilt show. The event itself was set-​up nicely and the convention center appeared to be very clean. I liked that there was a Starbucks located at the bottom of the escalator. Parking was easy enough. I liked the fact that you pay your parking ticket before you re-​enter the garage. No stopping at a window to pay an attendant. Nice convention center; will likely be back for other events in the future.

I am here every year for Acen (my daughter is a fan) and I have been here for other events as well. It kind of is what it is, big giant rooms. There’s a Starbucks inside to keep you going, the food vendors as to be expected are expensive and unhealthy.
Location is near everything, restaurants, Rosemont Park, Movies, Blue Line, Hotels.
Not a big fan of the pedestrian tunnels but at least they are pedestrian friendly both to the Hyatt and the Hilton.
Parking does not come cheap.
If you have to hang here for a while for an event and need a place to park your hat, the Red bar in the hotel is conducive.

I attended the International Quilt convention here in June of 2013 and for the most part, I felt this center was very well organized and run.
Positives:
–There is a Starbucks right at the entrance, yay for caffeine!
— If you are lucky enough to be dropped off and picked up by your husband, it is a breeze to get in and out. Well marked.
— Lighting and ventilation were terrific.
— There were scooters to rent for those patrons who could not walk through a big show. I am very thankful I don’t need that but glad it was there for those who did.
Negatives:
–When we entered, if you were not with a bus tour they make you walk around in a circle and come back to the beginning basically and then walk in.
— For such a huge facility, I found the restrooms to be far apart and inadequate. And if you washed your hands after using the restroom inside the hall, there was a goofy traffic flowing back on itself and squeezing by a small opening. Crazy!
The show was just wonderful and I would come again but they could use some work on the entrance procedure and bathrooms for those of us who don’t wear astronaut diapers to a quilt show. (Speaking of which, do you think that gal doing the fillibuster in TX used those? But I digress.)
See you next year at the Quilt show!

This place holds a lot of memories for me. I went to a Beatles Fest here with my first serious boyfriend (yeah, it was high school — so what?). My prom was here. Another prom was here. I met my last boyfriend at a comic book convention. Etc. etc. Recently, I was here for the RV show with my husband (yes I geek out over them). Hmm… why do I keep ending up here with the different guys in my life?!
Every time I’ve been here, the inside always seemed different because I’ve been in different parts. I like the versatility of this building. I like that more than one show can go on at the same time — but read the signs to make sure you’re going in the right place. I like that the center is quite large, but it isn’t too hard to navigate. The walkover from the parking lot is pretty handy, too (although a bit crowded).
The food sucks. Not only do they serve high-​caloric cardboard crap, but they charge you way too much for it. Make sure you bring food or eat before you come here. Anything is better than the stuff they call ‘food’ here. The bathrooms are kind of dirty too, but hey — thousands of people pass through almost daily. What else can you expect?
Pack up some food, throw on comfortable shoes, grab a map, and have fun!

This convention center is really easy to get to from the Blue Line Rosemont CTA station. I had done a google maps to figure out how to walk to the convention center from the Rosemont CTA stop. Google maps failed me!
All you really need to do is exit through the door (there is only one exit at this station), turn left, then turn another left. Continue walking for 10 minutes and you will be at the convention center entrance. DO NOT CROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. I made the mistake of following people walking in this direction who ended up crossing the street. I ended up having to cross back over because the convention center is on the same side of the street as the CTA station.
The center itself is huge. If you end up coming here for any reason, make sure you are at the right place. When I came here for the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show, there was also an Outdoor Adventure convention. The place is very large with rooms upstairs and downstairs. Bring comfy walking shoes because you’ll need it!
In our showroom there were food options, although it was quite limited. But at least there is the option to buy food in case you don’t want to bring anything.