CHICAGO—Convene, an operator of full-service meeting and event venues, has just signed a lease for about 55,000 square feet of space on the third floor of Willis Tower. It's an important step in Equity Office's $500 million makeover of the 110-story building. Tenants and outside companies will soon have access to meeting and event spaces, as well as breakout rooms, pre- and post-function reception rooms, and two large private outdoor patios. The space will be the largest in Convene's portfolio and its first location outside of the East Coast.

Other services provided by Convene will include a dedicated meeting planning team, an on-site culinary team that prepare seasonal menus, technology infrastructure, and unlimited access to snack and refreshment stations. The largest rooms will accommodate up to 600 people.

Equity, a US office portfolio company wholly-owned by Blackstone, which purchased Willis in 2015, was represented in the transaction by Todd Siegel, Phil Golding, and Kim Wiskup of CBRE, Inc. Craig Coupe and Corey Siegrist of JLL represented Convene.

“This is the perfect complement to the unique set of market-leading amenities we are curating, and it will provide a world-class, full-service venue for both our tenants and outside companies alike,” says David Moore, senior vice president – portfolio director, Equity Office. “The addition of Convene furthers our mission of being the most coveted workplace environment for businesses from Chicago and around the world.”

Convene plans to occupy the space by the third quarter of 2019, and will be available for booking seven days a week.

“Chicago is the second most popular meetings destination in the US, and expanding Convene's full-service meeting and event solutions into the Midwest region is what our global enterprise customers have been waiting for,” says Ryan Simonetti, chief executive officer and co-founder of Convene. “New and existing Willis Tower tenants can now reduce their footprint, improve efficiency, and outsource their most important meetings and events to Convene in the building.”

“The addition of Convene further cements the richness of the amenity base, which will include high-end dining, after work entertainment and first-to-market food and beverage providers,” says CBRE's senior vice president Siegel.

“Convene approached the search process carefully and patiently, and in the end, it led them to Chicago's Willis Tower that checks all the boxes of an iconic structure, a prime location and all the offerings of a world-class office building,” says JLL's Coupe.

This is part of the first major renovation in the building's 43-year history. Equity will include 150,000 square feet of space for exclusive tenant use, add more than 300,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment space to the base of the building, as well as a new 30,000-square-foot outdoor deck and garden space.

Tenants currently occupy 87% of the Willis Tower.

Convene plans to occupy the space by the third quarter of 2019, and will be available for booking seven days a week.

Tenants currently occupy 87% of the Willis Tower.

Instant Insights /

Equity Takes Step in Transformation of Willis

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