It was at the end of the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2019. The next year’s game was slated for Chicago, and someone had to take an NBA basketball signed by the legendary Michael Jordan and escort it safely to Chicago.
Lisa Nucci, who’s now Chief Marketing Officer for the city of Chicago’s tourism office, Choose Chicago, was Director of Marketing for the Chicago Bulls at the time (she was later Senior Director and Executive Director of Marketing) and was given the task of shepherding the invaluable ball to the Windy City.
So, how did she handle it?
“You know how in hotels, in the garbage, they put an extra garbage bag for you to use? I put the basketball in one of those and swung it over my shoulder and carried it through the airport,” Nucci told me in a recent telephone interview. “My husband said, ‘Are you crazy?’ But I carried the Michael Jordan basketball to Chicago in a Radisson hotel garbage bag.”
It might seem like an odd transition, moving from basketball to tourism (she did have an interim, 15-month stint at the Chicago Architecture Center), but Nucci said the two jobs have a lot in common.
“With the Bulls you’re the legendary, iconic brand,” she said. “The Bulls also had a strong connection to retail and food, which other teams might not have had.
“In sports in ‘butts in seats’ versus ‘heads in beds,’” she explained. “It’s the same thing. In sports, you want to get the single game ticket buyer to buy another ticket and eventually become a season ticket holder. In tourism you want to get people from Toronto to come to Chicago and hook them and have them come back.”
Nucci said her time with the Bulls sharpened her business skills.
“At the end of the day I’m very competitive because of sports , and I carry that over to my job here.”
Nucci told me people in the business constantly ask about her prior jobs.
“I’m definitely a black sheep in tourism.” she said with a laugh. “People ask me, ‘What DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) did you work for before this?’ And I’m like, ‘The Chicago Bulls.’”
“But I embrace it. It was the same way in sports. I didn’t have a sports background when I was hired by the Bulls.”
Her lack of sports experience almost certainly raised eyebrows in a male-dominated profession. So did her sex.
“I think I was the only senior leadership female in the organization who had kids. There was only one other woman higher than me.”
Here’s a story I wrote a few years ago on great things to see and do in Chicago.
Nucci said Choose Chicago is working on a major brand strategy project.
“It’s not just about what you can do in Chicago but who we are. I think in today’s world, attitude and assets are equally important. People want to understand the character of the community. They also want to feel welcome there.
“It’s a passion point for me but also for the city.”
There are a lot of cities in the world with great restaurants and fabulous food, she said, “but we want them to know that when they come here, Chicago is celebrating you and gives you the permission to be yourself out loud.”
The Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago. CHOOSE CHICAGO PHOTO
Nucci sees a lot of similarities between Chicago and Canadian cities.
“I think there are similar viewpoints; diversity, work hard enjoy life, be kind, be humble. I like to say we’re a small big city. Everyone in Chicago knows a guy.”
Canada is also their number one international market for tourism. The city attracted 450,000 Canadians in 2023, and the forecast for 2025 is for more than 500,000.
Chicago in 2024 was voted best big city in the U.S. by readers of Conde Nast Travel; the eighth time in a row it captured that honour.
More than a few of the Canadian visitors will be in Chicago in June of next year for the U.S. Travel Association’s annual IPW event, which attracts thousands of tourism and travel representatives from cities and states across the U.S., as well as hundreds of domestic and international travel journalists.
It’s not her main marketing strategy, but Nucci is happy to talk about the city’s ever-changing hotel scene.
The Langham, the Peninsula and the Trump International were all awarded five stars in the 2024 Forbes ratings. U.S. News and World Report this year named The Langham the third best hotel in the States, while the Peninsula was fourth.
The Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave. – JIM BYERS PHOTO
Nucci said the luxurious St. Regis hotel opened in downtown Chicago about a year ago. The hotel is in the world’s tallest skyscraper designed by a female architect, Jeanne Gang. She also designed the Chicago Riverwalk.
“It’s an amazing building,” Nucci said. “It’s got kind of a wave to it. It almost looks like it’s falling over. And there are two amazing restaurants. One of them is an Italian place with a room that’s only used to make fresh pasta.
“The level of quality in both accommodations and restaurants is second to none.”
I stayed at The Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile a few years ago and thought it was terrific. I’ve also had great stays at the Four Seasons Chicago and Loews Chicago.
“There are more than 160 hotels in the central business district, and they’re at all price points, from the Holiday Inn Express all the way up to Loews or the St. Regis. I don’t think you get that in a lot of other markets.”
Looking for a different way to see the city? Here’s a story I wrote a while back on a fun Segway tour of Chicago.
As if great hotels weren’t enough, Chicago is also famous for its food scene.
Alinea and Smyth both were awarded three-star status by Michelin for 2024. Lulu Café in the trendy Logan Square neighbourhood won a James Beard Award last year for outstanding hospitality.
“I love Lulu,” Nucci said. “It’s not stuffy. It’s a restaurant you would go to if you lived in the area. James Beard awards are great that way; they really run the gamut.”
A boat on the Chicago River and the city’s River Walk. CHOOSE CHICAGO PHOTO
Asked where she would take someone visiting the city in summer, Nucci said she would first check out what festivals are taking place.
“You can do the Little Italy Festival, Cinco de Mayo Festival, the Chinatown summer fair. Chicagoans stay here in summer and so neighbourhoods really come to life. There’s such an amazing representation of local food, music and culture that comes out in the neighbourhoods. And I would definitely take them to one or two festivals and I’d go to Pilsen or Little Village (Mexican-American areas). Chicago has a really vibrant Mexican-American culture. My mother-in-law is from California and I like to take her to 5 Rabanitos. It’s a family-owned place; no frills but amazing food that has won a ton of awards.”
If someone is jet-lagged from a long flight, Nucci recommends the famous Chicago River boat/archictectural tour, where you can learn about the city’s rich history and admire tremendous architecture in a city where the first skyscraper was built.
“It’s a great way to sit and take a rest and listen to cool stories about Chicago. I’d also take them to Green Mill for live music, or to The Salt Shed, a former Morton’s salt factory that’s now a great outdoor concert venues. And I’d take them to see a White Sox game or a Cubs game. But I’m a White Sox fan.”
Nucci said she doesn’t see bringing big international stars to IPW next June.
“We’re so committed to making people here feel welcome and fed; that they know where they’re going and that they can do business. At the end of the day that’s what it’s about.
“We’ll get people out and around the city, but we don’t want them sitting in traffic all day.”
