VenueConnect 2019

Luke Karas
Group Sales Strategy Manager
McCormick Place and Choose Chicago


Luke Karas is an industry veteran with more than thirty-two years in the hotel, tourism, and convention/trade show business. He is currently the Group Sales Strategy Manager for McCormick Place Convention Center and Choose Chicago, the city’s convention and visitors bureau. In his current role, he is responsible for evaluating all group sales opportunities through event valuation scoring and tracking yield management measures and results. Through his position, the destination streamlines the sales process to maximize data efficiencies, alleviate conflicting data, and avoid double bookings. Karas is also responsible for conducting and communicating need date evaluations to the sales teams and developing analytical and operational reporting. Additionally, he maintains and reports on the Bureau’s economic impact calculations and procedures, and leads the Bureau’s Data Team in providing trend analysis, and philosophies to upper management for decision-making considerations.

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