Chicago Special Events Management

They put on a «free» festival in the South Loop. Required a $ 5 donation to get in, but no indication was made on any website that there was a suggested/​mandatory donation. Staff was unbelievably rude, from the people working at the gate to the supervisor I eventually needed to talk to. Deceptive and scammy. I will avoid any events hosted by them in the future.

Disappointed in the lack of professionalism and lack of experience in staff. Not to be trusted.

I have had issues participating in events by this organization. Mostly races that I have run. I took a few years off from running in races that are organized by Special Events. Last month I decided to give them another try, unfortunately things are worse. In addition to being poorly organized at the events themselves, no one will get back to you when you contact them with a complaint/​concern. I have sent a total of 3 emails in the past week with no reply or any attempt to get back in touch with me.
The races that they run always sound super cool but it seems to end in frustration at the beginning end or sometimes in the middle. It’s a shame too because the events are usually unique but not worth it.

Probably one of the worst run organizations in Chicago and that is saying a lot. My and my parents tried to work with them for a few events. They hire and fire staff so often that you never know who to deal with.
The one nice review here seems like it was a from a former intern or something — not a customer, like us.
These guys seem to have the market cornered on events and festivals in Chicago yet the city does not to put some oversight on them to keep costs in control, help venders with their application process, and really only serve to extract more money from vender and customers alike.
Even the events I attended seemed to be a bit of a disorganized mess. I am sorry that they do not take their position seriously enough and just seem to engage in greedy behavior.
If anyone can do better, I am down!