Panelists Neal Heitz, Carey Pinkowski, Michelle Weddige, and Jim OBrill. Photo credit: Nur Uysal.
Neal Heitz moderates the panel discussion with Carey Pinkowski, Jim OBrill, and Michelle Weddige. Photo credit: Nur Uysal.
Panelist Carey Pinkowski, Jim OBrill, and Michelle Weddige answer audience questions. Photo credit: Nur Uysal.
Events bring people together, and at the core of it all is listening, reflecting, and adapting. That was a central message during event "Behind the Scenes: The Making of Chicago's Most Iconic Events" on May 13, 2025. The expert panel included:
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Carey Pinkowski Executive Race Director, Bank of America Chicago Marathon
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Jim OBrill Senior Director of Marketing and Strategy, Chicago Auto Show
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Michelle Weddige Senior Director of Business Strategy, NASCAR Chicago Street Race
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Neal Heitz Director of Event Production, City of Chicago, Adjunct Faculty in the College of Communication (moderator)
Key takeaways from the discussion:
Embrace technology and innovation: From the Bank of America Chicago Marathon app that allows spectators to track individual runners to NASCAR SimRacing experiences that expand audience participation.
Serve your audience and communities: Whether it’s Taste of Chicago pop-up events in neighborhood parks, family zones and car culture groups at the Auto Show. Meeting people where they are makes a difference.
Advice for students and young professionals: Get involved. Volunteer. Ask questions. And most importantly, believe you can do hard things.