Trade show marketing firm mdg has expanded its foorptint by opening a new office in Chicago to service several clients based in the area.

The downtown office will be led by Leana Salamah, account strategist and executive director, who has experience on both sides of the client/agency relationship.

Salamah was proactively recruited by ownership to serve as a strategic lead for existing Chicago clients and to be a resource for other association and for-profit event clients looking for audience acquisition solutions.

“Chicago, with its reputation as a world-class event destination and association headquarters, is an ideal location for mdg,” Salamah said.

She added, “By bringing the in-person component of the agency brand to the Midwest, we are better positioned to help these organizations achieve a broad range of objectives - from audience acquisition to membership development."

Some of the clients the Chocago office will serve include the National Restaurant Association, ISSA, BAI, the International Carwash Association and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

mdg owners Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes and Vincent Polito said they believe in creating a footprint in the markets they serve, having opened branch offices in Washington, D.C., in 2013 and Reston, VA, in 2014.

“Our largest concentration of clients is still in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, but next on the list is Chicago,”  Hardcastle-Geddes said.

She added, “This move will facilitate more face-to-face interaction between mdg and current and prospective clients, which, after all, is the driving force of the events industry itself.”

Polito echoed the sentiment and said, “Over the past couple of years, mdg has developed quite a bit of new business from clients in Chicago, Milwaukee and Indianapolis. As such, we want to ensure that we are readily available for meetings to discuss everything from big-picture strategy to day-to-day tactical execution to evaluating the results of our campaigns.”

The Chicago office will be staffed by a team of marketing strategists and live event experts and will be supported by mdg specialists (messaging, branding, digital, international marketing, VIP attendee acquisition, etc.) from the East and West Coast offices.

"mdg's presence in Chicago speaks to our city's importance as a leader in the meetings industry and will enhance Chicago's attractiveness to Midwest-based organizations in this space, as well as those looking for their next event venue,” said David Whitaker, president and CEO of Choose Chicago.