Protecting our client’s investment is an all-hands-on-deck event during public festivities.
Benefits and protections for managed buildings during large public events
Each November, Chicago kicks off the holiday season with the spectacular Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. The centerpiece of the festival is the largest nighttime parade in the U.S., attracting more than a million spectators in a relatively confined space to watch Mickey and Minnie Mouse illuminate 1 million lights on 200+ trees as the parade proceeds down North Michigan Ave. (“The Magnificent Mile”) to the Chicago River.
GNP Realty’s headquarters are in the GNP-managed REALTOR® Building at 430 N. Michigan Ave. This means we not only have a front-row seat for the holiday extravaganza but are part of the parade event. It also means our lobby and security team have added responsibility for the night. We take the following steps to ensure our client’s investment (and our headquarters) remains secure and safe while providing a welcoming environment for tenants and guests.
- Timely communications. Communicating with tenants about what to expect the day of an event is critical, including street closures, parking access and changes to building security procedures.
- Ground security. While the REALTOR® Building has 24-hour concierge/security, we add six or more security personnel to protect the grounds and be prepared for a public emergency.
- Building access. We monitor access to all building entrances — aiming to strike a balance between strict adherence to our electronic access system and welcoming tenants and guests.
- Coordination with event organizers. Our property engineers work with the city’s Magnificent Mile Association and event sponsor Disney to coordinate turning on our Christmas lights at the precise moment Mickey points his wand at the building.
- Clean-up. We undertake extra efforts to clean the public areas in front of and adjacent to the building, even though the city is responsible for post-event clean-up. The huge crowd size means a lot of left-behind trash and overflowing garbage bins. We take pride in ensuring the properties we manage are always clean and appear well-cared for — inside and out.
Learn more about GNP’s building concierge and security arm, Chicago Five-O Services.
