Medical trade show dropping Chicago

The Chicago Tribune reports:

A premier medical trade show is dropping Chicago for its 2012 gathering and heading to Las Vegas instead, citing the high cost of labor at McCormick Place, a source familiar with the decision told the Tribune.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting, which held its first show at McCormick Place in April, is a choice piece of business for the city. It draws 24,000 delegates and generates about $52 million in spending locally.

The annual show rotates between several cities, and 2012 had been the next time it was scheduled for Chicago.

The decision, which has not been formally announced yet, comes as the city is fighting to save the plastics industry trade show, a triennial show that has been a major staple at McCormick Place since 1971. The show's producer, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, also cited the high costs of exhibiting here as a factor in its decision to consider a move to Orlando in 2012.

Imagine that.