The OLC Education and Conference Center

The OLC Education and Conference Center Open 7 days a week for events. Proudly IACC Certified | 30+ years as Chicago's high-tech venue for meetings and training.

A full-service, state-of-the-art IACC Certified and meeting and conference event venue offering flexible meeting spaces for corporate, association and medical meetings and training events for 10 to 180 attendees. Celebrating over 30 years of excellence, the OLC is a premier education and conference facility designed for profession learning and technical training. Proudly IACC Certified,

the OLC is recognized in the top 1% of venues worldwide, delivering unmatched standards in service, AV, and meeting environments. Located in Rosemont near O’Hare, the OLC features over 14,000 sq ft of high-tech meeting space, classrooms, wet labs, and a simulation suite—plus on-site catering and free parking.

- Venue-wide WiFi
- Flexible meeting space that accommodates up to 180 for educational and seminar sessions
- Expansive bio-skills training lab with 29 fully-equipped clinical lab stations for simultaneous, hands-on learning
- Two innovative conference/board rooms that combine to hold up to 24 people
- All meeting space conveniently located on the first floor for easy accessibility
- A fully equipped HD broadcast video studio capable of recording and live video-streaming
- On-site AV production/editing suite
- Cutting-edge HD AV equipment – including HD projectors and cameras, and large LED presentation screens – all included in room rental

Report: More than half of attendees would rather spend most of their event outside the traditional workplace session roo...
09/04/2026

Report: More than half of attendees would rather spend most of their event outside the traditional workplace session room.

The latest research found 54% prefer learning elsewhere, with product discovery (50%), useful or shareable takeaways (40%), and peer-to-peer interaction (35%) among the biggest draws. Attendees also want more time between sessions to talk, process, and connect.

For planners, that has already been changing what counts as the learning environment. Lounges, meals, demo areas, and the spaces between sessions all have a role - provided they are designed with enough structure to help people actually use them.

Read the full Associations Now article on why attendees are pushing learning beyond the session room: https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/report-attendees-want-unconventional-learning/

Join us on Wednesday, September 16, for the next executive working lunch in the series. Rethinking Your Association’s ...
08/27/2026

Join us on Wednesday, September 16, for the next executive working lunch in the series.

Rethinking Your Association’s Growth Potential: The Next Steps
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM CDT
OLC Education & Conference Center | Rosemont, IL
Lunch included. Free to attend.

Moderated by Dean West, FASAE, President of Association Laboratory. The conversation will bring together leaders from AAOS, ASA, and ASN to discuss the forces already shaping next year’s plans. This complimentary, in-person session is designed for association professionals who are actively thinking about growth seriously.

Built as a working lunch – not a passive presentation – the discussion will focus on questions many executive teams are already asking.

Attendees can expect peer-level conversation and actionable insights.

Space is limited. Learn more and register: https://olcevents.com/sep-exec-lunch/

An attendee can love the keynote and still leave with a poor impression of the event.They experience the whole day: the ...
08/27/2026

An attendee can love the keynote and still leave with a poor impression of the event.

They experience the whole day: the room, the sound, the transitions, the food, the time between sessions and whether conversations happen naturally.

That is the clearest point in Smart Meetings’ article. Experience is entering the ROI discussion because those details affect what people absorb, who they meet and what they remember.

At OLC, that thinking shapes how events are planned. Room setup, acoustics, pacing and hospitality are considered together because each one changes how well people can focus, learn and connect.

Read more: https://www.smartmeetings.com/meeting-planning/183130/experience-is-the-new-roi

# SmartMeetings

Burnout can begin when every difficult moment lands on the same person.One leader is expected to solve the crisis, reass...
08/22/2026

Burnout can begin when every difficult moment lands on the same person.

One leader is expected to solve the crisis, reassure the staff, make the call, and absorb the strain. Over time, that arrangement becomes a liability for both the leader and the organization.

The Center for Stress Intelligence identifies six common responses to pressure. “Firefighters” act quickly. “Lighthouses” focus on steadiness and morale. “Stoics” rely on logic and discipline. Each response has strengths; trouble starts when a team depends on one style - or one person - for every situation.

For association executives and boards, the question is not who performs best under stress. It is whether responsibility is shared before the next crisis arrives.

Read the full Associations Now article: https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/how-leaders-can-combat-burnout/

OLC's, Lisé Puckorius, CAE, CEO, is in Indy, IN for !One of the most valuable parts of this year's Annual Meeting is th...
08/18/2026

OLC's, Lisé Puckorius, CAE, CEO, is in Indy, IN for !

One of the most valuable parts of this year's Annual Meeting is the chance to step outside the day-to-day and hear what association leaders are seeing, testing, and learning.

This year’s theme, “Driven by Purpose,” is at the center of conversations about growth, new tech, and the realities of leading an organization today - and how the OLC can continue supporting them.

Also, ask her about the second Association Executive Working Lunch set for Sept.16 at the OLC as well. Free to attend and sponsored by OLC, Showcare, CNTV, Map Your Show, and Shepard.

Rethinking Your Association’s Growth Potential: The Next Steps
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM CDT
OLC Education & Conference Center | Rosemont, IL
Lunch included. Free to attend.

OLC’s own Josh Cox and Kathy Klabacha have been greeting golfers at the OLC booth at Hole 1 at the Rosemont Chamber of C...
08/17/2026

OLC’s own Josh Cox and Kathy Klabacha have been greeting golfers at the OLC booth at Hole 1 at the Rosemont Chamber of Commerce’s 32nd Annual Golf Outing. They are sharing a great lineup of giveaways. Golfers, enjoy the day and hope you have a great round.

Thanks to all for supporting this College Scholarship Program for graduating high school seniors!

It’s a great day for golf! ⛳ The OLC is proud to support the Rosemont Chamber of Commerce’s 32nd Annual Golf Outing, wit...
08/17/2026

It’s a great day for golf! ⛳ The OLC is proud to support the Rosemont Chamber of Commerce’s 32nd Annual Golf Outing, with proceeds benefiting its College Scholarship Program for graduating high school seniors.

Find our own Kathy Klabacha and Josh Cox at the OLC booth at Hole 1, where they’re welcoming golfers with a great lineup of giveaways. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

Our very own CEO, Lisé Puckorius, CMP, CAE is heading to Indianapolis for the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition!From...
08/13/2026

Our very own CEO, Lisé Puckorius, CMP, CAE is heading to Indianapolis for the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition!

From August 15 -18, association leaders and industry partners will come together to exchange ideas, strengthen connections, and consider what’s next for their organizations.

We’re especially looking forward to conversations about sustainable growth, member value, and the role thoughtfully designed meetings can play in building belonging and moving organizations forward.

Will you be attending ASAE 2026? Let us know!

A recent Harvard Business Review article found that among more than 6,000 workers and 20 office amenities, quiet was the...
08/13/2026

A recent Harvard Business Review article found that among more than 6,000 workers and 20 office amenities, quiet was the only one that consistently distinguished high-performing teams.

In fact, members of the strongest teams were 52% more likely to have access to a place where they could concentrate without interruption. Remote, hybrid and fully in-person teams appeared in that top-performing group at similar rates.

At the OLC, we often observe the best meetings alternate between conversation and concentration. Participants need enough quiet to work through a difficult question before the room reconvenes.

That’s why our acoustics and room setup are always part of the program design for exactly that reason.

Read HBR’s findings: https://hbr.org/2026/07/the-office-amenity-that-actually-improves-teamwork

AI may be removing the very work that taught humans how to think.Research, documentation, data cleanup and preliminary a...
08/11/2026

AI may be removing the very work that taught humans how to think.

Research, documentation, data cleanup and preliminary analysis have long given early-career employees the repetitions that build judgment. McKinsey reports that one-third of employers say AI has already reduced these foundational, skill-building tasks.

That creates a management problem: if newer employees stop doing the basic work, how will they learn to spot mistakes, make sound decisions and eventually lead?

McKinsey argues that a few training sessions will not solve the problem. Companies need to rethink how people learn on the job - what junior employees practice, how managers give feedback and how experienced employees pass down what they know.

McKinsey’s article examines what that could look like: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/building-expertise-in-the-age-of-ai-who-trains-the-next-generation

Address

9400 W Higgins Road, Ste 100
Rosemont, IL
60018

Telephone

(847) 384-4210

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