Chicago Innovation Tour - Pre-Conference 2026
Monday, June 15, 2026 (7:30 AM - 3:00 PM) (CDT)
Description
Monday, June 15 | 7:30 am - 3:00 pm
Tour participants are required to stay at the conference hotel with the rest of the tour group.
Participants must arrive at the conference hotel, the Loews Chicago ORD Hotel, by 10:00 pm on Sunday, June 14.
Tour ends and returns to the Loews Hotel at 3:00 pm in time for the Conference Welcome, Keynote, and Opening Reception.
*Colleges and tour schedules are subject to change at any time*
We will be visiting the following colleges in this order
| Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL |
 |  |
Limit: 50 participants (including tour leaders) who are also registered for the conference
Registration Fee: $80
Payment due immediately: Please note that you must pay your tour registration fee as part of the registration process. Due to heavy demand for the tours, we are not able to hold your place if you delay payment.
Cancellation/refund policy:
a. If there is no waitlist we are unable to issue refunds for cancellations, regardless of the reason.
b. If a registrant requests a cancellation and a waitlisted participant takes the spot, a refund - minus a processing fee - will be issued once their registration and payment are complete. The deadline to cancel one’s registration and request a refund is May 15.
c. Waitlisted participants will have 48 hours to complete their registration and payment before we offer the spot to the next person on the waitlist.
Registrations are not transferable. Tour organizers must be notified of any cancellations by emailing collegetours@hecaonline.org.
Full participation required: When you register for a tour, you make a commitment to participate in the entire tour and are required to:
- join the tour at the official report time and location, and stay until the official end time;
- visit all the colleges on the tour itinerary and participate in each scheduled event during each tour;
- stay in the HECA room block at the tour hotel(s), regardless of other housing options (required to meet HECA hotel commitment; out of fairness to all, there are no exceptions);
- travel on the tour bus (gain the benefit of getting to know your HECA colleagues - a lasting benefit of the tours!);
- be ready for extensive walking across campuses, in all types of weather, and climbing stairs, even if only to access the bus. When registering, participants will be asked to indicate physical needs accommodation. Every effort will be made to ensure participant safety but please keep this in mind with regard to your personal comfort level and physical stamina.
Informal participation not permitted: Individuals not participating in the official tours may not join the events at the colleges or schedule individual tours on the same day.
Tour agreement: As part of registration, you will be asked to read the Gentle Reminders and agree to the College Tour Terms and Conditions. All participants will be required to sign a Tour Waiver form.
Compliance: Tour policies are provided in advance to avoid participants making arrangements outside of policy guidelines. Policies have been developed after much thought and consideration of fairness to members and volunteers. Not following policy may result in the loss of HECA College Tour privileges for one year. Thank you for your understanding of and respect for HECA tour policies and other HECA members.
What's Included
The tour price includes coach transportation between the hotel(s) and all the colleges, with final drop-off at the Loews Chicago ORD Hotel. The price includes lunch on Monday. Lodging is not included and participants must pay to stay in the tour hotels for all nights and are responsible for their own lodging costs. See Hotel Information below.
Travel Arrangements
Arrival and Departure
Participants must arrive at the tour hotel on Sunday, June 14 by 10:00 pm.
The tour ends at the Loews Chicago ORD Hotel on Monday, June 15 at 3:00 pm. All participants must participate until this time.
Please note that much thought and consideration goes into scheduling HECA tours. We take into account possible conflicts with major holidays (including religious observances), other professional development events, the college admissions timeline for HECA members, and the host college scheduling limitations. While we recognize that no schedule will work for everyone, we strive to be respectful of all concerns and offer events that will be valuable to HECA members.
Transportation
Guests for the Chicago Innovation Tour should arrive to the Loews Chicago ORD Hotel by Sunday, June 14 at 10:00 pm.
Hotel Information
Hotel details and booking links were sent with your conference registration.
Each hotel block of rooms is contracted well in advance to keep costs as reasonable as possible and is based on full participation by tour members. HECA must guarantee a certain number of hotel rooms or incur a penalty. Participants must make their own hotel reservations but please do not book hotel rooms until you have registered for the conference and the tour itself.
Please reserve your room as early as possible and identify yourself as part of the HECA tour to obtain the group rate. The HECA group rate is arranged as a courtesy but is not guaranteed. Be sure you understand each hotel's cancellation policy.
A block of single and double rooms has been contracted at each hotel(s) but participants are not guaranteed a particular room type. When reserving a double room, provide the hotel with the names of both tour participants. We are very limited in the flexibility of rooms reserved in the HECA block. If you reserve a double room for your sole use and we need the space, we reserve the right to move you to a single room.
HECA encourages rooming with others and provides a forum to arrange for this, but a roommate is not guaranteed. It is not HECA's responsibility to find roommates for participants. The Roommate Finder and list of tour participants willing to share their contact information are available on the HECA member website.
Sunday, June 14, 2026 (1 night)
Loews Chicago ORD Hotel
Please contact collegetours@hecaonline.org:
- If you are rooming with another HECA member, provide the name of your roommate
- If your plans change and you cannot attend the tour (NOTE: You will be responsible for cancelling your travel plans)
- If you have questions regarding this tour
$80