I’d like to join too! Thanks @ThomasMGeo for the suggestion!
To throw out a meeting place suggestion: what if we meet near one of the entrances to the conference center and walk to our chosen drink/food location as a group? I have never been to the conference center, but I’ve circled an area on the map below by the stairs near the main entrance of the conference center where we can gather at 5pm. The entrance is just off of McCormick Square, which you can find on Google Maps for reference.
If anyone local to Chicago has any suggested bars/restaurants in the area, that would be great!