Volunteer Q and A

What does a Chicago Greeter volunteer actually do?

• Showcases our city to visitors.
  
• Makes a big city feel more familiar and friendly.
  
• Imparts knowledge of Chicago’s public transportation system to visitors.
  
• Facilitates discovery of Chicago neighborhoods.
  
• Demonstrates how Chicagoans live, play and raise their families.
  
• Connects visitors with a “friend” in the city.
  
• Provides visitors with a Chicago experience from a local's perspective.

Who are the volunteers? How are they selected and trained?
Greeters are a diverse corps of more than 170 Chicagoans from various walks of life and neighborhoods.

Applicants selected for interview are enthusiastic, knowledgeable about Chicago, professional, and fit our current foreign language and neighborhood knowledge needs. They are chosen regardless of race, color, creed, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status or disability.

Accepted applicants must complete training that includes accompanying Chicago Greeter and InstaGreeter visits.

Who are the travelers that use Chicago Greeter?

• Visitors who would like a “friend” to help them get the most of their stay in Chicago
  
• Visitors who want to discover something “off the beaten path”
  
• Newly relocated Chicago residents or those soon relocating to Chicago
  
• Working journalists writing about Chicago or Chicago Greeter

How are Greeters and visitors matched?  Where do they meet?
Visitor-specified neighborhoods/interests and language, and mutual availability are used to match greeters and individual visitors or travel parties of six or fewer. Then the Chicago Greeter staff sends the visitor a confirmation: greeter’s name, visit date and time, and neighborhood or special interest to be explored.

All visits begin at the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph Street) Visitor Information Center.

How do visitors hear about Chicago Greeter?
Publicity is generated worldwide. Various print, broadcast and online media including newspapers, magazines, guidebooks, in-flight magazines and hotel magazines feature Chicago Greeter. And visitors can learn about Chicago Greeter through our website, Global Greeter Network's, Chicago Office of Tourism's and other tourism-related sites. Of course, word of mouth is a great resource too, so feel free to tell a friend or e-mail this link.

Who administers the program?
Launched in 2002, Chicago Greeter is a free service presented by the City of Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.