2012 is the year of the Dragon – and it will be celebrated right here in Chicago with a parade that includes marching bands, floats, lions teams, a mystical dragon, and Miss Friendship Ambassador. Parade step-off time is 1 pm. Chinatown will also be featuring other celebratory activities as early as 11:30 am.

2012 also marks the 100^th Anniversary of Chicago’s Chinatown – there’s lots to celebrate!

Come and explore an amazing culture right in the heart of Chicago.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOI!

If you’re in the holiday spirit and want to “window shop” – head over to Macy’s on State Street to check out their spectacular window display.  You can also head inside to see the Great Tree – it’s the 103^rd year that the 45-foot Great Tree will be lit to celebrate the holidays. It will feature 10,000 LED twinkling lights and 1,200 amazing ornaments.

Holidays not your thing? That’s OK – you can join in on Chicago’s winter tradition: ice skating at Millennium Park’s McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.

Located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison Streets, the Millennium Park Ice Rink draws more than 100,000 skaters annually. The rink is open to the public every day of the week and skating is free. (You read right – FREE!) Skate rentals are available for $10. The rink is in its 11^th season and is open until March 11, 2012, weather permitting.

For Ice Rink hours and additional information, click here.

Also, through January 8, a bit further down the road from OfficeLinks’ Chicago offices, the Navy Pier will host Winter Wonderfest. Escape any winter blahs and enjoy rides, lights, and even fireworks! Admission is free (yes – I said it again! Twice in one post: FREE!), but you do need to pay for an Activity Wristband for any rides or attractions.

For Wonderfest hours and additional information, click here.

Chicago is a wonderful place to be around the holidays and during the winter. Get out there and enjoy every second of it!

To show their support for sustainability, landlords have converted some prime real estate space in their buildings into bicycle storage rooms for tenants.  These spaces have emerged at some of the most desirable addresses throughout Manhattan.

At the top of the list is the Empire State Building, which opened an 800-square foot bike room at the base of the building.  The space, which normally could have been rented at a premium, was re-designed to store bikes as part of the building’s $550 million renovation to make it environmentally friendly.

While landlords are losing potential revenue at the ground floor level, they certainly understand they can gain a competitive edge in a market that is focused on green construction.   They have also found that bike storage facilities have become an effective marketing tool for attracting future eco-friendly tenants.

If your building offered a bike room, would you bike to work?

The Museum’s 45-foot Grand Tree will take center stage in the Rotunda with more than 30,000 lights and 1,000 ornaments, surrounded by more than 50 smaller trees beautifully decorated by volunteers from Chicago’s ethnic communities to represent their various cultures and holiday traditions.

You’re invited to stroll through the trees, enjoy intermittent falling “snow” and savor the performances on the Holiday Stage including school choral groups during the week, and ethnic song and dance performances on the weekends.

Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light exhibit and all performances are included with general museum admission.  General admission is $15, $13 for Chicago residents. For more admission information, click here.

Looking for something a little different? Also through January 8, 2012, The Museum of Science + Industry will feature the There’s Fun to Be Done! Dr. Seuss & The Art of Invention exhibit. There’s no doubt you’ll be amazed by “the thinks you can think” when you explore the mind and ideas of Theodor Seuss Geisel, the creative genius better known to millions and billions as Dr. Seuss. There’s Fun to Be Done! Dr. Seuss & The Art of Invention celebrates the life and art of Dr. Seuss, chronicling the common artistic links appearing in his work. See his multi-faceted talent at work through this collection of early editorial cartoons, drawings, advertisements, paintings and sculptures. Then get ready for whimsical, hands-on activities that focus on Dr. Seuss’s innovative thinking!

There’s Fun to Be Done! Dr. Seuss & The Art of Invention exhibit requires an additional ticket with a specified entry time. For more information, please click here.

The Museum of Science + Industry of Chicago is located at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, less than 8 miles from the OfficeLinks Chicago office space located in Willis Tower.

The Museum is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Christmas Day when it is closed.

For more information about the exhibits mentioned above as well as general information about The Museum of Science + Industry, click here.

An article in Entrepreneur revealed one professional’s opinion about office space and the importance of matching office space to a business’ identity.  It’s all about striking the right balance.

“When I go into a start-up burning $300,000 a month, and they’ve got posh offices with great furniture, I immediately think the leadership team’s priorities are in the wrong place,” says Mark Montgomery from a Nashville, Tenn.-based VC firm.  “On the other side, I don’t think you should have your people sitting on cardboard boxes at a card table. It really is a matter of being practical.”

So what should your office space look like?  First and foremost, it should project a professional image for clients and prospects.  It needs to be functional and provide a number of work environments to suit different needs where employees can thrive.

Montgomery looks back at a recent visit to Google’s Mountain View, Calif. headquarters and says the company’s culture is perfectly reflected in their workplace design.  “There were areas where it was small and tight and closed-off, and that was where the coders lived, and that was right next to big, open spaces.  It was just a great mix of how they tend to operate the business.”

Obviously, office space needs to serve a business; but don’t forget it also should be a place where creativity can be limitless and workers want to invest long hours.

Looking for a unique Halloween-themed experience? Come here after dark on October 20th!

Celebrate Halloween at the Adler Planetarium, about 2 miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago location, on Thursday, October 20, for a “Spooky Space” celebration. Get into character and dress to impress for a Halloween costume contest (yes, there are prizes!), get spooked with scary constellation stories in the Atwood Sphere, sip on this month’s signature cocktail, the Rummy Worm, while you dance the nightmares away as DJ Tim Zawada spins records.

In addition, there will be screenings of some rare sci-fi films hosted by Odd Obsession, as well as some ghostly hauntings in the historic galleries on the lower level.  You can even create your own gooey monster capable of slithering through the states of the old planetarium.

Both the Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater and the Definiti will be running. You can also check out Adler’s newest show, The Searcher, or see what’s happening in the night sky in a special, one-night only Space Mysteries show in the Definiti Theater.

The Doane Observatory will be open for drop-in visitors until 6:45 p.m. From 7:00 p.m. onward, tickets are required for entrance to the observatory. Tour tickets can only be reserved when you purchase advance tickets; tickets will not be available with on-site sales. Please note that access to the Doane is subject to weather.

Advanced tickets to Adler’s After Dark Spooky Space event are $12 for non-members, $9 for members and students (with proper ID); tickets at the door are $17 for non-members, $12 for members and students (with proper ID).   Advanced tickets sales end at noon the day of the event. A cash bar and full cafe menu is available.

The fun doesn’t stop on October 20^th. The third Thursday of every month, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., the Adler Planetarium offers folks 21 and over to enjoy cocktails and appetizers against the award-winning view of the Chicago skyline seen only from the Adler with their Adler After Dark events. Each month Adler After Dark reinvents itself with a new and exciting theme, so there is something new to discover and experience.  Want to find out more? Click here.

Researchers at Ohio State University and the National Institute of Mental Health studied white-collar workers at a government facility in the central U.S. and found varying levels of stress for workers who were placed in different environments.  After one year, the scientists found that individuals assigned to work in the older office building, rather than the newer renovated space, were significantly more stressed even when they weren’t at work.

Alternatively, a carefully planned, well-equipped workspace does help people focus and can encourage creativity.

At some point, businesses will go through the process of securing office space.  Here are some things to consider before signing a new agreement:

• Location:  What does the address say about your business?
• The building:  Does it enhance your image?
• Space:  Does the layout work for your business?  Can it be adapted as needs change.

Choosing the right office space is not a decision that should be taken lightly.  “Getting the right office space is so important because your business will have to live with it for the life of a lease,” says Paul Kelly, head of marketing for Morgan Lovell, a UK-based company that does office build outs and design.

Today’s businesses are dealing with so much uncertainty that a solid office plan will give them the competitive edge they need.

Hurricane Irene got us thinking about disaster plans.

The devastating aftermath of Hurricane Irene has brought the discussion of disaster preparedness to the forefront for many businesses – at least in the short-term.

Sadly, it takes a devastating natural or man-made disaster to prompt a company to look at or even consider developing a business continuity plan.

Having a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy in place gives businesses the comfort of knowing they have a system in place that will keep their operations up and running for its customers, partners and employees.

Businesses often encounter the most problems when their facility or office space is damaged.  Having a back up location for your company is essential for your employees.  The following checklist can help you determine what type of back up office your business needs.

Make sure your back up office has:

• Sufficient capacity for supporting your organization
• Adequate security for your personnel
• Skilled staff in place who can provide business support to your employees
• A technology infrastructure to meet your business’ needs

Going through this exercise in advance will save your business a lot of hardship in the future.

On the upside, a Babson College professor looked at this recent challenge as an opportunity for entrepreneurs and said, “Often large disruptions such as natural disasters create the basis for new business opportunities.”

This year’s music performances include:

-       Johnny Wagner Band: 11:45 a.m to 2 p.m. Daily

-       Maggie Speaks: 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14

-       Sixteen Candles: 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15

-       Sorry For Partying: 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16

On Thursday, September 15 between 3-5 pm, The Berghoff will attempt to break the Midwest record for the longest brat. Bites of the brat will be sold as a fundraiser for the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, whose residential, aftercare, and mentoring programs provide safety and opportunity for more than 400 young people every year.

There will also be two raffles to benefit the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.

The Berghoff Brat will be around town starting in August spreading the word about this year’s Oktoberfest. “Spot” him, snap a pic, and share it on Twitter or Facebook for a chance to win t-shirts, steins, free food & drinks at Oktoberfest, a bar party for you and 10 of your friends and more!

Prost!

Of the 600 human resource professionals surveyed, 77 percent of companies report that their employee offerings have been on a steady decline for the past five years.

U.S. News and World Report recently listed 21 workplace perks that are becoming a piece history for most companies.   It’s doubtful many of these benefits will be re-instated and are most likely gone forever.

Topping the list of benefits that are disappearing:

Traditional pension plans:  Today, just 22 percent of firms offer a retirement plan guaranteeing payments for life.  Historically, Americans are not good savers.  The lack of a traditional pension plan could be a major financial concern as workers map out a retirement strategy.

Retiree health care coverage:  Workers can no longer rely on their companies to provide health care coverage upon retirement. The SHRM survey revealed that only 25 percent of companies offer retiree health insurance.

Professional development:  If you are thinking about attending a conference and expect your company to foot the bill – think again.  Cutting back on professional development is an immediate way for businesses to contain costs.  On a positive note, these types of perks tend to return as economic conditions improve.

What remains to be seen is how this shift away from employee perks will impact the recruitment and retention of top workers going forward