Our Brand
Since its inception, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. has grown exponentially and earned the reputation of successfully bringing together buyers and sellers in multiple industries.
In celebration of this growth, we’re proud to announce a new name and identity, which better represent our mission and positioning.
MMPI is the world’s leading owner and operator of showroom buildings and trade show facilities, bringing buyers and sellers together in more than 300 market events, trade and consumer shows and conferences each year
OUR HISTORY
Our company has evolved and expanded far beyond The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, where the original double "M" logo is literally etched in stone on the walls. MMPI now manages buildings throughout North America and produces renowned trade shows and consumer events in more than 16 cities and three countries.
OUR NAME
Our new name, MMPI, salutes our history but better represents our mission of bringing buyers and sellers together in markets worldwide. Our clients, tenants, partners and colleagues already refer to us as MMPI so this change is a more accurate representation of our company as a whole. It also reflects our growth beyond The Merchandise Mart in Chicago.
OUR IDENTITY
When implemented successfully, an identity has the potential to communicate a history, a positioning and a theme—all while extending the brand. To visually communicate MMPI's story, we worked with award winning graphic designer, Rick Valicenti, founder and design director of Thirst/Chicago. In 2006 Rick was awarded the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) Medal, the highest honor in the graphic design profession, for his sustained contribution to design excellence and development of the profession. Rick has served clients such as Holly Hunt, Chicago Architectural Foundation, Wright Auctions and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
After evaluating MMPI's mission and positioning, we chose a square as the inspiration for our new MMPI identity. The square is the essential building block to MMPI's story because it represents buildings, booths, city blocks, communities and trade show floors. The boundaries of a square create space; MMPI is in the business of developing, managing, selling and marketing space. The word "marketplace" is synonymous with "square." Overlapping squares illustrate buyers and sellers coming together in the marketplaces created in MMPI's buildings, shows and events. Taking inspiration from the space created by a square, we've developed a simple yet powerful identity that successfully communicates MMPI's mission—at the intersection of buyers and sellers.
Along with the new name, we are pleased to introduce our new logo.
You may be familiar with one or more of MMPI's renonwned properties, trade shows and consumer events. Each will continue to maintain its individual brand and Web site.
