SC26, the International Conference for High Performance Computing, runs from 15 to 20 November 2026 at McCormick Place in Chicago, according to the SC26 website. The conference brings researchers, national laboratory and university teams, system vendors and data-centre engineers to the lakefront campus for a week of papers, tutorials, workshops and a large technical exhibition. The organiser describes the attendance simply as thousands of attendees each year.
McCormick Place is south of the Loop, and most attendees sleep in Loop, South Loop and Magnificent Mile hotels. The official hotel shuttles handle the daily commute well. Elly8.net covers the rest: fixed airport transfers at Chicago prices from US$215 in a business sedan from O'Hare and US$160 from Midway, hourly cars for exhibitor teams and evening events, and Sprinters for groups with kit.
What is the best way to get to SC26 at McCormick Place?
Book a fixed transfer from O'Hare to your Loop or Magnificent Mile hotel, from US$215 in a business sedan to US$560 in an Executive Sprinter, then use the SC26 hotel shuttles for daily sessions. For exhibitor set-up, customer dinners and late events, keep a chauffeur by the hour from US$100 an hour.
The SC26 Navigating SC page explains that the conference runs shuttle buses between select hotels and the convention centre, but not every hotel gets one, because some are within walking distance; past shuttles ran every 15 to 30 minutes, and the map and schedule are posted on the Housing and Shuttles page in the autumn. If your hotel is off the shuttle map, a car fills the gap.
See Chicago prices and reserve
The geography of SC26 week
McCormick Place sits on the Near South Side, by the lake. By road it is about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Loop and Magnificent Mile centre point we use for Chicago fares, around 7 minutes on a clear road, and much longer at the morning and evening peaks on DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue. The campus has several buildings with separate entrances, set out on the McCormick Place getting-here page: the North and South Buildings at 2301 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, the West Building at 2301 S. Indiana Avenue, and the Lakeside Center on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
| Route | Distance | Clear-road time | Elly8.net fixed fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| O'Hare (ORD) to the Loop and Magnificent Mile | about 22 mi (35 km) | about 56 min | from US$215 to US$560 |
| ORD round trip | from US$410 to US$1,065 | ||
| Midway (MDW) to the Loop and Magnificent Mile | about 13 mi (21 km) | about 28 min | from US$160 to US$420 |
| MDW round trip | from US$305 to US$800 | ||
| Loop hotels to McCormick Place | about 3 mi (4.8 km) | about 7 min | by the hour from US$100 an hour |
Going straight from the airport to McCormick Place, for an exhibitor arriving on set-up day for example, is about 24 miles (39 km) from O'Hare and about 10 miles (16 km) from Midway by road. Enter the campus as the drop-off in the web booker for an exact fixed price.
Arriving at O'Hare or Midway
Most SC26 attendees fly into O'Hare (ORD). The Chicago Department of Aviation explains that for pre-arranged services the driver meets arriving passengers in baggage claim, helps with the luggage and walks them to the livery parking across from the terminal, typically a 5 to 7 minute walk (flychicago.com). The Elly8.net chauffeur tracks the flight and waits with a name board, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing.
O'Hare to the Loop is about 22 miles (35 km), around 56 minutes on a clear road, and well over an hour at the evening peak on the Kennedy Expressway. Fixed transfers run from US$215 in a business sedan and US$280 in a business SUV to US$560 in an Executive Sprinter. Midway (MDW) is closer, about 13 miles (21 km) and 28 minutes on a clear road, from US$160 to US$420, and works the same way at the kerb. All prices are all-in with chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. See airport transfers.
Sunday 15 November, when the First-Timers Orientation opens the week, is the busiest arrival day. SC26 asks attendees to collect badges in person at the McCormick Place registration desk, with government-issued photo ID, and recommends doing it the day before your first session. If you want to stop at registration on the way from the airport, tell the desk and we book the stop.
The SC26 plan: when a chauffeur makes sense
Exhibitors and set-up. System vendors and laboratories arrive early with equipment, cases and staff before the exhibition opens. The exhibits run Tuesday to Thursday, according to SC26. An Executive Sprinter moves a booth team and its carry-on kit in one trip; hourly Sprinter service in Chicago is US$200 an hour with a 3-hour minimum.
Meetings and briefings. Sales engineers and account teams often run customer briefings at hotels or offices in the Loop between exhibit hours. An hourly chauffeur, from US$100 an hour in a business sedan, keeps a car close and comes to the door when you message. For a day of back-to-back meetings, the 8-hour full-day chauffeur runs from US$740 to US$1,475 and the 10-hour corporate roadshow day from US$900 to US$1,800. See roadshow chauffeur.
Customer dinners and receptions. Vendor receptions and customer dinners fill the evenings in River North, the West Loop and the Magnificent Mile. The 5-hour evening out and event night package runs from US$500 in a business sedan to US$1,000 in an Executive Sprinter, with the chauffeur waiting through dinner. Chauffeurs follow local rules on alcohol in vehicles.
Laboratory and university delegations. Groups travelling together on one budget do well with a Sprinter for the airport legs and one invoice. See group transportation and conference transportation.
Discretion. Some SC26 conversations involve unreleased systems and government programmes. NDAs are available on request. Elly8.net is a chauffeur service, not a security company.
Picking up at McCormick Place
The campus is large, and the right door depends on which building your session or booth is in. McCormick Place suggests Gate 40, on the west side of the West Building on S. Indiana Avenue, for app-ride pickups during busy events, and publishes a gates and loading-zone map. Event parking for the North, South and West Buildings is Lot A, and for the Lakeside Center Lot C; parking for a waiting chauffeur is billed at cost.
Before each pickup, the chauffeur sends the exact gate and vehicle details by message. At the evening rush, when sessions and the exhibition close together, the desk often picks a gate a short walk from the busiest one; the chauffeur will tell you which.
Corporate accounts for SC26 teams
Vendors and institutions sending a team can open a corporate account: every traveller's rides on one monthly invoice, itemised by passenger and project code, with one contact at the desk. Travel coordinators can book and change cars for the whole delegation. Agencies managing travel for a laboratory or a sponsor can use a travel agent account. For business travel beyond the conference, see corporate car service.
Elly8.net vs the shuttles, the L, taxis and apps
Chicago has genuinely good airport trains, and we would rather you use them when they fit. The CTA Blue Line runs 24 hours a day from O'Hare through downtown, with a normal travel time of 40 to 45 minutes, and the Orange Line runs from Midway to the Loop in 20 to 25 minutes (transitchicago.com). A regular L ride is US$2.50, and a trip starting at O'Hare costs US$5 (CTA fares). The SC26 shuttles cover the daily hotel commute for attendees on the shuttle map.
| Option | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| CTA Blue Line from O'Hare | US$5 | solo travellers with light bags, daytime |
| CTA Orange Line from Midway | US$2.50 | solo travellers going to the Loop |
| SC26 hotel shuttle | included for attendees | daily sessions from shuttle hotels |
| App ride or taxi | metered or demand-priced | short hops, flexible travellers |
| Elly8.net business sedan from ORD | from US$215, fixed and all-in | late flights, executives, fixed budgets |
| Elly8.net Executive Sprinter | from US$560 from ORD, fixed | teams with luggage and kit |
The honest reading: one researcher with a backpack does well on the Blue Line and the shuttle. A pre-booked car wins for late arrivals in November weather, for exhibitor teams with cases, for executives with meetings soon after landing, and for evening events where app prices rise when every reception ends at once. See chauffeur vs Uber and Lyft, chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs shared airport shuttle.
Prices in Chicago
Chicago prices are fixed, all-in per vehicle, and include chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet. Tolls and parking are billed at cost, and the price list does not change for SC26.
- O'Hare to the Loop and Magnificent Mile: from US$215 to US$560; round trip from US$410 to US$1,065.
- Midway to the Loop and Magnificent Mile: from US$160 to US$420; round trip from US$305 to US$800.
- By the hour: from US$100 to US$200 an hour, 3-hour minimum.
- Evening out and event night (5 hours): from US$500 to US$1,000.
- Full-day chauffeur (8 hours): from US$740 to US$1,475.
- Corporate roadshow day (10 hours): from US$900 to US$1,800.
McCormick Place stays busy after SC26: the RSNA annual meeting follows from November 29 to December 3, 2026 (rsna.org), and Thanksgiving travel falls between the two. Reserve as soon as your flights are fixed.
How to book
- Enter your pickup and drop-off, with your flight number for airport pickups. Loop and Magnificent Mile fares are on the Chicago page; for McCormick Place, a hotel outside the centre or a restaurant, use the web booker.
- Choose the vehicle: business or First Class sedan, SUV, or an Executive Sprinter for teams.
- Select Reserve now and pay by card, or book on a corporate account. Confirmation comes by email, and chauffeur details follow before pickup.
Rides in Chicago are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. For flights and hotels, our travel partner is BookingWorldwide.net.
Before or after SC26
The signature Chicago day trip is a 10-hour visit to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, from US$920 in a business sedan to US$1,840 in an Executive Sprinter. Visiting a customer or a laboratory elsewhere in the Midwest, Elly8.net also covers Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Detroit, and a city-to-city car service links them by road.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is SC26?
SC26 runs from 15 to 20 November 2026 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The First-Timers Orientation is on Sunday 15 November and the exhibits are open Tuesday to Thursday. Badges are collected in person at the McCormick Place registration desk with government-issued photo ID.
How much is a car from O'Hare to downtown Chicago?
Fixed transfers from O'Hare to the Loop and Magnificent Mile run from US$215 in a business sedan and US$280 in a business SUV to US$560 in an Executive Sprinter, all-in with chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. From Midway, fares run from US$160 to US$420.
Where does the chauffeur meet me at O'Hare?
In the baggage claim area with a name board, after tracking your flight. The chauffeur helps with your bags and walks you to the livery parking across from the terminal, which the airport puts at a 5 to 7 minute walk. Waiting is complimentary after a tracked landing.
Should I use the SC26 shuttle or a car?
If your hotel is on the shuttle map, use the shuttle for daily sessions. Book a car for the airport, for hotels off the shuttle map, for exhibitor teams with kit, and for evening receptions and customer dinners.
Where are pickups at McCormick Place?
It depends on the building. McCormick Place suggests Gate 40 on S. Indiana Avenue, on the west side of the West Building, for app pickups during busy events. Your chauffeur sends the exact gate and vehicle details by message before each pickup.
Can our laboratory or company put all rides on one invoice?
Yes. A corporate account puts every traveller's rides on one monthly invoice, itemised by passenger and project, and lets coordinators book and change cars for the team. NDAs are available on request.
What is the cancellation policy?
More than 72 hours before pickup, cancellation is free; 72 hours or less costs 10%; 48 hours or less, 50%; 24 hours or less or a no-show, 100%. Refunds go to the original card.
