The Tech & Travel media gathering at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile integrated family travel, automobile tech upgrades and search optimization for bloggers. All this in one compact educational program plus an elegant three-course lunch. The event was sponsored by TravelingMom.com and Techlicious.com.

The historic hotel was built in 1929 as a private athletic club and retains many of its original architecture features. We toured the newly renovated guest rooms, done up in soothing shades of sapphire and gray. We also caught a peek of the landmark junior Olympic indoor swimming pool on the 14^th floor.

Representatives from the Consumer Electronics Association, now the Consumer Technology Association, displayed an array of new tech products that make driving safer. The majority of cars on the road today were manufactured before the first iPhones, more than 11 years ago, they said. But these vehicles can benefit from the latest technology with sophisticated add-on equipment. The offerings include smartphone integration, dash cams, back-up cameras and sensors that keep you in your lane, within the speed limit and out of collisions.

The hotel’s executive chef Randy Reed demonstrated how to make our desert, apple dumplings indulged in fireball cinnamon whiskey caramel flambe.

Also on the menu were a charlotte of peeky toe crab with avocado, tomato gelee and petite mesclun greens with shallot vinaigrette. The entrée was pan-seared halibut with tomato olive relish, wilted spinach, olive oil confit and purple potatoes.

During lunch, Josh Kirschner of Techlicious.com, a tech education site, gave us pointers for attracting more viewers to our blogs and websites. Sixty-four percent of site visitors come via search engines, so the position of your content on search engine review pages significantly affects how many people click. His advice: Video, rich snippets and numbered lists do well. Word counts between 400 and 700 per article are best.

The InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

505 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611

312-944-4100