Be Found Online at The Exchange: Chicago Dog Pins and AI Visibility at Soldier Field

April 20, 2026

4 Minute Read

be found online chicagoland chamber of commerce digital marketing

Last week, Be Found Online was proud to participate at The Exchange for the very first time! I had been to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce’s quintessentially Chicago event before as an attendee, but to get to be on the other side of the booth with the agency as a full-fledged chamber member was arguably more fun!

steve krull and ryley krull at the exchange 2026

BFO recently decided to rejoin the community with the intention to show up, have fun, and introduce more of the Chicago business community to how we can help with their AI visibility (AKA ensuring your brand appears in AI-generated answers and LLM chat results). When we jumped back into the chamber, I knew we needed to be at The Exchange.

A Truly Chicago Experience

be found online digital marketing at soldier field

If you’re not familiar with the event, The Exchange is basically Chicago’s best business block party, where you ditch stuffy boardrooms to try amazing food from local restaurants and actually connect with the innovators making our city run. Hosted at the legendary Soldier Field, the event is a total blast where you can hustle through high-speed networking, snag some uniquely Chicago swag at the local vendor booths (The Field Museum wins for me), and celebrate the businesses that make Chicago so unique.

BFO in the Exhibition Hall

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Because I had been to The Exchange before, I knew that the name of the game was having fun items to give away at the booth (some vendors go ALL out!).

In addition to BFO cookies and our increasingly-famous hot dog enamel pins, we raffled off expert-led AI Visibility via a free AIQ Discovery! Though I love seeing how excited folks in Chicago get about our hot dog pins (no ketchup, of course), it was even more exciting to me to hear how many people are thinking about how their brands are showing up in AI search. I was impressed with how knowledgeable everyone seemed to be with how much is changing in online visibility and how important it is to be considered for AI search.

A Part of the Chicago Community

be found online the exchange 2026

I walked away from The Exchange thinking about how cool it was to have Be Found Online standing alongside so many incredible Chicago brands and organizations against the iconic backdrop of Soldier Field. Between the great conversations, the incredible food, and the camaraderie only Chicago can bring, it’s an honor to say that BFO is a member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce… and the unmatchable Chicago community!

A few key takeaways for me:

Expanding Our Community: Be Found Online has a whole new set for friends in the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce community
In-Person Matters: Put it this way, you can’t enjoy a Goose Island 312 at Soldier Field with fellow Chicagoans via a Zoom meeting.
AI Visibility on the Brain: the level of understanding that Business leaders already have regarding their AI search visibility is astounding, signaling a shift in how Chicago companies prioritize their online presence for the future..
Commitment to Community: The overwhelming sentiment of the event was “support.” There was a feeling of “we all live here, we want everyone to succeed” in the air all day, from setup to tear down.

kyle geib be found online the exchange chicagoland chamber of commerce 2026
If you were at The Exchange and didn’t get a chance to say hello, or if you need help with your online visibility, be sure to reach out!

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Kyle Geib

As Director of Marketing and Digital Communications, Kyle brings an extra layer of enthusiasm to BFO’s incredible team of experts. Dedicated to continuing to cultivate BFO’s presence as a unique and knowledgeable voice in the industry, he leans into his experience marketing in both the B2C and B2B spaces.