Why to work at your company's headquarters

At lunch with one of my former professors, we were discussing livable cities and companies in advertising and marketing headquartered there. It wasn't until then that I realized all the benefits I receive at work because my company's Chicago office is our headquarters.

Just a few examples:

1. Accessibility to higher leadership
Although authority figures travel a lot, both the president and CEO label Chicago as their main office - as does the majority of our managing board. Whether you are in a meeting or just an elevator with someone, you can always access those that run the company in some form or another. 

2. Learning opportunities
From brown bag lunches with individuals within the company to other company visits, there is always an emerging topic in media being addressed, measurement solution presented or industry issue to learn about. Other companies often come in to "schmooze" us with tutorials and put themselves on our radar, so it's nice to be in the center of that.

3. Free lunch
I'm not kidding! Groceries and food are not one of my main expenses because I have so much free food at work. From  free Kellogg cereal for breakfast every morning, lunch meetings and vendor dinners, I have gotten to try many Chicago restaurants that I otherwise couldn't afford :).

A photo of my company's headquarters in the Leo Burnett building at 35 W Wacker. Source: Wikipedia