Join the Garmin Chicago team on March 23 for an exclusive first look at the highly anticipated GPSMAP 6000/7000 and 700 series. A reservation is required, so RSVP now for your chance to interact with the newest marine products!

Enjoy light Hors D’oeuvres while listening to a special presentation demonstrating the exclusive Garmin G Motion featured on the new large-format MFD series. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in in-depth Q&A sessions with our product experts. 

Click here for additional event details including RSVP contact info (pdf).

You don’t have to wait until this event to see marine products – just visit the second floor of Garmin Chicago to see an entire line of fish finders, chartplotters, portable devices and marine instruments. With a $100 rebate on the 401/501/506 series, how can you afford not to? Our staff is on hand to answer all your networking and navigation questions, and to help find you the perfect device.

Garmin Chicago carries the latest and greatest in all of our product lines, so stop by and ask about deals not just in marine, but also in fitness, automotive, outdoor and aviation. For a limited time, save 10% on all accessories purchased with a device, and don’t miss the nüvi 1390T or 765T that we are selling bundled with nüMaps lifetime maps for North America.

Calling all customers…the Garmin Chicago store leads the way in customer service! Whether you’re searching for your first GPS or looking to update maps on an existing model, the Chicago Store is ready to help. In fact, here’s what one of our customers had to say after a recent call with one of our associates:

“Just wanted to let you know I had an excellent experience as a customer with Marta in your Chicago Garmin Store. I called from Atlanta trying to figure out which Garmin navigator I need to get a friend. She carefully led me through the Garmin products, software updates, web-updater software, plug ins, etc. You just can’t ask for better customer service. From now on I’ll order my products through the Chicago Store.”

The best part about the service at the Chicago Store is that you don’t have to pay to talk to someone or set an appointment. Our store associates are always on-hand and ready to help. If you’re in the area, stop by the store and see for yourself. Interact with the latest devices in all Garmin categories and get your first look at the aera, aviation’s newest portable device. Visit the Chicago Store page at Garmin.com for hours, phone-order information and watch for upcoming events.   

On a frigid Chicago afternoon, I was hoping for the best. Christian Vande Velde, Team Garmin’s candid and charismatic leader and local cycling legend, had been talking to journalists in a conference room at the Garmin store while fans in the second-floor auditorium enjoyed highlights from the past two summers in France. With the autograph session set to begin, I led those folks down the stairs to the main floor and was amazed at what I saw. Despite bone-chilling temperatures and vacation-filled schedules, the Windy City’s cycling faithful had lined up from the autograph table at the back of the store, winding past the fitness and nüvifone sections, through the nüvi and zumo displays and out the door to Michigan Avenue. Sandwiched between Christmas and New Year’s festivities, there were many other activities that could have been high on an agenda, but nearly 300 people came through the doors of the store, many toting argyle kits, yellow flags from France or snapshots from Christian’s career, and he took time to meet each person in line.

Then, with the official store closing time looming just minutes away, Christian opted for an informal Q-and-A session, entertaining questions straight from the packed auditorium crowd. When asked if he had recovered from numerous recent rough injuries, he wanted to clarify: “Physically or mentally?” It was just one example of an honest and unfiltered conversation with the same people who cheered the Lemont, Illinois, native through his early years. When asked for a podium prediction, he rattled off a couple favorites but then threw in his own name – to much applause. Christian also talked about using the Edge 705 for the past two years and getting to know the new Edge 500 – Garmin’s top cycling computers that many in the crowd seemed familiar with – and how they’ve been instrumental in his training, even giving him more data than he’d ever know how to crunch. And for an audience hungry for information and full of affection, Christian provided many warm memories on a December night and ample motivation for new year’s resolutions.

As one of the top cyclists in the world, Team Garmin’s Christian Vande Velde doesn’t get to spend much time in his hometown of Chicago. But while he’s home for the holidays, he wanted to meet his Windy City supporters at the Garmin store at 663 N. Michigan Avenue. Fans who have tracked Christian’s progress from Lemont, Illinois, to the European peloton to Beijing’s summer games to consecutive top-8 finishes in France will get the chance to meet Garmin’s team leader and ask him a few questions during a cozy meet-and-greet at the only retail store in the world showcasing every one of Garmin’s products and market segments – automotive, aviation, marine, mobile, outdoor recreation and, of course, fitness for Team Garmin and its cycling faithful.

Christian will begin signing autographs promptly at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29, with a Q-and-A session to follow. Fans can hear how this grand tour veteran and Tour of Missouri champion recovered from a frightening crash at the 2009 Giro d’Italia that left him with significant injuries, including five broken vertebrae, and how he was able to persevere just weeks later through the Pyrenees and Alps for an eighth-place finish in a supporting and sacrificial role. Heading into the 2010 season, the cycling world’s eyes are on Christian and Team Garmin. This is your chance to get a sneak preview. See you there!

As we near the holiday season, our latest and greatest Give a Garmin holiday commercials get ready to hit the airwaves. The ads this year feature a fun cast of characters – including a fitness-obsessed Leprechaun, a cool and collected Nutcracker and our in-house Yeti …. We finished shooting the spots just weeks ago, and now it’s business as usual back at Garmin. And in the coming weeks, we plan on keeping our new colleagues busy. We’ll have them introduce themselves to all of our blog readers, and we’ve assigned some homework. Every week through December, our Wish List Wednesday will give you gift ideas from each of our product lines for those hard-to-shop-for pilots, boaters, hikers, geocachers, hunters, runners, cyclists, golfers and travelers in your life. Starting this weekend, be sure to tune in and see for yourself.

Race week is under way and Chicago is buzzing with excitement. All runners are welcome to visit the Garmin booth at the McCormick Place Expo or the Chicago Storefor competitive pricing on the latest Garmin fitness watches including the Forerunner 310XT and 405 series. Already at a lower price point, Garmin is offering an additional 10% discount on the devices. 

Throughout the weekend, product experts will be on-hand to help you prepare for race day on Sunday. Stop by the store with any questions and update your watch with the latest software. 

Finally, once you upload your race to Garmin Connect, share your results on twitter for a chance to be featured in the Chicago Store blog. Just follow your results with #GarminCM09results. 

Congratulations to all race participants!