Chicago CISO of the Year August Mixer

The Chicago CISO of the Year August Mixer is the fourth in-person night of the 2026 awards program that recognizes cybersecurity leaders for impact inside their companies and across the local security community. It is not an open happy hour. The room is built for CISOs, their direct reports, nominees, judges, sponsors, and limited delegates from partner associations including AITP Chicago, ISSA, ISACA, InfraGard, WiCyS, and related chapters. That filter is the product: security operators who already live in risk, vendor, and board conversations, meeting at altitude in Willis Tower rather than a random River North bar.

Chicago CISO of the Year has run a multi-mixer path into a fall awards breakfast for several cycles; the 2026 calendar locks May, June, July, and August mixers before the October 13 breakfast back at the Metropolitan Club. Partner pages from AITP Chicago describe the August night as private, with board-delegate caps from industry partners, which is why Luma registration requires host approval. If you are not in the CISO, direct-report, sponsor, or partner lane, do not expect the approval email to clear.

Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 5:00-8:00 PM CDT at the Metropolitan Club Oak Room, 67th Floor, Willis Tower, 233 South Wacker Drive. Apply on Luma and re-check the CotY events page for any door or sponsor notes. Willis Tower security and elevator queues are real; arrive with buffer and a work badge story that matches your RSVP name.

This mixer is right if you are a Chicago-area CISO, deputy CISO, security director, or vetted industry partner who wants peer density before the October awards breakfast. It is also a useful scout if you are deciding whether the CotY calendar belongs on your year. Founder pitch practice, diaspora chamber B2B, and open tech Meetup energy do not clear this approval gate. Bring a concise role introduction and one operational question, not a vendor pitch deck, unless you are an approved sponsor delegate.