It’s show time this week for the Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Committee, the city of Chicago, and many of the businesses supporting the bid. On Thursday, representatives from the International Olympic Committee arrive to check out the city in person.

In the midst of this rocky economy, Chicago has to prove it has the stuff to pull off the summer games in just over seven years. And when we say stuff—we mean money. Lots of it. While the city’s competitors in Tokyo, Rio and Madrid all have financial guarantees from their country’s governments, the Chicago bid relies primarily on outside support. Eight Forty-Eight business contributor David Greising updates us on the role of the business community in this visit and beyond.