Milwaukee and its neighboring communities of Brookfield, Waukesha and Pewaukee represent all that is great about the Midwest: some of the country’s friendliest people, increasingly cosmopolitan amenities, well-appointed meeting spaces, and a variety of outdoor recreational activities. Each community is also growing in its own unique way, adding new and exciting venues for groups to utilize as well as cultural attractions.
Milwaukee
If hearing the familiar tune from the opening of the sitcom Happy Days brings back memories and makes your feet involuntarily start tapping, you are not alone.
Based in Milwaukee, Happy Days was wildly popular during its run in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and today the city is so proud of its relation to the iconic show that it plans to introduce a “Bronze Fonz” on its Riverwalk this summer, commemorating its place in television history.
Come August, between taking in the many sights Milwaukee has to offer, from museums and restaurants to a variety of eclectic neighborhoods, visitors will be able to swagger over to the statue, hike up their shirt collars, turn to the camera with a double thumbs up, and let out an “Ayyy!”
Mia Brondyke, director of sales for Visit Milwaukee, says the city has all of the ingredients for a perfect meetings destination.
“We’ve got all the attractions and the meeting facilities, it’s affordable, and we even have a great hotel package connected to the convention center,” she says.
In terms of attractions, Milwaukee has something for every type of delegate—from art and music lovers to sports fans and even Harley enthusiasts.
“Everybody’s a Harley fan,” Brondyke says, adding that the city will welcome its new Harley-Davidson Museum this summer, with room for groups of up to 15,000.
Long known for its hops heritage as the home of Miller Brewing Company, beer-themed off-site venues and activities are plentiful in Milwaukee.
Miller Brewery tours are always popular, as are holding events and tours at Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Ale House and Sprecher Brewery, located seven miles north of the city in Glendale.
The city is also well known for its arts scene, with the Milwaukee Art Museum as one of the skyline’s most recognizable structures. Designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, the museum has an arched, wing-like roof that makes it look like the building is about to take flight.
Inside, groups can host events and visitors can marvel at the museum’s more than 20,000 works of art, including photographs, paintings and sculptures from ancient times to the present.
Milwaukee also has a thriving music scene, with plenty of places for groups to get a great meal and listen to some tunes. A few favorites include Lucille’s Rockin’ Pianos and Buckhead Saloon, but if groups are lucky enough to visit the city in mid-summer, they are in for a one-of-a-kind musical treat: Summerfest.
“Summerfest is the largest music festival in the world,” Brondyke says, adding that the festival will run from June 26 to July 6 this year. “It goes for 11 days with concert after concert and fireworks every night.”
When the fun is over and it’s time to get down to business, Milwaukee has groups covered.
According to Brondyke, the Midwest metropolis entertains manufacturing, scientific, technology, association, and corporate groups on a regular basis in its variety of venues.
The Midwest Airlines Center, the city’s largest meeting venue, with more than 188,000 square feet of exhibit space, is conveniently connected to the soon-to-be-renovated Hyatt Regency Milwaukee and the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.
Across the street, groups can stay at the Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center (formerly a Holiday Inn), which finished a major renovation last June.
Other meetings-friendly hotels include The Pfister, a venerable property that recently finished a renovation; InterContinental Milwaukee, with more than 11,000 square feet of meeting space; The Knickerbocker on the Lake; Hampton Inn & Suites Milwaukee; Hotel Metro; and Wyndham Milwaukee Airport and Convention Center.
In addition, the city recently welcomed the new Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Wauwatosa, while the Iron Horse Hotel is scheduled to debut in July, an aloft hotel will open 2009, and another Crowne Plaza will debut near the airport later this year.
Aside from its hotel and convention center product, Milwaukee offers ample additional space at Miller Park and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.
Brookfield
Groups looking for a low-key meetings destination can turn to Brookfield, located just 14 miles west of Milwaukee.
“Brookfield is a very warm, welcoming community with the convenience of being so close to downtown Milwaukee attractions,” says Rod Raschka, executive director of the Brookfield CVB, adding that its proximity to the airport is also a plus. “We are just 20 minutes from the airport. It is very convenient and most hotels offer free airport shuttles.”
Yet Brookfield’s claim to fame is not just its proximity to Milwaukee. The community of more than 38,000 residents also offers a host of meeting facilities and a burgeoning culinary scene.
“The restaurant scene has just exploded here. There are just so many options,” Raschka says, estimating that groups can find about 150 eateries in a two-mile radius.
A few group favorites include Northstar American Bistro, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, and Venice Club, an eatery that accommodates up to 300 guests for a private event.
Brookfield’s restaurant scene isn’t the only thing growing. According to Raschka, area hotels are undergoing improvements as well.
“Most of our hotels are going through renovations,” he says, highlighting the recently renovated Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel.
The Sheraton may house 19,000 square feet of meeting space, but it is not the only place for groups to meet in Brookfield. Small to midsize groups from the corporate and medical sectors regularly meet at other properties, such as the Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee/Brookfield, Brookfield Suites Hotel and Convention Center, and Country Inn and Suites by Carlson Milwaukee West-Brookfield.
With its variety of indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts is another popular place for groups to meet.
Waukesha & Pewaukee
Waukesha and Pewaukee, two neighboring communities just a short drive from Brookfield and Milwaukee, offer a variety of activity options and ample meeting facilities, not to mention easy access.
“We are extremely easy to get to and find,” says Tammy Tritz, executive director of the Waukesha and Pewaukee CVB, adding that the communities are situated between Milwaukee and Madison, making them convenient for regional groups. “We are right off I-94.”
Although lesser known than their neighbors, Waukesha and Pewaukee offer plenty of meeting space.
“We have about 100,000 square feet of space throughout all of our facilities,” Tritz says, adding that the communities entertain a healthy mix of association business, with groups averaging roughly 400 people in size.
Pewaukee’s newly renovated Country Springs Hotel is a popular group option. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha accommodates groups with 14,000 square feet of meeting space, and the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee-Pewaukee can fit up to 250 guests in its function space.
The Waukesha County Expo Center and Waukesha County Technical College’s Richard T. Anderson Center are two additional meetings options.
When not tending to business, groups like to get outside for some fresh air, according to Tritz.
“One of the things that we are seeing is that they are looking for unique break ideas to get away from the meeting for a while and be fresh when they get back,” she says. “The Country Springs Hotel has a mile-and-a-half trail attached to it and sometimes groups plan scavenger hunts on the trail for a break. They love being able to do something different and fun.”
On a clear night, groups can also head to Pewaukee Lake for a dinner cruise with Prestige Yacht Cruises or enjoy a tented event on the lake at Pier 347 Restaurant.
For More Info
Brookfield CVB 262.789.0220 www.visitbrookfield.com
Visit Milwaukee 414.273.3950 www.visitmilwaukee.org
Waukesha and Pewaukee CVB 262.542.0330 www.visitwaukesha.org
