While Wall Street, Detroit and the U.S. economy in general are contending with serious credit issues, there is one area of the country for which “liquidity” is in plentiful supply.
In a state boasting more than 15,000 lakes and 33,000 miles of rivers and streams, the Wisconsin Dells—a 20-square- mile community located about 115 miles west of Milwaukee in south-central Wisconsin—has been making a distinctive splash as a vacation destination for more than 150 years, en route to becoming the “Waterpark Capital of the World.”
The Dells’ collection of 20-plus waterparks represents the highest concentration of such facilities in the world, including the largest outdoor and combined indoor-outdoor waterparks in the U.S. A major family and leisure draw, the Dells surpassed the $1 billion mark in annual estimated traveler expenditures in 2007—with meetings figuring prominently in the mix.
“Planners understand how well our leisure side relates to business and conferences,” says Melanie Platt-Gibson of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau (VCB). “They know that bringing meetings here also comes with a great opportunity for attendees to include their families.”
In the current economy, that equals an especially attractive meetings bet: Planners can count on high attendance potential, and conferees can comfortably combine business with family vacations.
“It’s added value without the added cost,” Platt-Gibson says.
The Water Factory
Once the sandy shore of an ancient sea that was shaped by glaciers and other geological forces through the millennia, the area that would become the Dells, commanded by Lake Delton and the Wisconsin River, evolved into a marvel of steep-sided sandstone gorges, canyons and bluffs.
How prescient was the Wisconsin Mirror, the area’s local newspaper in 1856, in predicting that “the wild, romantic scenery of the ‘Dells’ will always make them a place of resort for seekers of pleasure.”
Watching loggers at their dangerous work on the Wisconsin River was an early sightseeing draw, as was observing the festive dances and pow-wows of the indigenous Ho-Chunk Native Americans.
Famed 19th century lensman H.H. Bennett then put the Wisconsin Dells (so named in 1931, in a rebranding of the original “Kilbourn City” for better visitor appeal) on the tourism map with his artful photographs of the area’s mystical landscape, and entrepreneur Mel Flath brought the amphibious World War II “Duck” vehicles to Dells’ tourism in 1946.
But it was local hotelier Stan Anderson who truly opened the visitor floodgates. Inspired by an outdoor water attraction he had discovered in Texas, he brought the concept to his Polynesian Resort in the Dells, adding a roof as a way to extend the tourism season. Thus was born the Water Factory in 1994, America’s first indoor waterpark. Its immediate and lasting success would quickly transform the sleepy community (present population: just over 5,200) into a waterpark mecca.
Supersized Fun
Echoing former General Electric chief Jack Welch’s insistence on being No. 1—or no worse than No. 2—in every business category, the Dells’ operating philosophy is built on superlatives.
“If it’s not the biggest, best, fastest, newest or wettest,” goes the marketing line, “we’re not interested in having it in Wisconsin Dells.”
The collective roster of water rides is impressive enough: extreme plunge slides, tube rides, racing speed slides, bowl drops, water roller coasters, indoor surf machines, massive wave pools and lazy rivers. Containing nearly 16 million gallons of water and boasting more than 200 waterslides, the parks range from the Water Factory—still operated by Stan Anderson—to the “oceanic” properties that would follow.
Kalahari Resort, featuring a 125,000-square-foot indoor waterpark that is the country’s largest, in addition to an outdoor waterpark, recently opened a 110,000-square-foot indoor amusement park with an entertainment menu that includes a six-story Ferris wheel, laser tag and a ropes course.
Meanwhile, the 70-acre, 5 million-gallon Noah’s Ark waterpark has three miles of waterslides, while the 600-acre Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort’s indoor and outdoor waterpark space combined equals that of 12 football fields.
Locals joke about someday putting a dome over the entire community. While the stuff of fantasy, it’s precisely that ambitious spirit that defines the Dells—and the area’s 3 million-plus annual visitors love it, both in the summer and in the off-season. Largely thanks to the wealth of indoor waterparks, visitor spending between September and April has jumped from $125.7 million in 1997 to almost $500 million in 2006, a 267 percent increase.
“For both the leisure and meetings segments, our core markets remain Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois,” Platt-Gibson says. “Thanks to the waterparks, though, we have made the leap from favorite seasonal Midwest destination to top year-round national destination.”
Tom Diehl, chairman of the Wisconsin Dells VCB’s Marketing Committee and president of Tommy Bartlett Inc.—which has staged the popular “Ski, Sky and Stage Show” in the Dells for 56 years—has witnessed the area's evolution first-hand.
“The business of tourism is our lifeblood, and as entrepreneurs, we're intent that our work set the gold standard for travel experiences and hospitality,” says Diehl, who is widely credited with the area’s growth.
That high standard flows straight to meetings; while spouses and kids are busy diving into all the watery fun, more than 250,000 square feet of meeting and conference space—plus a winning value proposition—equals meetings gold.
The Dells for Grown-Ups
Hosting more than 2,500 meetings annually, the Dells’ large-scale gathering properties start with the newly expanded Chula Vista Resort, boasting 160,000 square feet of meeting space, and Kalahari, featuring 125,000 square feet of function space. Among the other top group options are Ho-Chunk Casino, Hotel and Convention Center, offering 24/7 gaming; Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort, with its recently added Glacier Canyon Lodge and Conference Center and new championship golf course; Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center; and Great Wolf Lodge.
Additionally, Polynesian Waterpark Resort, a Dells standby, is undergoing a $20 million expansion and renovation. The project includes a new 10,000-square-foot convention center, a waterpark expansion and a guest room makeover.
Other meetings-friendly properties include the Copa Cabana Resort, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Holiday Inn Express. For planners seeking a bit of distance from the main action, there are several fine resort-style meetings venues nearby, including No Boundaries Resort, a private log home resort on 40 wooded acres; the Perlstein Resort and Conference Center, located on private Lake Blass and offering activities ranging from tennis to rock climbing; and the Woodside Ranch Resort & Conference Center.
And in these rapidly contracting economic times, the Dells’ reputation for value is a true differentiator.
“Meeting planners appreciate things like free parking, affordable room rates, flexible food budgets, free amenities (especially the waterparks) and money-saving green practices,” Platt-Gibson says.
Another segment that is making a big splash is the youth sports market. At 90,000 square feet and with parking for over 10,000 people, the new Wisconsin Dells Center at the Chula Vista Resort is one of the largest multiuse meeting facilities in the Midwest—and the stage for year-round youth sporting events.
With parents traditionally accompanying their sporting children, Platt-Gibson says the center is “just another example of how the Dells is ideally suited for families and groups to combine activities and travel together.”
Aside from the splashy attractions and family fun, planners and delegates can also count on a wealth of other pre- and post-event offerings.
“This is a family destination to be sure, but we’re also growing our ‘Dells for Grown-Ups’ segment, with offerings ranging from championship golf to upscale dining,” Platt-Gibson says.
Oenophiles can enjoy two wineries: the new Tourdot Winery and the vintage Wollersheim Winery, built in the 1840s. The Ho-Chunk Casino features 24/7 gaming, plus five restaurants, while other area dining options include the Ishnala Supper Club, a restaurant that appears to float over Mirror Lake, and Syno’s Cafe, with a recently added outdoor deck for 75 people. The Eden Therapy Day Spa is the latest addition to the Dells’ spa collection, which includes the Wilderness Resort’s Sundara Inn & Spa. Shoppers will find a retail paradise, including a new Tangers Outlet.
For more active pursuits, the Dells Raceway Park’s Driving Experience puts you behind the wheel of a stock car, while the International Crane Foundation is a world-class nature preserve featuring all 15 of the world’s known species of crane.
Boating, kayaking and canoeing excursions on the Wisconsin River are also popular excursion options.
For More Info
Wisconsin Dells Visitor and
Convention Bureau 608.254.8088 www.wisdells.com
