Like most good college towns, Madison, Wisconsin’s state capital, is friendly and booming with activity and forward-thinkers. Whether talking politics with students or getting the scoop on meeting in the area from the Greater Madison CVB (GMCVB), planners will find the city a broad-minded and hospitable destination.
"Because Madison is a progressive community with a high intellectual capacity, the experience here is really stretched beyond people’s imaginations," says Deb Archer, president and CEO of the GMCVB. "There are benefits in terms of great programming, embracing sustainability and green meetings, plus the landscape is so beautiful. We’re surrounded by glacial lakes with rolling countryside west of here."
Archer says that the additional appeal of Madison, regardless of where visitors sit on the political spectrum, is a delightful combination of the destination’s assets and the connection GMCVB representatives, hotel staff and locals in general will make with meeting attendees.
"This connection combined with the quality and variety of our facilities for meetings, conventions and events—large or small—sets us apart from competing destinations," she says, explaining this human bond is inherent in the GMCVB’s brand promise, Going Beyond Visit, which was rolled out in late 2008.
The Going Beyond Visit philosophy, Archer explains, is one of, among other things, generosity; it ensures the GMCVB will go beyond the expected to provide a wonderful and memorable meeting experience.
Up and Coming
Much like Madison has drawn kudos from satisfied planners, its meetings portfolio is also impressive, as well as ever-changing and growing.
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, located in the heart of Madison’s vibrant downtown is as impressive as they come.
"Monona Terrace has a well-earned reputation among convention and meeting professionals as one of the finest venues in the United States, awarded both Silver LEED and Travel Green Wisconsin certifications," Archer says.
The center boasts a 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 14,000-square-foot ballroom, a 320-seat multimedia lecture hall and 20 additional meeting rooms.
Madison’s Alliant Energy Center of Dane County is another Travel Green Wisconsin-certified facility that is home to a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces situated on 164 acres. Features include a 255,000-square-foot exhibition hall, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and nine agricultural buildings.
Built in 1871, the 215-room Best Western Inn on the Park, on Capitol Square, wrapped up its most recent guest room updates in March 2009. In addition to the renovations, guest rooms now feature eco-friendly energy management systems. The property also debuted Jerome’s Restaurant, which specializes in casual home-style cooking. The hotel has more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space, including the sky-view Top of the Park.
The 226-room Crowne Plaza Madison also completed a renovation last year. Added features include the Growlers Bar & Grille and 10,300 square feet of newly remodeled meeting space, including the Odana ballroom.
Other existing meetings favorites include Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club, Marriott Madison West Conference Center, Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, Doubletree Hotel Madison, Sheraton Madison and the Edgewater Hotel.
The city’s newest property is the 151-room Hyatt Place Madison/Downtown, which debuted in April with 2,500 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is just a short walk from Monona Terrace and Madison’s signature State Street, brimming with restaurants.
The ongoing upgrades to Madison’s properties, plus the emergence of new group-friendly facilities, speak to the city’s dedication to meetings, according to Archer.
"There are four more hotel projects on the horizon," she says. "It’s a testimony to our reputation and success as a meetings destination."
Other developments, the private Morgridge Institute for Research and the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, are scheduled to open in December. The centers will be housed in one building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) campus.
Year-Round Action
The GMCVB promotes Madison as a year-round meetings player.
"We have great year-round facilities," she says, adding that Madison’s extensive cultural arts scene makes for plenty to do during the winter, including symphony, ballet and opera at the Overture Center for the Arts, and plays, including those performed at the American Players Theatre. "We have so many theater groups around here, plus an endless array of restaurants and retail options, and outdoor pursuits including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing."
During the summer, groups are encouraged to get out on the water for kayaking, canoeing or sailing. One outfitter, Betty Lou Cruises, arranges sunset cruises to take in the stunning capitol building and skyline from the water, Archer says.
Among the city’s meeting spaces that double as off-site event venues are the Overture Center for the Arts, a Cesar Pelli-designed building; the Olbrich Botanical Gardens; the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art; Chazen Museum of Art; Henry Vilas Zoo; and Taliesin Preservation and Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center.
Carolyn Blackburn, a frequent contributor to Meetings MidAmerica, is a fan of Madison’s The Progressive magazine and looks forward to visiting the city one day.
