The Milwaukee area is one that keeps up with the demands of planners, offering a number of updated group-friendly hotels, increasingly popular districts that attendees enjoy exploring on their downtime and intriguing activities that are unique to this attractive and fun Midwest destination.
Milwaukee
Milwaukee’s energy has risen in recent years as more people choose to live and work downtown, according to Jeff Baryenbruch, executive director of sales at Visit Milwaukee.
“With this shift, new supportive restaurants and retail have been developed, and as a result, convention attendees have more options to enjoy than they had five years ago,” he says.
Milwaukee’s hotel portfolio, already home to longtime meetings standouts such as the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, Intercontinental Milwaukee and The Pfister Hotel, is also growing to showcase the city’s evolution. Over the last couple of years four new hotels have opened: Brewhouse Inn & Suites in April 2013, Hilton Garden Inn in November 2012, Milwaukee Marriott Downtown in June 2013 and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in August.
“The new 19-story hotel at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has a terrific function-space-to-guest-room ratio, presenting an excellent package to the meeting professional,” Baryenbruch says, adding that Potawatomi offers groups a “self-contained” experience. “When the day of meetings is complete, convention attendees can enjoy a delicious dinner in one of the several on-site restaurants or try their luck in the casino.”
Baryenbruch adds that several hotels are in development stages, including the proposed 200-room Westin Milwaukee and a 158-room Kimpton property.
The Kimpton hotel, tentatively scheduled to open in 2016, will reside in the increasingly popular historic Third Ward, which is within walking distance for attendees convening in the city, according to Baryenbruch. The area features shopping and dining opportunities as well as pubs and special event venues.
“Milwaukee is a water city,” he says, explaining that a three-mile RiverWalk connects unique neighborhoods and guarantees easy walkability, and all summer long the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan are busy with excursion boats and kayak rentals. “Groups may enjoy a pub crawl by pontoon boat to three local microbreweries along the river.”
Milwaukee Kayak is one go-to outfitter that provides kayak, canoe and standup paddleboard rentals, and S/V Denis Sullivan, Milwaukee’s replica of a three-masted tall ship, offers “all hands on deck” sails for groups throughout the summer.
‘The group is expected to help hoist sails,” Baryenbruch says. “It’s a spectacular outing on Lake Michigan.”
Land pursuits after the meeting include visits to attractions like the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Harley-Davidson Museum, where groups can grab a bite or hold a private event at the popular Motor Bar & Restaurant.
Several new eateries opened over the past year, including Ardent, which has a private dining area for groups of up to 20 people and will customize a menu and wine pairing for a group; Goodkind, with specialties including rotisserie dishes such as lavender-anchovy crusted leg of lamb; and Cafe Bavaria, which also hosts private events and offers German beers and dishes, including schnitzel, Bavarian sauerkraut, beef stroganoff and grass-fed burgers such as the Ludwig and the Julie Andrews.
Meanwhile, teambuilding options in Milwaukee include cooking classes in the demonstration kitchen at the trendy Milwaukee Public Market; outings to Evolution Gastro Pong, which combines great food, 12 table tennis courts and a stadium-style center court; and Splash Studio, a painting bar that’s run by local artists and is a hit with groups of all sizes:
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Waukesha Pewaukee
Waukesha Pewaukee is primarily a meetings destination, according to Tammy Tritz, executive director of the Waukesha Pewaukee CVB, who says the area, as a suburban destination, offers competitive meeting packages centered on the group’s budget.
“As a destination with no seasonal rate fluctuation, we find we can offer competitive rates on weekends year-round,” she says.
In recent years, Tritz adds, Waukesha Pewaukee has seen significant changes that planners appreciate, including upgraded meeting service amenities such as individual wired work stations and upgraded audiovisual options.
“Some planners are requesting dedicated Internet service for their group,” Tritz says, adding that the Milwaukee Marriott West, which is undergoing a major renovation scheduled for completion by February 2015, will provide wireless bandwidth that is password-protected.
Beyond the meeting rooms, Waukesha and Pewaukee offer interesting opportunities for off-site group activities.
“Waukesha is the proud birth and resting place of the solid body electric guitar inventor and legend Les Paul,” Tritz says. “Visitors can retrace his hometown footsteps with a walking tour that chronicles his younger years of exploration and innovation to his later years where he played his guitar in public for the first time.”
In addition, the Waukesha County Museum recently opened Les Paul: The Wizard of Waukesha exhibit, with interactive displays, rare guitar artifacts, original sound equipment and more.
“Because of Paul’s influence, Gibson Guitar chose Waukesha for its nationally acclaimed public arts project, GuitarTown,” Tritz says, explaining that scattered throughout the historic downtown, visitors will find 10 10-foot guitars and 17 playable Gibson Guitars artistically designed by Wisconsin artists.
Like its neighbor Milwaukee, waterborne pursuits are also popular in the area.
“Guide services are available to fish what is known as Wisconsin’s best musky lake,” Tritz says, adding that plenty of water rental options are available, from pontoon boats to individual watercraft.
Brookfield
The Brookfield area, according to Tracy Sinclair, client services specialist for Visit Brookfield, “continues to offer meeting planners all of the amenities that larger cities have to offer within a suburban atmosphere.”
This effort, of course, includes group-friendly hotels that continue to make the necessary upgrades to compete for meetings business.
“A majority of our properties have completed major renovations,” Sinclair says, citing a multimillion-dollar revamp, including guest room enhancements at Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield. “The Brookfield Suites Hotel and Convention Center is the next property that will begin a major renovation in 2015.”
While many planners who book Brookfield rely on nearby Milwaukee’s attractions to entertain groups after the meeting, according to Sinclair, the Sunset Playhouse Community Theater in Elm Grove, next door to Brookfield, has been educating, entertaining and inspiring audiences since 1960.
“Guests are treated to great performances in a very intimate and enjoyable environment,” Sinclair says.
