VISIT Milwaukee
Why Milwaukee?
Looking for a fresh destination to host your next meeting, convention or event? Set your sights on the Fresh Coast to experience our great city on a Great Lake. A beautiful blend of rich history, natural splendor and vibrant energy of a city on the rise, just one visit to our city, and you’ll see why National Geographic named Milwaukee one of the 25 “Best Destinations to Visit” for 2023. Join us in the Gathering Place for your next event and experience a city where unique unites. Baird Center is a planner’s dream, and that’s probably because it was designed by them. The convention center was built using meeting planners’ input, creating a versatile, functional and stylish space. Coming in May of 2024, the expanded Baird Center doubles the convention center’s footprint to 1.3+ million square feet. Featuring more than 604,913 sq. ft. in total space, including 52 meeting rooms, 22 loading docks and amenities like a state-of-the-art kitchen and gender-neutral bathrooms. The expansion will be capped by a beautiful new 32,000 sq. ft. rooftop ballroom with seating for up to 2,000 and a stunning balcony with some of the best views of the downtown cityscape. The Baird Center is connected by skywalk to more than 1,300 hotel rooms. Just three blocks from the convention center, the Milwaukee Intermodal Station is easily accessible to attendees arriving in our city by Amtrak train or bus. Less than a 15-minute walk to the convention center, the station is also connected to the downtown area by The Hop—the city’s streetcar. For those looking for more ways to arrive at the convention center, there is Bublr Bikes bike-share station and electric scooters perfect for short trips and exploring the city. In addition to the Baird Center, Milwaukee’s convention campus features the Miller High Life Theatre and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. This powerful trio of facilities allows you flexibility and a wealth of options when planning your event. Plus, the Wisconsin Center District is in the middle of downtown Milwaukee. Your attendees will love being in the heart of the city, within a 30-minute walking distance of most top attractions, 200 locally-owned restaurants and nightlife. Blocks from the convention hotels along the Historic Old World Third Street Entertainment District, you can try an iconic local staple of a-brat-and-a-beer at a German-style pub or restaurant, buy some great Wisconsin artisanal cheese, or stop by one of the 3rd Street Market Hall for a bite and a game of shuffleboard, darts and more. Go one block west to Vel R. Philips Avenue, and you’ll find yourself standing in the famed Deer District and Fiserv Forum, where fans cheered on the Bucks during their magical 2021 NBA Finals run. More than an arena, Fiserv Forum has grown into the city’s hub for sports, recreation and entertainment. State-of-the-art facilities, panoramic views, eclectic food and beverage options, championship-caliber teams and more await visitors. The surrounding Deer District keeps fans cheering before and after events with businesses like Good City Brewing, Drink Wisconsinbly and MECCA Sports Bar and Grill. And don’t forget to stop in Milwaukee’s living room, Deer District’s Beer Garden. Looking for a unique Milwaukee space? Rev your attendees’ engines at the world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum. Our place as the home base of Harley is embodied in this museum, offering a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience, and drawing motorcycle enthusiasts and visitors from all over the world. Whether you’re enjoying a meeting break at the museum restaurant or taking advantage of the amazing event spaces on the museum’s campus, the museum is guaranteed to give your attendees Milwaukee-style fun. But the venue options do not stop there. The flying Milwaukee Art Museum on the water, Potawatomi Casino | Hotel, Discovery World and many more await innovative planners to help them wow their attendees when hosting an event in Milwaukee.
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Getting Here
Located just 90 minutes north of Chicago and within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S. population. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is just eight miles from downtown offering non-stop flights from over 45 cities and one-stop flights from 160 cities. Nine airlines service Milwaukee Mitchell International. Milwaukee Intermodal Station offers Amtrak departures to Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Greyhound, Megabus, and Coach USA also serve the station. Lake Express Ferry is an auto/passenger vessel linking Milwaukee with Muskegon in a two-hour ride that is more direct than driving south around Lake Michigan.
Distance from airport
- Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
8 mi. from city center
Local Attractions
Fiserv Forum and Deer District
Convention Centers
Baird Center
Opened in 1998, the Wisconsin Center has 188,695 square feet of contiguous, state-of-the-art exhibit space and a 37,506 square foot ballroom with capacity for 3,150 diners and ample utilities.
- Exhibit Space189,000 sq. ft.Total meeting space1,300,000 sq. ft.Guest rooms 1 mi. from convention center2,200
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Additional Information
There are always good things brewing in Milwaukee. As the city that beer built, brewing happens to be our specialty. The spirit of Milwaukee’s first brewers – Miller, Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz – lives on in local micro-breweries like Third Space Brewing, City Lights Brewing and Lakefront Brewery. Plus, the beer hall culture of the old breweries carries into modern Milwaukee with attractions like the Pabst Mansion, Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery and the Miller Caves. If you’d like to grab a bite with your brew, you won’t find chain restaurants with a coast-to-coast personality in Milwaukee. Our astounding restaurant scene of 200+ locally owned restaurants is dominated by creative and collaborative entrepreneurs – including 18 James Beard-recognized chefs – with their own distinct take on local flavor and cuisine. Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro is considered one of the best French restaurants in the Midwest. Ardent, a Milwaukee favorite for fine dining, takes its inspiration from the cooking traditions of the Great Lakes. And, in 2022, The Diplomat’s Dane Baldwin took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Midwest. Want to work off some of that food and beer? Milwaukee is a true urban outdoor destination, with activities for every season. The shoreline along Lake Michigan is a haven of green space with miles of coastal parkland, beaches and a network of trails ideal for running, walking and biking. Minutes from downtown, one of America’s most accessible beaches, Bradford Beach. A three-mile RiverWalk along a river busy with boats and kayaks connects revitalized and thriving neighborhoods like foodie paradise Walker's Point, the SoHo-style Historic Third Ward and the historic Beerline neighborhood, Brewer’s Hill. You’ll also meet Gertie the Duck and the Bronze Fonz on your RiverWalk travels. If you want more reasons to choose Milwaukee, just talk to us. We’re famous for chatting up visitors, making them feel at home, and inviting them to join in the fun. Does Milwaukee have a great, value-driven convention and hotel package, all within a safe, walkable downtown, and an airport only eight miles from the city center? Yes, but you’ll also find plenty of unique Milwaukee fun and personality to make your event here the one your attendees will go home talking about.