Fly above the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin and you’ll see how magnificently lush and expansive they are. With an abundance of options in the great outdoors—along with several eco-friendly convention centers—association meeting planners will be hard-pressed to find a better place to inspire and invigorate attendees.
These two states are not only full of green spaces but also offer attractions that will encourage members to bring their families and enjoy the best of the ever-improving Upper Midwest.
Minnesota: Versatile Venues for Gatherings Great & Small
Whether you’re planning a citywide showstopper of an expo or a small but inspiring board retreat, Minnesota has the ideal meeting ground for your group. Every year, Minneapolis, the state’s most populous city, welcomes a number of association events including those of the American Society of Echocardiography, the National Association of College & University Food Services and Care Providers of Minnesota.
Eagerly anticipated is the new Minnesota Vikings stadium, a $1 billion project scheduled to open in 2016 with 64,000 seats. Two new meeting hotels opened downtown last year: the Hyatt Place/Downtown, which features 213 guest rooms, more than 1,800 square feet of event space and connection to the climate-controlled pedestrian skyway, and the Courtyard by Marriott/Minneapolis Downtown, with 265 guest rooms and 8,200 square feet of meeting space. The Hyatt Regency/Downtown Minneapolis added 112 guest rooms and 30,000 square feet of new meeting space last year. The Millennium Hotel was also recently renovated, to the tune of $22 million, and the Radisson Plaza is undergoing a multimillion-dollar transformation in preparation for its rebranding as a Radisson Blu later this year.
Existing facilities are top-notch, too. The Minneapolis Convention Center has 475,000 square feet of exhibit space, including a 3,433-seat auditorium and a 28,000-square-foot ballroom. Target Field hosts large events in its 39,504-seat stadium, and its Legends Club can host up to 2,000. The National Basketball Association’s Timberwolves call the 20,500-seat Target Center home, and trade show planners will be interested to note that the center is one of the few facilities in the nation with a movable arena floor.
In Brooklyn Center, a northern suburb, what was formerly known as the Crowne Plaza/Minneapolis North is now the Minneapolis Boulevard Hotel. It offers 10,000 square feet of event space. Off-site venues include the Earle Brown Heritage Center, which can accommodate groups of up to 1,000. Last summer, Aging Services of Minnesota organized an event at the center with 300 attendees and, according to Jenny Prosser, the group’s vice-president of conferences and sales, the area’s accessibility, plentiful activity choices and abundant free parking were attractive factors.
In the western suburb of St. Louis Park, the Shops at West End is a mixed-use development with event space for groups of up to 2,000. Across the street is the DoubleTree by Hilton/Minneapolis–Park Place, with event space for up to 900 people.
The capital city of St. Paul is known for being a lovely place to live but is also a great place to host an event. The St. Paul RiverCentre, for example, has 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. Next door are the 18,064-seat Xcel Energy Center and the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, which offers 44,800 square feet of space. For a more historic venue, the Landmark Center fits the bill. Built in 1902 as the federal courthouse for the Upper Midwest, it now hosts events of up to 400 and offers discounted rates for nonprofit groups.
On the St. Croix River, 20 miles northeast of St. Paul, Stillwater has approximately 350 hotel rooms as well as wineries and golf courses to entertain attendees during their free time. A popular meeting hotel is the Water Street Inn, which has several event spaces for groups as large as 400 people.
The National World War II Glider Pilots Association, the Shop America Alliance and the Daughters of Norway all recently picked Bloomington, just south of Minneapolis, as their host city. The glider pilots’ 44th annual reunion is scheduled to take place in October at the Crowne Plaza/St. Paul Airport–Mall of America, with between 150 and 200 attendees. “We have a policy to hold our reunions in the central part of the U.S., near a major hub for airline service, where we can obtain reasonable rates,” said George Theis, the association’s national treasurer.
Several of the city’s hotels were recently renovated and have changed brands. In addition to the Crowne Plaza, which wrapped up an improvement project last year, the former Sofitel/Minneapolis is now the Sheraton/Bloomington following a comprehensive renovation. Le Bourget Aero Suites has become the updated Holiday Inn Express/Bloomington West, and the former Hampton Inn is now the AmericInn Hotel & Suites/Bloomington West, which plans to add new swimming pool and larger meeting space by this fall.
Non-hotel event facilities can be found at the massive Mall of America. The mall’s Executive Center and Great Room have spaces for up to 700 guests, and in March, the Radisson Blu/Mall of America opened with direct access to the mall. Features include 500 guest rooms and 26,300 square feet of meeting space.
About 55 miles southeast is Red Wing, where visitors and locals alike keep their eyes peeled for the magnificent bald eagles that arrive to nest in the coldest months of the year. Association groups arrive year-round, of course, attracted by warm welcomes from a number of convivial gathering spots such as the Red Wing Brewery, Falconer Vineyards & Winery and the Flower Valley Vineyard & Winery. Cruises down the Mississippi River as well as fishing, biking, hiking and golf are popular during the summer, and in the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at Cannon Valley are recreational favorites, as is downhill skiing at Welch Village.
In south-central Minnesota, Mankato is home to Minnesota State University, which has spaces available for groups. Nearby is the new Courtyard/Mankato, which offers 93 guest rooms and 6,900 square feet of meeting space. Farther east, in Rochester, the Mayo Civic Center has 120,000 square feet of space.
Many groups are drawn to Duluth, set on the shores of Lake Superior. Last year Duluth International Airport unveiled a new LEED-certified terminal. On the waterfront, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) is the events hub with 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. Adjacent is the Great Lakes Aquarium, which offers space for up to 500 people. In Duluth hotel news, the Holiday Inn & Suites downtown has renovated its Great Lakes Ballroom and business center. And in West Duluth, the new Grand Chalet opened last summer near the base of Spirit Mountain with event space for up to 150 people.
About 150 miles west of Duluth is Bemidji, famous as the curling capital of the country. In December, a 92-room DoubleTree by Hilton opened on the south shore of Lake Bemidji with a 775-square-foot conference room and its own private beachfront. Another new face on the hotel scene will be the Country Inn & Suites, scheduled to open this summer. It will be attached to the Sanford Center, which has a 10,000-square-foot ballroom as well as several smaller meeting spaces.
Finally, small to mid-size groups that aim for a central location within the state often choose St. Cloud, whose main venue is the 100,000-square-foot St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center (formerly the St. Cloud Civic Center).
Southern Wisconsin: Watch Your Meeting Grow
In 2012, the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association held its North American Biodynamic Conference in Wisconsin’s capital, Madison. More than 700 farmers, gardeners, educators and foodies attended the event, which was held at the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center.
“The association was looking for a central location in the U.S. to make the conference appealing to its North American members and educators,” said Penny Molina, the conference coordinator. “After considering up to seven cities, we narrowed our search in the Midwest to Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. We chose Madison for many reasons but it really boiled down to two [factors]: Monona Terrace and the CVB’s willingness to accommodate our unique needs.”
Monona Terrace, designed to show off Lake Monona, has a wide range of meeting spaces, from boardrooms to a 37,000-square-foot exhibition hall, and has benefited from a renovation project that wrapped up this month. Another top venue is the 164-acre Alliant Energy Center, a facility whose spaces include Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which can host up to 360 trade show booths, and a 255,000-square-foot exhibition hall.
Other association groups that have traveled to Madison for events recently include the American Choral Directors Association, which brought more than 2,000 attendees to town and utilized the Overture Center for the Arts. “We loved working with the CVB, the convenience of being able to walk everywhere, the glorious acoustics of the Overture Center and the fun vibe of Madison and its great restaurants,” said the organization’s Aimee Beckmann-Collier.
In hotel news, the Edgewater Hotel is scheduled to open in August with 202 guest rooms and 8,000 square feet of meeting space. And the new Hampton Inn & Suites/Downtown opened last year with 194 guest rooms and a 400-square-foot meeting room.
If you’re after something more peaceful, head to the historic Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, which offers a wealth of indoor and outdoor event spaces as well as plenty of options for free-time fun. The town of Lake Geneva is located at the eastern tip of the lake that shares its name. Venues in town for group events include the historic Horticultural Hall, which can host events of up to 200 people and recently introduced a restored library for functions of up to 20, and the Geneva Lake Museum, with event space for up to 100. Groups that have recently organized gatherings in Lake Geneva include the National Association of Theater Owners (who are annual visitors) as well as the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America.
Another of the state’s major cities is Milwaukee, where meeting facilities include the downtown Wisconsin Center (formerly the Delta Center), with 667,475 square feet of space, and the U.S. Cellular Arena, which has 24,000 square feet of space. Farther east, on the edge of Veterans Park, groups can meet at the Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum; its largest space is Windhover Hall, which can host up to 800 people.
Just south of downtown Milwaukee, the Harley-Davidson Museum has indoor and outdoor event spaces for up to 15,000 people and is within walking distance of the Iron Horse Hotel, which has meeting spaces for up to 200 as well as special biker amenities such as maintenance and rental services. Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis is also available for groups when it’s not hosting the annual state fair. The complex is home to more than a dozen venues including a 200,000-square-foot exposition center.
In Waukesha, visiting association groups seeking serious spaces to get down to business can find classrooms at Carroll University, or up to 80 attendees can gather at the Waukesha County Museum. The Milwaukee Marriott West recently finished upgrading all 281 guest rooms, and other renovations are expected to continue through the year. The Country Springs Hotel, Water Park & Conference Center, just north in Pewaukee, features 40,000 square feet of event space.
Organizations that have recently held events in the area include the Wisconsin State Reading Association and the Business Credit Management Association. “We love Waukesha County for our meetings for a variety of reasons,” said Dianna Rowinski, the BCMA’s meeting planner. “The area is near Interstate 94, so it’s convenient for delegates, and the facilities and venues in the area are very well managed. You can expect the best quality for meals, rooms and service. This area is extremely appealing to our members.”
Farther southwest, near Eagle, planners can arrange excursions to Old World Wisconsin, the nation’s largest living-history museum. It offers meeting space for up to 400. About 30 miles south of Milwaukee, in Racine, the Racine Civic Centre offers the 25,995-square-foot Memorial Hall, the 15,700-square-foot Festival Hall and the five-acre Festival Park. Just south of Racine, in Kenosha, the Kemper Center has more than 8,000 square feet of function space, the Kenosha Public Museum has about 7,400 square feet of event space and the Civil War Museum features more than 9,600 square feet of event space.
Green Bay, Door County & Points South: Seaside Stars
Big things are happening in Green Bay, notably an expansion of the downtown KI Convention Center, which currently has 43,630 square feet of meeting space. The $23 million project is scheduled for completion in June 2015 and is expected to add a ballroom as well as three new meeting spaces. Other large sites for meetings include the CityDeck walkway, which can be used for functions as large as 500 people, and the nearby, 15,000-square-foot Children’s Museum of Green Bay.
Just north of Green Bay is the Door County peninsula, which juts out into Lake Michigan and is filled with port towns and beach areas popular with groups that want to organize especially memorable and relaxing retreats.
In Sturgeon Bay, the county seat, the waterfront Stone Harbor Resort & Conference Center provides 6,500 square feet of event space, suitable for group events of up to 450 people. In Egg Harbor, the 40-acre Landmark Resort has 10,496 square feet of meeting space. On the eastern side of the peninsula, in Baileys Harbor, the Gordon Lodge has a private beach and 6,000 square feet of meeting space. And near the tip of the peninsula, in Ellison Bay, the Rowleys Bay Resort (formerly the Wagon Trail Resort) offers more than 7,500 square feet of meeting space and can organize outdoor fish boils.
In Oshkosh, southwest of Green Bay, meetings and expos are regularly held at the 24,000-square-foot Oshkosh Convention Center. Smaller options in town include the Grand Opera House, built in 1883, which has a 660-seat theater and a lounge that can accommodate up to 218, and The Waters, a Georgian-style event facility that has indoor space for up to 300 and additional lawn space.
An hour to the southeast is Sheboygan, where one of the top venues in town is the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, which has eight main spaces, the largest of which is the Festival Green for outdoor receptions of up to 1,000. A historic option is the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 1928 and welcomes groups of up to 1,153. Four miles west, in the village of Kohler, the main attraction is the Kohler Waters Spa and the adjacent, five-star American Club Resort. The resort has several meeting spaces, including a ballroom for up to 600 guests, as well as four championship golf courses.
Central Wisconsin: Fertile Grounds
Each year the Wisconsin Soybean Association comes to Wisconsin Dells for its Corn/Soy Expo, held at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, with more than 100,000 square feet of event space. “Our banner event has more than 1,500 attendees and 150 trade show booths,” said Bob Karls, executive director of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. “We have four general sessions and breakout sessions over two days, and we use every room in the facility.”
Stevens Point, 75 miles north of Wisconsin Dells and halfway between Chicago and Minneapolis, is a popular destination for convening groups. Recent visitors have included the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. The area is home to 20 parks and a nature reserve. SentryWorld, a golf club and sports center with 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, is closed for construction until the middle of the year and is scheduled to reopen with its noted golf course redesigned by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
To the west, in Marshfield, the Hotel Marshfield has renovated and expanded its meeting space, which can accommodate groups of up to 700, and the Holiday Inn & Conference Center can host up to 600 people for meetings.
In Eau Claire, the Plaza Hotel & Suites is the largest meeting hotel, with space for groups of up to 850, while the Ramada Convention Center offers 24,000 square feet of meeting space. The University of Wisconsin/Eau Claire also offers meeting spaces. In Custer, east of Stevens Point, the 4,200-square-foot ReNew the Earth Institute has conference space for up to 50 people.
The town of La Crosse, which sits on the banks of the Mississippi River, is home to the 100,000-square-foot La Crosse Center. Additional venues for events include the Weber Center for the Performing Arts, which has two spaces for groups of up to 450 people, and on the campus of Western Technical College, the Lunda Center, which has meeting space for up to 600 people.
In nearby Onalaska, groups gather at the Omni Center, which has more than 50,000 square feet of meeting and event space available between the months of March and October.
Big Plans in the Making
The expansive geography of Minnesota and Wisconsin encourages similar thinking among groups that meet in these two states. And with hundreds of lakes, rivers and green spaces, not to mention water parks and cultural attractions, there’s no limit to the kinds of agendas planners can create.