1. VALUE

Milwaukee features big-city entertainment at small-town prices, whether you’re booking a block of rooms, organizing an executive banquet or hosting unforgettable evening entertainment. Competition among the 10 different airlines at Mitchell International Airport helps keep airfares low, and you’ll find the savings continue once you reach your destination. From a variety of free or inexpensive attractions, performances and events to top-notch dining with an affordable price tag, you get more for your money in Milwaukee.

2. ACCESSIBILITY

Located just 90 minutes north of Chicago, within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S. population, Milwaukee is easy to get to. Just eight miles from downtown, Mitchell International (MKE) is the only airport in Wisconsin or Illinois with service from all major domestic carriers. Milwaukee’s Intermodal Station, with Amtrak and Greyhound Bus facilities, is mere blocks from the Convention Center Campus. You’ll discover an inviting summer trolley line, plenty of taxis, rideshare, the Bublr Bikes bike share system, and great public transportation. The first route of the Milwaukee Streetcar "The Hop" launched in fall 2018 with free rides the first year thanks to sponsorship from Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. 

3. UNIQUE ATTRACTIONS & VENUES

If you’re looking to step outside of the meeting “box,” look no further. Take your event to the next level with an unforgettable gathering that will leave your attendees raving. Rev up your engines at the world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum; hold your event in the 90-foot-high atrium of the Milwaukee Art Museum with its giant “wings” that open and close daily, or take in the lakefront from the fabulous vista of a 1920s Italianate mansion, Villa Terrace. And for all the fun of the old Milwaukee beer halls, head to any number of new craft breweries with great event space.

4. REDEVELOPMENT

Milwaukee opened its $524 million Fiserv Forum arena in fall 2018. This new home of the Milwaukee Bucks and its accompanying complex is an exciting catalyst for additional entertainment, retail, and hotel development. It's located just blocks north of the Wisconsin Center. Recent investments also include the new 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower opened in July 2017 and the 44-story, $122-million lakefront “Couture” skyscraper, slated for opening in 2019. The Lakefront Gateway Project will create a “grand entrance” to downtown and the lakefront, integrating major attractions and parklands. Potawatomi Hotel & Casino will add an $80 million second tower in 2019 with 119 rooms and suites. 

5. CONVENTION CENTER COMPLEX

Designed with meeting planners’ input and featuring 189,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Wisconsin Center offers the ultimate in versatility, functionality and style. State-of-the-art technological capabilities are met with around $1.2 million in public art for your attendees to enjoy. Located just behind the convention center, the Miller High Life Theatre is a magnificent 4,100-seat historic theater, also featuring meeting rooms and banquet halls. Recently renovated with new seats and scoreboard, the neighboring UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena can also become a 24,000-square-foot exhibit floor.

6. LOCAL FLAVOR

Milwaukee’s strong industrial ethos is still alive today in dedicated local business owners. Our downtown is filled with locally-owned restaurants, retailers and more. Your attendees are guaranteed a unique local experience when they come to the city, whether it’s sipping a locally-brewed IPA, getting a caffeine jolt with a cup from one of the many independent coffee roasters, dining at a restaurant with its own on-site garden or exploring the heritage of a one-of-a-kind Milwaukee company like Harley-Davidson.

7. DIVERSITY & NEIGHBORHOODS

From its very beginnings, Milwaukee has proven itself to be a place where people with ethnic roots from all over the world come together to form a community of great cultural diversity. This multicultural population has flourished and grown over the years, influencing every facet of the city’s evolving personality and creating the “majority-minority” Milwaukee that exists today. Known as the “big city of little neighborhoods,” each of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods has its own distinct flair. Find artsy industrial cool in the revitalized warehouses of the Historic Third Ward, thriving German heritage on Old World Third Street, bohemian coffee shops and nightlife on Brady Street and more.

8. PEOPLE/WELCOME

Milwaukee has the world-class meeting facilities and the diverse cultural arts scene. It has the attractions. It also has something other places don’t have: Milwaukeeans. You’ll find that our own brand of hospitality in Milwaukee is alive and well. Everyone from event staff to passers-by is friendly, welcoming, and eager to help. This personal touch and heartfelt welcome make it an extraordinary place to visit, and one that will leave a positive impression on every attendee.

9. WALKABILITY AND SAFETY

Whether you want to sail the harbor, hoist a tankard in the Old German Beer Hall, gather with friends for a shopping spree the Historic Third Ward or take in a world-class opera or ballet, you can do it all in downtown Milwaukee. Most attractions are within easy walking distance of each other and the convention center. Or take advantage of the convenient public transportation system that will help you see the sights and then some. Plus, Milwaukee’s downtown is kept safe and clean with help from the city’s Public Service Ambassadors.