Visit Milwaukee’s Annual Meeting spotlights historic sales performance and a sharpened national strategy for 2026

Fresh off a record-breaking year, Visit Milwaukee used its 2026 Annual Meeting today in front of over 800 guests at the Bradley Symphony Center to launch its Flavor Era, marking a new chapter in how the organization markets Milwaukee on the national stage.
 

Visit Milwaukee closed 2025 with record-breaking sales, booking 328,659 room nights and reaching 114% of its goal, a 14.4% year-over-year increase. Of those 328,659 room nights, Sports Milwaukee generated 79,424 room nights and $125 million in economic impact, while the City of Festivals campaign delivered 11.4 million impressions, was featured on the Today Show, and won awards from industry groups like HSMAI. Digital performance strengthened as well, with website growth influencing 9.4 million visitors, a 10% year over year increase, and generating $10.5 million in direct visitor spending alone.


“Milwaukee’s 2025 results reflect real competitive gains,” said Erik Evjen, executive vice president at Tourism Economics. “Hotel demand and occupancy growth outpaced much of its peer set, and Milwaukee posted year-over-year acceleration while several comparable markets slowed. In a competitive environment, that translates into winning more business.”
 

“Last year showed what happens when strategy and execution align,” said Peggy Williams Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. “We’re carrying that momentum into 2026 with bigger partnerships, broader reach and a sharper national presence.”
 

At the meeting, Visit Milwaukee unveiled its Milwaukee Tourism Index, a new reporting framework that brings together marketing return, room-night production, and broader tourism indicators to provide a clear, ongoing measure of impact. The index establishes a benchmark for how performance will be tracked and communicated as Milwaukee continues to compete nationally.
 

“There is real energy around the year ahead,” Williams Smith said. “We are hosting bigger meetings, bigger sporting events and welcoming more storytellers to Milwaukee than ever before, expanding access so more people can be part of it and holding ourselves to a higher standard of accountability. That momentum translates into jobs, investment and long-term economic strength.”

Triathlete crossing the finish line at the USA Triathlon National Championships in Milwaukee with American flags waving behind the race banner.

2026 Campaigns & Initiatives

Building on that performance, Visit Milwaukee outlined an ambitious slate of initiatives that will shape the year ahead.
 

  • Major Industry Meetings and Events on the Books: Milwaukee will host Expo! Expo!, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events Annual Meeting, Meetings Today Live and AMCI Engaged in 2026, placing the city in front of influential planners who drive long-term group business. The Black Travel Summit and the International Food Wine Travel & Association will bring hundreds of journalists and creators to the Baird Center this fall, adding national visibility to the city’s cultural calendar. A new airport welcome experience launching later this year will connect visitors to neighborhood-level experiences the moment they arrive.
     
  • National Sports Spotlight: USA Triathlon National Championships, AVCA’s First Serve and Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend will bring championship-level competition and broadcast visibility to Wisconsin. Sports Milwaukee continues to pursue high-impact events that elevate the city’s reputation while generating measurable economic return.
     
  • Record Cruise Season: A record 62 cruise vessels are scheduled to dock this season, the largest schedule in Milwaukee’s history. Visit Milwaukee is working alongside port and hospitality partners to convert those arrivals into extended stays and neighborhood-level spending, while welcoming each cruise vessel that stops here.
     
  • Expanding Media Reach: Season Two of “Milwaukee Made,” hosted by David Caruso and created in partnership with TEAM LAMMI, will begin airing in late spring 2026 in roughly a dozen Midwest markets.
     
  • Tourism for All: Visit Milwaukee is launching Tourism for All, a citywide initiative designed to make Milwaukee more accessible and inclusive for visitors and residents of all abilities. Through expanded sensory-inclusive training and stronger accessibility standards, these expanded efforts help ensure everyone can fully experience the city.

The word “MILWAUKEE” stacked in three lines reading “MIL WAU KEE” in bold white letters over a dark background filled with colorful topographic contour lines.

Launching Milwaukee’s Flavor Era

The Flavor Era is Milwaukee stepping fully into its identity, bold, creative, and unapologetically original, and inviting the world to experience it. It is a celebration of the makers, chefs, artists, neighborhoods, and big ideas that do not imitate culture but create it, proving that Milwaukee’s greatest asset is not just what we have, but who we are.
 

Future campaigns will spotlight chef-driven innovation, locally rooted collaborations and culture-forward partnerships that extend beyond tourism into fashion, media and creative industries. The goal is to elevate Milwaukee as a city people want to experience and align with, not simply visit.
 

“We know who we are,” Williams Smith said. “The Flavor Era is about leaning into that identity instead of softening it. Milwaukee has so much credibility when we say we’re tier one in food, culture and events. Our job is to make sure the rest of the country sees it the way we do.”

Associated Bank Theater Center in downtown Milwaukee, featuring the glass-front Milwaukee Repertory Theater entrance next to the historic brick theater building at dusk.

Annual Meeting Award Recipients

Visit Milwaukee also recognized leaders and organizations shaping the region’s tourism and hospitality landscape:
 

  • Heart of Milwaukee Award: Juan Rodriguez, The Pfister Hotel
    For more than 50 years, Juan Rodriguez has defined frontline hospitality at one of Milwaukee’s most iconic hotels. After arriving from Mexico at age 20 and beginning as a custodian, he worked his way through multiple roles before becoming the face of The Pfister’s celebrated Afternoon Tea. Generations of guests return not only for the tradition, but for the warmth, pride and consistency he brings to every interaction.
     
  • Dear MKE Award: Element Everest Blank, HYFIN
    As Program Director of HYFIN, Milwaukee’s premier Black music and culture platform, Element Everest Blank has elevated the city’s creative voice nationally. Under her leadership, HYFIN has earned recognition from outlets such as NPR and Billboard while amplifying local artists, venues and entrepreneurs and positioning Milwaukee as a hub for culturally driven media.
     
  • Dear MKE Award: City of Wauwatosa, Thomas Dambo “Mama Rosa” Installation
    Led by Beth Gleesing of Discover Wauwatosa in partnership with Mayor Dennis McBride and city officials, the installation of Wisconsin’s first Thomas Dambo troll sculpture, “Mama Rosa,” transformed public art into a destination. The project has drawn thousands of visitors to Firefly Park, pairing curiosity-driven visitation with a newly developed accessible green space designed for people of all abilities. The result is a model of placemaking that blends creativity, inclusion and measurable economic impact.
     
  • Cecilia Gilbert Public Servant Award: Senator LaTonya Johnson and Representative Tony Kurtz
    Honored for bipartisan leadership strengthening Wisconsin’s tourism economy, Johnson and Kurtz advanced policies that support safe, welcoming communities and sustained investment in visitor growth. Representative Kurtz played a key role in strengthening the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Tourism Opportunity Attraction Fund, expanding access to funding that helps destinations compete nationally for major events and high-impact opportunities.
     
  • Milwaukee Magnet Award: Chad Bauman and Mark Clements, Milwaukee Repertory Theater
    Recognized for leading the development of the $80 million Associated Bank Theater Center, a state-of-the-art theater complex and the largest new regional theater facility to open in the United States in the past decade. Delivered on time and under budget despite pandemic-related challenges, the project elevates Milwaukee’s performing arts landscape and strengthens the city’s national reputation as a destination for culture.
     
  • Joe Bartolotta Hospitality Award: Wes Shaver, Milwaukee Pride, Inc.
    Through his leadership of PrideFest and the launch of the Freshwater Food & Wine Festival and Rock and Roll Fest at Henry Maier Festival Park, Wes Shaver continues to expand Milwaukee’s experiential landscape. His work strengthens the city’s hospitality ecosystem while attracting new audiences to signature lakefront events.
     
  • Joe Bartolotta Hospitality Award: Kelly Roecker, Underwood Events
    Honored posthumously, Kelly Roecker built a career defined by leadership, creativity and mentorship within Milwaukee’s event and hospitality community. For more than two decades, she produced experiences that elevated organizations across the region while setting a standard of professionalism and generosity that continues to shape the industry.
     
  • Omar Shaikh Board Leadership Award: Steve Baas
    The inaugural Omar Shaikh Board Leadership Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate sustained civic leadership and belief in Milwaukee’s potential. Steve Baas was honored for his steady guidance during pivotal moments for the region, including support for the Baird Center expansion and tireless advocacy for businesses during the pandemic, helping ensure Milwaukee’s hospitality community remained competitive and resilient.
     
  • Legacy Award: Tim Sheehy, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
    With more than four decades of civic leadership, Tim Sheehy’s impact on Milwaukee’s economic and tourism landscape is profound. From helping secure the future of Major League Baseball in Milwaukee to advancing Fiserv Forum and Deer District and supporting two national political conventions, his work has elevated the city’s visibility and long-term competitiveness.


Speakers at the event included Tourism Economics Executive Vice President Erik Evjen, Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary Anne Sayers, Wisconsin Center District President and CEO Marty Brooks, Visit Milwaukee Board Chair and Wisconsin Restaurant Association President and CEO Kristine Hillmer and Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson Bovell.