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The crowd roars for Wisconsin


Courtesy Visit Madison


Conferences in the capital: Madison

Madison, the state capital, garners high praise. For instance, in April, AARP called it one of the five happiest cities in America.

Those in the meetings industry are happy about the construction at the landmark Edgewater Hotel, on Lake Mendota in the Mansion Hill Historic District. The property includes the original hotel, built in 1948, and an addition built in the 1970s. Closed during construction, the property will gain a brand new building when it reopens.

Controversy ensued when the hotel announced plans for the new tower. Opponents  maintain it did not fit into the landscape of the surrounding Mansion Hill District. As a consequence, the city pulled public funding. Private financing saved the project, which is being redeveloped by the Hammes Co., which worked on Lambeau Field.

Scheduled to open in August 2014, the 202-room Edgewater will have 8,000 square feet of meeting space and a 6,153-square-foot ballroom. “It’s all new,” said project consultant Bob Cashton. “There was little meeting space before.”

The hotel will have a spa, so incentive travel will be a major push when it comes to business travel, Cashton said.

A new public plaza will have an ice-skating rink in winter and give the public access to the lakefront.

The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club, the city’s largest conference hotel with 27,000 square feet of meeting space, is in the midst of renovations, most of which involve the 356 guest rooms. The conference space was updated in 2008. The lobby will get a redo in early 2014.

The property is near the six-block pedestrian State Street, part of the reason Madison gets kudos for its walkability.

“There are shops, restaurants and nightlife,” said Joan Herzing, the hotel’s marketing manager.
Madison’s exhibition facilities include Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, whose exterior is based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Boardrooms, a rooftop terrace and a 37,000-square-foot exhibition hall are among its meeting venues.

On the outskirts of town, the Alliant Energy Center has 50,000 square feet of convention and meeting space and 100,000 square feet of unobstructed exhibit space. The facility has long hosted the World Dairy Expo, which brings in 70,000 people a year from 95 different countries, said Judy Frankel, public relations and communications manager for the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s a big deal.”

Must-do’s for visitors to Madison include an activity on the lakes. Betty Lou Cruises offers excursions on Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. Art offerings include the Overture Center for the Arts, whose available event space ranges from a 24-seat boardroom to the entire 2,255-seat theater.

Since Madison is also a culinary capital, consider a restaurant crawl. This year, five Madison chefs or restaurants were nominated for James Beard awards, including Daniel Bonanno of A Pig in a Fur Coat.

The craft beer scene is growing, and there are tastings and tours. “From farm to table and from farm to glass, there is something in Madison for everyone,” Frankel said.

800-373-6376
www.visitmadison.com