Meeting News - March 24, 2008 - (Page 36)

Destination Insider: Wisconsin Edited by William Ng william.ng@nielsen.com Harley Museum, Bike-Themed Hotel Rumble Into Milwaukee Milwaukee is looking to welcome a greater cavalcade of meeting groups with new attractions, lodging options, and meeting facilities coming on line this year. The city now is poising itself to do battle as a major group destination in the Midwest, and heading its new arsenal is the upcoming Harley-Davidson Museum, an homage to the famed motorcycle brand and the 105-year-old company’s corporate presence in Milwaukee. Opening this summer, it promises to accommodate special events of up to 1,000 attendees. David Fantle, spokesperson for Visit Milwaukee, the city’s CVB, was unabashed, saying,“We will soon have some of the best off-site venues that arguably can compete with any other city in the world.” Because of the iconic nature of Harley-Davidson and its avid fan base, the CVB anticipates that the 130,000-sf museum, on the edge of the Menomonee River, will attract 350,000 visitors annually and be a dynamic venue for group tours and off-site events. Anticipating hospitality demand generated by the museum, a new adjacent, motorcycle-themed lodging option will make its debut in May. A renovation of an existing warehouse, the sixstory, 102-room Iron Horse Hotel will have 5,000 sf of meeting and banquet facilities and will be a few blocks from the Midwest Airlines Convention Center. The —Dave Fantle, spokesperson, guest rooms will Visit Milwaukee have free Wi-Fi access, iPod docking stations, ﬂat-screen TVs, and Italian linens. Those new options will join Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin—opened in 2006 with a museum, aquariums, theaters, and labs focusing on the science of the Great Lakes—as well as the Milwaukee Art Museum, featuring a dramatic design by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and housing galleries, public gardens, and a 300-seat auditorium. Another existing group off-site option in Milwaukee is the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, with a four-star restaurant and a theater. Potawatomi is in the middle of an expansion that will triple the size of its casino and entertainment space, add restaurants and expand existing ones, and add a parking garage. continued on page 37 the best off-site venues that arguably can compete with any other city in the world. “We will soon have some of ” For the perfect balance of business time and family time, there’s no better place to meet than in Wisconsin Dells, “The Waterpark Capital of the World!®” We have more than 8,000 hotel rooms and top-notch meeting and convention facilities. Once the business day is done, our many activities will keep the entire team inspired and entertained. Contact us for more information, including personalized planning and a complimentary Meeting & Convention Planning Guide. Helen Wick Group Marketing Manager Wisconsin Dells VCB P.O. Box 390 Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965 888-339-3822, ext. 342 helen@wisdells.com MeetInTheDells.com 36 MeetingNews March 24, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.MeetInTheDells.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - March 24, 2008

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