Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/61584
Hyatt are located in the heart of down- town and connected to the convention center and commerce hubs by skywalk. Total city hotel rooms: 3,700+ hotel rooms within a mile of the convention center; 1,212 rooms connected by sky- walk, 10,500 hotel rooms in Milwaukee County, 16,100 hotel rooms in the Greater Milwaukee area. GETTING AROUND The General Mitchell International Milwaukee River Front For information:www.visitlongbeach.- com. MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN The "Visit Milwaukee" page calls the city "The ideal mix of business and pleas- ure. There's no place better than Milwaukee,Wisconsin. Regardless of why you came here, you'll come back for one simple reason:Milwaukee knows how to have a good time. " Milwaukee is no longer known as the Brew City, it's now transformed into a New City. And, ifmeeting planners would stop and take a look, they'd find that Milwaukee has a lot to offer, according to Brent Foerster, VP Sales & Marketing, VISIT Milwaukee. "Milwaukee is what planners are look- ing for today: it's easy…easy to get to with an airport eight miles from down- town; easy to get around in our very walkable city; easy on the budget, and there's a relaxed, easy attitude in our relaxed, friendly and safe city," says Foerster. Here's a quick look at whatMilwaukee has to offer. CONVENTION CENTER The Frontier Airlines Center boasts 300,000 sq. ft. of function space, which includes four ballrooms totaling 37,501 sq. ft., 28 meeting rooms encompassing 39,640 sq. ft., and total sq. footage for entire building standing at 667,000 sq. ft. Ranked #2 on a list of "Top Ten Convention Centers in HighlyWalkable Places, " the Frontier Airlines Center is located within walking distance of shops, restaurants, hotels, attractions and the popular RiverWalk. The Milwaukee RiverWalk was included on the list of "Top Ten Great Public Spaces" by the American Planning Association in October 2011. Milwaukee's convention complex also includes the recently renovated 4,100-seat MilwaukeeTheatre. Meeting attendees can stroll from two hotels connected to the Center via skywalk with more than 1,200 rooms or enjoy any of the 3,775 hotel rooms within one mile of the convention cam- pus. Unique meeting venues include Harley-Davidson Museum (Indoors: 10- 1,000 people / Outdoors: up to 15,000 people, The Garage – 10,456 sq. ft., Rumble – 5,651 sq. ft.), Milwaukee Art Museum (Quadracci Pavilion – 25,000 sq. ft. / capacity up to 1,000),Windover Hall – 10,000 sq. ft. / 800 standing/450 seated), DiscoveryWorld (Pilot House – 6,400 sq. ft. / 500 standing/400 seated), Promenade – 8,000 sq. ft. / 1,000 stand- ing/400 seated, (Tent – 5,500 sq. ft. / 1,000 standing/500 seated) and Potawatomi Bingo Casino (Expo Center – 30,000 sq. ft., Woodland Dreams Ballroom – 9,000 sq. ft.). There are 125 restaurants within walking distance of the FrontierAirlines Center. WHERETO LAYYOUR HEAD Hilton Milwaukee City Center (729 rooms) is undergoing an $11.5 million multiphase renovation. Hyatt Regency Milwaukee (481 rooms), was honored as "Best Hotel of the Year" (out of 44 hotels) by its owner company, and boasts $18 million in renovations in recent years. Both the Hilton and the Airport is only 10 minutes from down- town. Amtrak is only five blocks from the Convention Center. ATTRACTIONS Milwaukee is well into a 21st century transformation. From the futuristic wings of the Milwaukee Art Museum soaring along the Lake Michigan shoreline to the redeveloped downtown neighborhoods of the Historic Third Ward and Milwaukee Street, there's a renewed energy. The city boasts its powerhouse arts scene, diverse cultural offerings and the most restaurants, bars and clubs per capi- ta in the country behind Las Vegas. There's a lot to see in Milwaukee, including the Harley Davidson Museum, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, Milwaukee Theatre, Artasia Gallery & Museum, Edelweiss Boats - Milwaukee River Cruise Line and more. For information: www.visitmilwau- kee.org. SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER, LOUISIANA Kim Brice, the VP of Convention Marketing, says the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau will roll out the red carpet for anything and every- thing fromsmallmeetings and reunions to group tours and major convention. "These events are the big fish in a small pond here in Shreveport-Bossier," says Brice. "Everything from conventions that take up every inch of our 350,000-sq. ft. Shreveport Convention Center to smaller meetings and reunions of 10 people, our staff will invest the utmost care and atten- tion to your event. " Brice added that when the convention and tourism sales staff works with meet- ing and tour planners they assess the major needs individually,and provide serv- Black Meetings & Tourism March/April 2012: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 19