Destination Madison

Our sales team is on the road but close to home: 📍Milwaukee, WI This week, Jamie Patrick, Sarah Lemmers, Samantha Brown and Brandon Holstein have been busy meeting up with current clients and creating connections with new ones at Connect Marketplace! There are thousands of meetings and events professionals from around the world at this show, and we were proud to be there to share all the reasons it’s a win to book meetings in Madison: The walkability and safety of our city. The benefits of having the University of Wisconsin-Madison in our backyard. Oh, and the natural beauty of our city. To give attendees a taste of what our lake-city-lake life is like, we partnered with Travel Wisconsin and other state destinations to host a boat cruise, complete with a visit by Bucky himself! #ConnectMarketplace24 #meetinmadison #destinationmadison #madisonwisconsin #jumparound

What was that, Kristine Hansen?! Three of the top eight hottest rooftops in the state are in Madison? Thank you so much for highlighting us in your recent Wisconsin Meetings article! If you’re looking to plan your next event, check out these spots: 🌊 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center – that lake view! 🌇 Madison Museum of Contemporary Art – that city view! 🎓 Graduate Madison – that campus view! Read what makes them so special in the article, then check out the Destination Madison website for more information and other locations. #destinationmadison #madisonwisconsin #rooftopevent #meetingsandevents 🔗 to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gFfGMX9V

It’s Women’s Equality Day! We love how women-positive Madison has long been and how the progress is always moving forward. From “Forward” herself (the statue at the foot of the State Capitol and the state’s motto) to the brand-new statue honoring Vel Phillips, Madison has a long tradition of honoring women and progress: 👏 Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway only the second woman to become (and the first out lesbian) to be elected as mayor of City of Madison, WI . 👏 Women-owned businesses are around every corner here, from breweries to restaurants and retail shops to lodging properties and more. 👏 There have been major, international companies founded and run by women here, including Epic and American Girl . 👏 Madison has long been growing as a women’s sports destination, from our Wisconsin Athletics programs to the newly debuted pro softball and volleyball leagues. And here at Destination Madison , we can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Drop a comment with your favorite women-owned business or feature female story! https://lnkd.in/gejJ-rzj #destinationmadison #madisonwisconsin #womensequality

✨YOUTH GRANT AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT✨ From bikes, soccer balls and dance team uniforms to resurfacing gym floors and more, leaders in community sports organizations asked—and today, the Madison Area Sports Commission and Destination Madison Foundation answered! We’re thrilled to announce the awardees for our second round of Madison Area Sports Commission Youth Grants: 🏅Bikes for Kids Wisconsin 🏅Black Men Coalition 🏅Central Midwest Ballet Academy 🏅Dairyland Sports 🏅Goodman Community Center 🏅The Grove Regional Community Center 🏅Imagine Academy Corp 🏅MadCity Futbol Club 🏅Madison Metropolitan School District 🏅MSCR—Wright Middle School We’ve granted more than $55,000 so far this year to programs that connect youth in need with activities that provide lifelong enjoyment and health benefits! 🔗 to learn more about the MASC Youth Grant and read spotlight stories: https://lnkd.in/gHBhD38J

Planning convention and sporting events in another city isn’t easy. To those of you searching for unique venues: we’ve got you. 🙌🏼 Greater Madison is known for having plentiful places that go beyond the ballroom to spaces that are perfect for events ranging from board meetings and breakout sessions to award ceremonies and closing receptions. Our stadiums, museums, botanical gardens and renovated barns add the kind of personality that make meetings memorable. We were proud to be featured in the July/August issue of PCMA’s convene magazine, which mentioned Madison as a place where “there’s a wow-worthy venue option from every kind of category imaginable: historical, architectural, creative, cultural and LGBTQ+ friendly.” 🔗 to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gmimwHca

📣CALLING ALL DESTINATION MADISON PARTNERS 📣 If back-to-school season has you feeling like learning something new, you’ll love what September has in store! Everyone is invited to the Everyone Welcome workshop on September 19. Billy Kolber and Kenny Porpora from HospitableMe are back with fresh insights and new strategies to help us make Madison a truly welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ guests. On September 26, we’re hosting Hospitality Workforce Buzz where we’ll share tips and tools for turning workforce challenges into new hires. Bonus: we’ll unveil our brand-new hospitality job board—it’s free for all partners! 🔗 to learn more about each event and to save your spot: https://lnkd.in/gQNRdWu2

✨PROUD PARTNER MOMENT ✨ We’ve welcomed 51 new partners to the Destination Madison mix so far this year—and the newest of the new give visitors and residents some truly unique things to do. From the NSFW EBNS gift shop to authentically scary ghost walks to chartered event boats to our first-ever beercade. Thanks to each and every one of you for helping us make Madison a must-see city! 🔗to the full list of new partners and make plans to check them out: https://lnkd.in/grKdiN6F

It's time! The time of year where we welcome health care professionals who travel from around the world to feed their imaginations, learn from peers, and get important updates from Epic at their headquarters in the City of Verona. Not only is it a storied tradition on the Epic campus—hence this year’s theme—there’s a behind-the-scenes story that Destination Madison is proud to help write each and every year. Did you know: 📕 Destination Madison has helped host Epic UGM for more than 10 years, providing key services like making connections with local businesses and managing hotel room blocks? 📕This year we fulfilled a record number of 13,000+ hotel room nights to accommodate attendees with comfortable and convenient places to stay? 📕We’re already working with partners at Epic on XGM 2025? It’s when we’ll welcome Epic’s customers for another annual, successful event. If you’re a local, you’re likely to see Epic employees at our restaurants, attractions and bike paths today through Wednesday. Help us give them a warm welcome!

Destination Madison is at the 6th annual OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center Pride Festival at Warner Park today 1-6 p.m.! We’re proud to be in a community that supports and celebrates pride all year round and sponsor this amazing event. A big focus of our work is continuing to make Madison a welcoming place for all and we are grateful to our community partners who do the same! We’ll be handing out our brand-new tote bags and more, so be sure to stop by the DM table to say “hello” and get to know us a little better. #destinationmadison #madisonwisconsin #pride #community 🔗 to: https://lnkd.in/gx4FC-TC

Madison is full of gardens and beautiful urban outdoor spots! We worked with Connie Cottingham (the “Garden and travel writer one”) on her visit to Madison last summer to explore our garden and outdoor options. Did you know you could visit: 🌱 Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center’s William T. Evjue Rooftop Gardens to see native plants 🌷 Period Garden Park in the Mansion Hill District for a charming, picturesque spot 🌳 Allen Centennial Garden to see the most diverse collection of trees and shrubs in WI 🌿 Aldo Leopold Nature Center to explore and see all sorts of wildlife AND MORE! Not to mention, these experiences are all FREE! Check out the “Garden Destinations” article in the most recent issue of American Horticultural Society’s magazine for more so you can get out there and explore! 🔗 to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gQ9a3Cgm #madisonwisconsin #destinationmadison #gardens #outdoors #americanhorticulturalsociety