Wisconsin Center

Specialties

The Wisconsin Center provides beautiful, dramatic and well-​appointed facilities for meetings, banquets, exhibitions, conventions and conferences of all kinds and sizes. With almost 300,000 square feet of total event space, it is the largest convention & conference center in the state — and is conveniently located in Wisconsin’s premier downtown, and just 10 minutes from its only international airport.

History

Established in 1998.

Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center continues to hone the leading edge of the industry with outstanding service, flexible, comfortable facilities and a setting in downtown Milwaukee, now nationally recognized as a fun, friendly and exciting destination in itself.

Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), the Wisconsin Center faces Wisconsin Avenue, the city’s «Main Street,» and is within steps of leading hotels, retail establishments, attractions, dining, nightclubs, and transportation. It is even connected via skywalk to two major hotels – the Hyatt Regency-​Milwaukee and the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. Adjacent neighbors also owned by WCD include the 12,700-seat UW-​Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Milwaukee Theatre, which opened in 2003 as a new, 4,087-seat theatrical and assembly venue, built in the shell of the historic Milwaukee Auditorium. Both offer excellent options for general sessions, entertainment and other functions tied to Wisconsin Center conventions.

Meet the Business Owner

Wisconsin Center District W.

Business Owner

The Wisconsin Center District (WCD) is a government body created under Wisconsin State Statute in 1994 to fund, build and operate the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee, and continue operating the existing venues now called the UW-​Milwaukee Panther Arena and Milwaukee Theatre. Not a unit of state, county or city government, WCD is instead a semi-​autonomous municipality called a «district,» meaning its leaders are appointed and it can issue bonds and collect taxes within strict limits.

WCD is governed by an unpaid, 15-​member Board of Directors statutorily appointed by the Governor, the Milwaukee County Executive, the Mayor of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Common Council President. The co-​chairs of the State Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee and the City of Milwaukee Comptroller serve on the board automatically, and two appointed members represent the hotel and restaurant industries, which derive the most benefit from a convention center.