In all, the Madison area has more than 8,000 hotel rooms and 400,000 square feet of meeting space, which makes it an annual gathering place for such conventions as the World Dairy Expo. Located on the shore of Lake Monona and inspired by a design created by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1938, Monona Terrace is two blocks from Capitol Square, to which it is linked by a pedestrian promenade. In 2001 the facility added the 250-room Hilton Madison Monona Terrace with direct access to the convention facility by enclosed walkway. The facility offers 250,000 square feet of convention and meeting space including a ballroom, an exhibit hall, a multimedia auditorium, gift shop, pre-function areas, and a 90-foot extension over the water. The roof features a park and bandshell, and there is parking for about 550 cars.
The Dane County Expo Center is a 160-acre multibuilding complex including 100,000 square feet of column-free exhibition space and a 9,500-seat arena. The brand new Overture Center for the Arts has unique meeting space for smaller groups in several spectacular settings. Three downtown hotels providing meeting and convention facilities are The Concourse, with three ballrooms and several meeting rooms; the Best Western Inn on the Park, with a variety of meeting room styles; and The Edgewater, with five meeting rooms.
Additional meeting accommodations are available on the campus of the University of Wisconsin—Madison, as well as at numerous hotels and motels throughout metropolitan Madison.
Convention Information: Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau, 615 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703; telephone (608)255-2537; toll-free (800)373-63763