What makes Capital Chapter Partners the best? Destination Madison speaks to the topics our members care about most!

 

Who we are:

Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin and home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Top Ten research institution. Our downtown sits on an isthmus, between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, so it’s surrounded by stunning scenery and inspires all sorts of outdoor activities. Our lake-city-lake landscape means visitors get all the beauty plus the perks of a city:

• Accessibility: We offer direct flights from D.C. and it’s less than a 15-minute ride from our airport to downtown. Once you’re here, everything is walkable (or bikeable)!
• Safety: We were recently ranked by WalletHub as #3 State Capitols for Safety.
• Culinary: We were recently featured on Bravo’s Top Chef and have 42 James Beard honors. Our food offerings are plentiful, ranging from global fare to gluten-free, swanky steaks to plant-based.

Our team receives rave reviews for its experience, creativity and ability to create connections that make planning events easy.

 

What set us apart:

In total, our city offers more than 12,000 rooms (1,800 of them downtown) and 400,000 sq. ft. of meeting space to accommodate a wide variety of conventions and events.

In addition to the amazing amenities in our capital city, our sales and services team has 78 years of collective experience hosting meetings in key industries: STEM, biotechnology, education, environmental, healthcare, sports and more.

We pride ourselves on being fun, flexible and approachable. We do our research so we can truly understand each planner’s needs. And we’re grateful to receive many 5-star exit reviews as a result!

 

What are some of the flagship products or services offered by your organization? Could you highlight a few key features or benefits of each?

Our Frank Lloyd Wright-designed, Platinum LEED-certified Monona Terrace convention center sits on the shores of Lake Monona, offering stunning waterfront views and iconic architectural beauty plus:

• Flexible space: 250,000 square feet of space, a 68,000 rooftop garden and 600-space attached parking garage
• Accommodations: Hilton Madison Monona Terrace (attached) and Embassy Suites (just steps away)
• Unexpected specs: State-of-the-art A/V suite of services, including in-house staff support
• Walkable: Two blocks from the Capitol Building and more than 100 shops, restaurants and attractions within walking distance
• Sustainable: Monona Terrace uses 27% less energy than similar U.S. facilities and its water usage is 43% below the LEED benchmark

 

We prioritize customer satisfaction and ensure a positive experience by:

We truly care about our clients’ success. Our services team prioritizes conversations with meeting planners to see what their needs are as the event approaches. Our goal is to inspire a love for Madison so we aim to curate the best possible experience we can. That could be customizing a carbon offset program or working with an event planner on a unique request we haven’t seen before to ensure a successful, unforgettable event.

 

Let’s talk current trends!

Sustainability and green meetings are definitely a trend — but in Madison, it’s a longstanding tradition. Gaylord Nelson had deep roots in Madison’s political and environmental landscape before becoming a U.S. Senator where he founded the first official Earth Day in 1970. Today, we’re proud that our Monona Terrace Convention Center is Platinum LEED certified — in fact, it exceeds many LEED benchmarks.

We also strive to meet shorter RFP deadlines. We know that groups that used to meet in Tier 1 cities are now looking at Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities because they are more affordable. Our venues and hotels are willing to work with us and our clients to make Madison a good fit.

 

We prioritize diverse, inclusive and equitable meetings experiences by:

Madison values diversity and inclusivity, which is also a strong part of what Destination Madison believes in. The City of Madison has 28 protected classes, the most extensive in our country today. We have recently added a Multicultural Sales Manager position to help us connect authentically with diverse groups, both at home and across the country.

In addition, our partnership team has recruited a significant number of diverse members and affiliates, which helps ensure a more equitable opportunity to service convention business we bring to Madison. We are connected to LGBTQ+, women-owned and black-owned businesses.

At Destination Madison, DEAI training is part of our onboarding training for all staff members. We also brought HospitableMe to Madison so partner businesses and staff members could learn best practices in making sure our destination is open and welcoming to LGBTQ+ travelers.

 

We support NextGen by:

Madison is home to a Big Ten university (UW-Madison), Edgewood College and Madison College, so education is embedded in our city’s culture. As such, Destination Madison offers each staff member an opportunity to curate their own professional development path with their supervisor’s help and approval. We also offer projects that will stretch our staff in growth areas, allowing them to learn more by doing.

Many of our team members also mentor students in the hospitality program at Madison College via activities like informational interviews or job shadowing to help them experience everything that goes into hosting successful conventions and events in Madison.

 

A success story we want to share with you:

We recently held the American Association of State Transportation Officials 2024 Spring Meeting.

Monica Russell, Director of Meetings & Member Services, shared this feedback:

“I wanted to extend my sincere thanks for your support leading up to and through our Spring Meeting last week! I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from our members, attendees and my leadership, so I wanted to share my appreciation for everything you did to help ensure it was an overall success. Being without a key team member on my side, I was thankful to be able lean on you for so many things like branding at the airport and hotels, coordination of our offsite events, and connecting me with each venue along with caterer, service support teams and musicians, to name a few. We didn’t experience any glitches, which is rare. You made everything appear seamless and for that, I can’t thank you enough.”

 

What does the future hold?

Madison just boosted its accessibility with the opening of the brand-new Embassy Suites downtown hotel. This 262-room property sits just steps away from the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center. Besides its premium location, this Embassy Suites has all the upscale amenities guests have come to expect: renowned breakfast offerings, rooms with living areas and pull-out beds, plus in-room tech tools.

We’re also busting airlift myths. Thanks to an $85 million investment in our airport, we’ve added 90,000 square feet — and three new gates — which means more flights to Madison. Now, planners and passengers can count on direct flights from many major U.S. cities nationwide, including Washington, D.C. In addition to growing flight options, the airport expansion incorporated sustainable and accessible experiences, such as eco-responsible HVAC systems on jet bridges, changing stations for adults with disabilities and a service animal relief area.

 

The PCMA Capital Chapter has been an incredible organization that has exposed us to quality education and lifelong connections, and we have been grateful for all the people we have met by being a member of the chapter!

 

Want to learn more?

Contact Sarah Lemmers, Director of Convention Sales, [email protected], 608.441.3943

Check us out: visitmadison.com/meetings/