Madison, WI

Welcome to Cvent’s Madison meeting planning guide – a city guide for Madison meeting planning professionals. Planners looking to hold a meeting in a city frequently lauded as one of the best U.S. cities in which to work, live and play should consider culturally rich Madison, Wisconsin. As Wisconsin's capital city and a center of cultural attractions, fine restaurants and unique Madison event venues abound. There is a wealth of natural beauty, thanks to its location between the beautiful Lake Monona and Lake Mendota.

Downtown Madison is located just minutes from the Dane County Regional Airport. Serving more than 82 commercial flights daily, Dane County Regional offers nonstop service to such cities as New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Atlanta.

The two largest meeting sites in Madison are the Alliant Energy Center and the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, which together give the city the ability to host groups of up to 10,000 people. The city's Alliant Energy Center spans a 164-acre campus in the heart of Madison, featuring nine agricultural exhibit buildings, 5,800 on-site parking spaces, a 255,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall including a 30,000-square-foot front lobby, 14 meeting rooms, eight ancillary rooms and the multi-purpose Veterans Memorial Coliseum for up to 10,000 guests. The center is also home to Willow Island, a 29-acre green space ideal for festivals and concerts, and an Arena, which offers a variety of floor surfaces, including carpeting, concert, dirt or ice and features grandstand seating for 550 people. Alliant Energy Center's Exhibition Hall is also connected via enclosed walkway to the 140-room Clarion Suites Madison Central hotel.

Madison's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center sits on the shore of Lake Monona in downtown Madison, just two blocks from the Wisconsin State Capitol. The green-minded 250,000-square-foot, multi-level convention center features such meeting spaces as a 40,000-square-foot exhibition hall, 14,000-square-foot ballroom, 68,000-square-foot rooftop garden and 310-seat multimedia lecture hall. The Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center is attached to the 240-room Hilton Madison Monona Terrace.

Whether it's time to enjoy local and global fare or take meetings off-campus, many of the city's fine dining restaurants also double as Madison event space. The Samba Brazilian Grill offers unique two-course dining with rodizio service meats served tableside, while the French favorite L'Etoile prides itself on its use of local, natural and wholesome ingredients. Located on Madison's Capitol Square, Harvest has been voted as among the country's best organic and farm-to-table eateries, while Johnny Delmonico's has been voted as the city's finest steakhouse. Finally, Bonfyre American Grille specializes in contemporary American cuisine served in an upscale casual environment.

Madison is bursting with family-friendly attractions and unique facilities. Among the many Madison meeting sites is the renowned Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, which offers such spaces as 51,000 square feet of exhibition space and a 7,100-square-foot rooftop sculpture garden. The museum sits within the downtown Overture Center for the Arts, home to 10 resident arts organizations, seven performance facilities and several meeting spaces. Other Madison events facilities include the beautiful Olbrich Botanical Gardens, celebrated Henry Vilas Zoo and stately Wisconsin Veterans Museum.