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PUT SPORTS ON THE AGENDA FOR MEETINGS IN WISCONSIN

Wisconsin's sports venues combine sporting activities with on-site meeting facilities

MADISON, Wis. (April 20, 2007) - How about a lap around the oval at Road America, a Brewer's ballgame or even skating on the same ice rink as Olympic hopefuls? Your next meeting or special event can go from ordinary to extraordinary when you look into one of the many sporting facilities around Wisconsin. These facilities are available for meeting rentals of every size and kind. Here is a sampling of some of Wisconsin's premier venues.

Racing 

Recognized as one of the best road-racing circuits in America, Road America in Elkhart Lake annually hosts the world's top auto and motorcycle drivers. The four-mile, 14-turn track has been home to everything from private club events to international racing series competitions. Road America offers adventure programs or can customize unique events to fit your group's interests and needs. Consider their Geocaching Adventure Program for a great team building activity, or schedule a behind the scenes tour of the track and a lap around the oval in a pace car. 

Entertain clients, staff, customers and others in a hospitality chalet at the Milwaukee Mile, which offers options for groups from 50 to 500. Packages include Pit and Paddock passes, pre-race guided pit tours, closed circuit television for all races and plenty of catering options.

Water-skiing to Ice Skating 

On the shores of scenic Lake Andrea in Prairie Springs Park, the Pleasant Prairie IcePlex and Lake View RecPlex opens its multi-purpose rooms, large athletic field house and aquatic center for meetings and groups. Inside batting cages, racquetball, volleyball and walleyball courses, and indoor soccer fields are at your disposal. Outside, picnic areas, a private beach pavilion, ball fields, and sand volleyball courts are also available. 

Skate on the same Olympic ice rink ice that produced 26 Olympic medalist speed skaters, including Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee. This official U.S. Olympic Training facility features an enclosed 400-meter speed skating oval and two international-sized ice rinks for hockey, figure skating and short track speed skating. The Hall of Fame Room includes all the amenities for a world-class event that seats up to 150 with a bird's eye view of the arena. Flexible catering options ensure a meeting that works for every budget and group. 

An 18-hole championship golf course, three man-made lakes and a 90,000-square-foot indoor waterpark are among the amenities planned for the Aquaplex and Centre Lakes Development in Portage County near Stevens Point. Spanning 540 acres, the Aquaplex will also include a 350-room hotel and 75,000-square-foot convention center. The man-made lakes will house an amphitheater designed to host major state, regional, national and international water skiing events.

Professional Sports 

Take your group out to the ballgame with an event at Milwaukee's Miller Park and enjoy a beautiful view of the stadium and even take in a game. Miller Park offers numerous meeting and party rooms, including The .300 Club and the Field and Club Level Concourses to hold your special event. On-site event staff can help you organize a non-game day tailgate party with a ballpark fare menu. An in-house caterer is available to assist with room set-up and food and beverage needs. 

It's not just the historic home for Wisconsin's beloved Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field has also established itself as a premier year-round entertainment destination. Following a stadium renovation, Lambeau has retained its traditional football stadium aura while expanding its other uses through the Lambeau Field Atrium, also home to the Packers Hall of Fame. A variety of spaces can host a trade show on the Atrium floor or a private party in a press box with impressive views of the landmark field.

Fishing 

Wisconsin's 15,000 inland lakes and two great lakes, Michigan and Superior, make the state the ideal choice for a meeting or corporate retreat that calls for a little fishing, whether it's angling for musky, salmon, lake trout, bass, walleye, panfish or catfish. 

Sawyer County in Northwest Wisconsin is home to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, which displays some of the world record muskies caught in the area's 50,000 acres of glacial lakes and rivers. The natural beauty and the outdoor recreation of this Northwoods area allow corporate staff to get down to business with a fresh perspective. In nearby Cable, Lakewoods Resort and Telemark Resort & Convention Center offer comprehensive meeting facilities for the perfect combination of work and play in one location. For a more intimate retreat, Ross' Teal Lake Lodge and Teal Wing Golf Club in Hayward provides an informal setting for executives to relax, golf and take in a little musky fishing while conducting business. 

In Vilas and Oneida counties, anglers can fish trophy-sized musky, as well as walleye and bass. At Red Crown Lodge in Arbor Vitae, meeting planners will find a unique blend of corporate settings and recreational fun that can accommodate groups up to 80. The Red Crown Lodge provides in-house catering or opt for a Northwoods barbecue overlooking Trout Lake. The Trout Lake Golf & Country Club is located less than a mile away from the lodge where other recreational activities include sailing, biking and tennis. Eagle River Inn and Resort in Eagle River can provide banquet facilities up to 275 guests. 

In Rhinelander, the family-owned Holiday Acres is situated on Lake Thompson, 386 acres of prime fishing for walleye, musky, northern pike, bass and pan fish. Guided fishing services and boat rental are available. Executive homes and professional meeting space make it a perfect destination for a meeting combining both work and pleasure. Nearby, the Holiday Inn Express offers more than 10,000 square feet of meeting space. 

Along the entire coast of Lake Michigan from Kenosha to Gills Rock, charter fishing operations are plentiful, as well as a variety of meeting space and lodging properties to hold an event of any size or shape. Consider Two Rivers, Manitowoc or Racine for a smaller gathering and Milwaukee or Sheboygan for meetings requiring larger blocks of rooms and event space.

University Sports Facilities 

The University of Wisconsin campuses offer a terrific combination of premier sporting and meeting facilities for any size meeting. The UW-Madison campus boasts the Wisconsin Memorial Union with its picturesque lakeside terrace and colorful sunburst chairs - now a university icon. Sporting facilities include the Kohl Center and Camp Randall Stadium & Field House, in addition to the Nielsen Tennis Stadium, UW Field House, McClimon Track/Soccer Complex, University Ridge Golf Course, Goodman Diamond and the Natatorium. 

Located on the beautiful UW-Stout campus in Menomonie, the Johnson Fieldhouse, Sport & Fitness Facility and the Memorial Union Center offers meeting planners attractive rooms and a variety of sporting opportunities including softball and volleyball fields, even an outdoor climbing wall. 

UW-La Crosse also offers a blend of sporting facilities including venues for track and field, basketball, wrestling and gymnastics with meeting facilities through the University Center.

Visit www.thinkwisconsin.com to search for meeting and convention facilities, contact or request convention and meeting planners from Wisconsin CVBs or to learn the latest news about Wisconsin destinations. For more information on Wisconsin travel destinations and attractions, visit travelwisconsin.com.

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