The Wisconsin Center District (WCD) has revealed renderings of its proposed expansion project.
The proposed expansion will double the square footage of the convention center and generate $12.6 billion in spending over 30 years. It's also likely to bring in more than 100,000 new out-of-state visitors to Milwaukee every year.
"Revealing our vision for the Wisconsin Center expansion with the board and to our community represents a major step forward," said Marty Brooks, President, and CEO of the WCD. "It is essential that this design seamlessly integrates into our city's landscape and is a place people are proud to show off. We want this space to build inclusivity, experiences, memories, and momentum and drive economic impact for our great city."
Part of the expansion project includes:
- Increasing the exposition hall square footage by 112,000 sq. ft., totaling 300,000 contiguous sq. ft.
- Integrating six loading docks to support the added square footage
- A ballroom with at least 30,000 sq. ft. that can seat 2,000+ people
- At least 24 new meeting rooms
- Modernizing the existing facility's interior
- Building new employee locker rooms, break, training, and briefing rooms
- Adding gender-neutral bathrooms, quiet rooms, and nursing mother's rooms
- Creating outdoor patio spaces
The new facility will also include a centralized Visit Milwaukee Visitor Center.
The WCD board will vote on the expansion project vote at its meeting on Thursday, April 2.
