By Kristine Hansen | Photo © Visit Milwaukee

When the Baird Center opened its doors in downtown Milwaukee, following a $456 million expansion and renovation, it qualified as Wisconsin’s largest convention and meetings center, spanning 1.3 million square feet. By folding in the former Wisconsin Center and taking over some parking lots, it now includes two buildings: the North Building and South Building.

By the time the new and improved venue debuted, many companies and organizations had already signed on to host meetings and events at the center, including the RNC in mid-July. “It’s the first group that’s taking every square foot of the building,” says Marty Brooks, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District, which also includes the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre.

Essentially, the center doubled in size by increasing the number of meeting rooms from 24 to 52, adding 112,000 square feet of exhibit space to now total 300,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, tacking on six loading docks to create a total of 22 and finally adding a second ballroom. “We’ve got an incredible amount of public pre-function space,” says Brooks, which makes the center feel more like a destination than a building.

AN INNOVATIVE FOCUS ON INCLUSION

Throughout the Baird Center’s design, Eppstein Uhen Architects and TVS wanted to be inclusive, recognizing the opportunity to meet this desirable need for meeting and event planners choosing a venue. “Inclusion has driven us to have a number of nursing mothers’ rooms and we acquired furnishings specifically designed for that function, to make it a very comforting experience for mothers,” for example, says Brooks.

Similarly, there are all-gender restrooms. Two sensory rooms were also added, “recognizing there are people who come to our events who may need such a place to go to,” according to Brooks, to counteract the buzzy stimulation of a convention center. The Baird Center relied upon expertise from KultureCity — a nonprofit that advises sports arenas, theaters and museums — on how to best create the sensory spaces.

“They provided the blueprint for the ideal way to outfit these rooms — from the carpeting to the wall coverings, lighting and furniture — to help someone who has a sensory issue at that moment to get back into a better place. It could be someone who’s experiencing depression or going through withdrawal of narcotics. It’s for no specific age group or race. It’s something we’re very excited about.”

AUTHENTIC AESTHETICS

Another unique feature of the Baird Center is what’s called “collaborative stairs,” borne out of reclaimed ash. These span two levels, with enough space for up to 200 people to sit comfortably and talk one on one, or in small groups between sessions. Power outlets, phone chargers and natural light were instrumental for both function and inspiration.

Aesthetically, the new center also offers visual nods to its home state with an “incredible collection of art,” says Brooks, “the vast majority of which is created by Wisconsin artists.” One piece of artwork on the ballroom’s ceiling is influenced by the surface area of the Great Lakes, for instance, appropriate given that Lake Michigan is a short stroll east of the center.

The reinvented venue hosts more out- door spaces than before, including the 16,500-square-foot Baird Sky View Terrace on the center’s roof, which is unlike any other rooftop in Milwaukee. Boasting fire pits, moveable trees in planter boxes and a glass drink-rail around the entire roof, this “garden in the sky” promises to woo planners. It can be used as a space for a social gathering or cocktail reception.

FLEXIBILITY MEETS FUNCTION

“The real motivation and opportunity for us isn’t as much in adding bigger events as it is adding more events that occur simultaneously, are overlapping or in connection,” says Brooks. For example, a big show takes five days to load, four days to host and three days to load out. Now, another group can hold its meeting during the non-hosting days as other space is allocated for setup and tear-down.

“We can literally cut the Baird Center in half,” he says, enabling more than one event to occur simultaneously.

Thoughtful decisions while building out the design include straddling requests
for natural light and dim lighting. While there’s a lot of glass exterior walls, including the exhibition hall where one wall is all glass, some exhibitors don’t prefer it as they may have light-sensitive displays or find harsh lighting makes visibility difficult. Instead, they can utilize a drop-down screen for all of the windows.

“You want daylight, you got it,” says Brooks. “If not, we can make it nighttime.”

Another example of flexibility is, in the event of a meeting or event buyout, the ability to change restroom signage, as well as reconfigure restrooms, to meet an event’s gender-specific needs.

In addition, the ballroom can easily be divided into seven spaces (such as a center space for a meeting and six other break- out spaces), and there’s room for up to 158 10- by 10-foot booths, as well as enough square footage to host up to 2,000 people in a banquet-style setting.

When planners tour the center for a possible meeting or event, they can also get a glimpse — and literal taste — of the food that would be served. This is thanks to the new chef ’s tasting room. “You can sample the food weeks and months before your event,” says Brooks. “You come in, watch the chef prepare the food, then taste it.” It can also be employed as a loyalty reward or private VIP perk during a conference where key leadership can be treated to an intimate meal.

ECO-FRIENDLY ASPECTS

Expanding the center, which is on track to earn LEED Silver Certification for its efforts, enabled opportunities to fold in sustainability, another growing consideration factor among meeting and event planners. This includes fritted, bird-friendly glass along projected flight patterns so birds’ lives are not lost, which is important given the proximity to Lake Michigan, and the many birds and seagulls downtown.

The building also has a stormwater trap that prevents the city’s sewer system from getting overwhelmed with a high volume of rainwater runoff over a short period of time. An ORCA food digester can divert up to 438 tons of food waste from landfills each year.

Attendees will also notice a nod to recycled materials in play, such as repurposed ash wood sourced from within 30 miles. “About 90% of the steel in our building is recycled,” says Brooks, adding that the roof ’s solar feature reflects light and heat to help with the building’s energy usage.

FUTURE CONVENTIONS

“What’s really been exciting for us over the past two years, as we’ve been going through the construction phase, is seeing how far out people are booking,” observes Brooks, adding that more than 184 events have been booked through 2031 and “over 300 events have holding dates over the next seven years. It’s a very healthy number for confirmed events and holding dates,” compared to previous years, before the convention center expansion.

“The expansion is really going to help us go after bigger conventions and bring more people to Milwaukee,” he concludes. This includes large groups who previously haven’t been able to consider Brew City as a destination to host their meetings due to a lack of capacity.

One example of such an event that the Baird Center has since hosted was Connect Marketplace, with 3,500 event planners, in August.

And some of those event planners in attendance could very well choose Milwaukee for their group’s next meeting or event, too.