The Event Design Lab, produced in partnership with the Event Leadership Institute, offered attendees in-depth, interactive education to kick off the meeting. Photo Credit: Nicholas Walsh / pc/nametag
More than 70 event professionals gathered at the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club for Northstar Meetings Group's first-ever Destination Midwest. The event, held Aug. 28-30 in Madison, Wis., brought together meeting planners looking to book business in the Midwest with hotels and CVBs from across the region, including Dubuque, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Branson, Mo.; Rochester, Minn.; and Green Bay, Wis.
The three-day meeting included a mix of networking opportunities, one-on-one appointments with suppliers and in-depth education. A major highlight for attendees was the Event Design Lab, produced in partnership with the Event Leadership Institute. The four-hour program, which kicked off the first day of the event, provided hands-on, interactive learning on how to incorporate outcomes-based principles into event planning, how to elevate speaker presentations, how to facilitate impactful meeting connections and more.
"The length of the event and the thoughtful agenda were just right," said Gayla Welsh, sales manager for the Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Mo. "Northstar knows how to blend the education, appointments and social events perfectly."
Sponsors who helped make Destination Midwest a success included the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club, Destination Madison, Travel Wisconsin, Explore Branson, Travel Dubuque, Essential Bodywear, Meet Chicago Northwest, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, pc/nametag and Aventri.
In response to the positive feedback to the inaugural event, Northstar will host a 2023 Destination Midwest event in Branson, Mo. View the full roster of upcoming events for more information or to register your interest as a hosted buyer or supplier.
Following are more highlights of Destination Midwest. All photos were made by Nicholas Walsh of pc/nametag.