Destination Showcase
Lake Geneva
Convention & Visitors Bureau
Phone: (800) 345-1020
Address: 201 Wrigley Drive
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Web site: www.lakegenevawi.com
Number of hotel rooms: 2,200
Largest room block: 700
Largest meeting facility: 35,000 square feet
Largest exhibit facility: 35,000 square feet
Airports: General Mitchell International (42 miles)
Chicago O’Hare International (60 miles)
Minneapolis: 341 miles
Chicago: 72 miles
If any meetings destination in Wisconsin could afford to rest on its laurels, it would be the Lake Geneva area. Since the turn of the last century, when industrial titans from Chicago built their summer mansions here, this beautiful resort community has played host to generations of business and social gatherings.
“We like to think we have a good heritage here,” says George Hennerley, president of the Lake Geneva Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Lake Geneva has always been a place where people come to loosen up, relax and enjoy the good things in life.”
But rather than resting, Lake Geneva is investing — more than $8 million in recent years — to build on its reputation as one of the best resort destinations in the country. Among the recent improvements are a complete restoration of the Riviera, the 1930s-era centerpiece of downtown that includes street-level shops, an upper-level ballroom overlooking Geneva Lake and a lakefront pier where cruise boats dock. The surrounding downtown also received new streetscapes, sidewalks and decorative lighting.
With four major resort properties, dozens of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts, Lake Geneva is well equipped to handle any size group — and any size budget.
“We’ve got a reputation as a first-class meetings community,” Hennerley says, “but it isn’t necessarily an expensive area. We have room for virtually any budget, with lodging ranging from campgrounds to five-star resort spas and everything in between.”
The Lake Geneva Area CVB is a one-stop source for information that will help you match your meeting’s size and budget with the perfect venue. In addition, they’re experts at coordinating group outings that take advantage of the area’s activities, from boating and golfing in summer to skiing and skating in winter.
And all year-round, groups enjoy shopping and dining that rivals the best of the big city. The turn-of-the-century downtown is home to dozens of shops that offer everything from antiques and artwork, to gourmet food and upscale home furnishings, while downtown and the surrounding areas feature some of the best restaurants in the state.
So when you choose Lake Geneva, rest assured your group will have fun. “We’ve been doing this [hosting meetings] for a long time,” Hennerley says, “and we’re pretty good at it.”
