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Dear Volunteers,
Another week, another polar vortex! Hope you are all safe and enjoyed your weekend and were able to support local businesses on Super Bowl Sunday. If you are planning ahead for this Valentine's Day weekend and need some takeout or dine-in suggestions, we have those ready for you!
COVID-19 Updates
The City of Milwaukee is hosting a vaccine virtual town hall tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10 at 6 p.m. You can register and submit your questions here. The town hall meeting will be aired live with captioning on the City Channel (Spectrum Channel 25 or milwaukee.gov/citychannel), livestreamed on Facebook @MKEhealth, and posted at milwaukee.gov/covidvax after the event.
The President Visits Milwaukee
Congratulations to Gary Witt and his team at Pabst Theater Group! The Pabst Theater Group will host President Joe Biden for a live CNN Town Hall hosted by Anderson Cooper next Tuesday, February 16. According to CNN, the event will have an invitation-only, socially distanced audience and will follow the state's guidance and regulations to ensure a safe event.
US News & World Report lists Milwaukee-area hotels as the best in Wisconsin
Last week, I highlighted The Pfister and Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel for their placement on the US News & World Report list of Best Hotels in Wisconsin. I jumped the gun on this and failed to mention all of the fabulous partner hotels on this list. I apologize for my oversight! Here is the complete list, and many congratulations to all of you!!
#1 The American Club/Destination Kohler
#2 The Pfister
#3 Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
#8 The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel
#9 The Iron Horse Hotel
#10 Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel
#11 The Westin Milwaukee
#13 Milwaukee Marriott Downtown
#15 Washington House Inn (in Cedarburg)
#16 Potawatomi Hotel & Casino
#19 DoubleTree by Hilton MKE Downtown
#22 The Brewhouse Inn & Suites
Best of Wisconsin Meetings
A huge congratulations to all of the winners of Wisconsin Meetings' competition The Best of Wisconsin Meetings! The following partners were voted on by their peers for both their dedication to the industry and enhancing the customer experience in 2020. The magazine has declared that these properties have exceeded customer expectations and we couldn't agree more.
- The Wisconsin Center was voted as the best large convention center in the state
- The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel won the best boutique hotel property with meeting space
- Potawatomi Hotel & Casino earned kudos for being the best casino with meeting space
- The Cambria Hotel Milwaukee Downtown took home the award for hotel with best service
- Grand Geneva Resort & Spa was voted as the best property for a corporate retreat
- The Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee earned the award for the venue with the best outdoor reception space
We are incredibly proud to promote this community in part because of the fantastic work by these properties. Lastly, we were humbled to be recognized as the convention and visitors bureau with the best meeting and convention support. Our team, which includes our fabulous volunteers, is incredibly serious about ensuring our clients have the best experience possible when they choose Milwaukee.
Black History Month
We have created a series of webpages dedicated to Black History celebrations and events in Milwaukee, as well as Black Milwaukeeans who have impacted our city. Please click here to participate in the many activities scheduled this month, and continue to celebrate all year long.
Sports Milwaukee
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Last week, we released the new logo for Sports Milwaukee, a new division of VISIT Milwaukee that will market the city as an ideal destination for sports events of all kinds. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting initiative.
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Partner updates
German Fest canceled its 2021 event, scheduled for July. We were very sad to hear this news. VISIT Milwaukee will take that time to encourage visitors and locals to explore Milwaukee's German culture instead and support local businesses. Looking forward to donning my dirndl in 2022 instead!
Giving Fest continues in Milwaukee. We are hearing great things from our partners who have created at event at Milwaukee365.com. If you haven't come up with your Giving Fest event yet, there's still time. Upload your event here - Giving Fest continues through February 28.
We would love to have you join us on Sunday, February 28 at 7 p.m. for our Giving Fest Grand Finale at the Hoan Bridge. Our friends at 88Nine will provide the music while Light The Hoan puts on a special lights display and our friends at Summerfest will be opening up their parking lots to welcome guests to watch from the safety of their cars. Please pick up some local takeout on your way and enjoy "Dinner and a Show" to close out Giving Fest. More details can be found here.
Taste of Tosa Village returns this weekend, just in time for Galentine's and Valentine's Day! Click here to order today.
Lakefront Brewery has released its latest small-batch brew that might be familiar to some Milwaukeeans. Rendezvous was originally made as the house ale for Coquette Café way back in the day, and this "new" brew has been aged in brandy barrels since 2014. Order some here.
Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria is expanding their global menu in celebration of Valentine's Day weekend and Chinese New Year. Blue Bat's chef team has created a specialty menu of handmade dumplings, asian-fusion sides, and specialty cocktails available February 12 through February 14. Learn more here.
Mason Street Grill will be hosting a virtual wine dinner on Friday, February 19. Yourreservation for this one of a kind virtual event will include a dinner-for-two box containing the featured wines and ingredients to prepare the food courses along with a Zoom link to log-on and follow along with Chef Heskieth Flavien as he walks you through preparing this fantastic meal! Sign up here.
Next up in First Stage's "Through Our Lens 2021 Virtual Season of Plays" will be Arthur Miller's powerful and timely drama The Crucible. This fictionalized tale of the Salem Witch Trials is full of lies, hysteria, and revenge in an era where gossip became truth. Buy your tickets here.
Congratulations to Mr. B's in Mequon as they re-opened last week. Reservations are required. Click here to treat yourself to an amazing steak dinner!
The Jewish Museum Milwaukee is reopening and doing so in style with a new exhibit, To Paint is to Live, which tells the amazing story of artist Erich Lichtblau-Leskly, who while imprisoned during World War II tore apart and hid his artwork beneath the floorboards in a Jewish Ghetto. Miraculously, both he and his artwork survived the war. The pieced back together originals are on view alongside recreated works in the new exhibit. Congratulations to the Museum!
The creative and generous minds at Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 are at it again! Understanding that small businesses are the lifeblood to the vibrancy and vitality of our neighborhoods, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 is helping restaurants, bars, personal service providers, and retailers get back on their feet. Through the MKE It Back grant program, small businesses located within the geographic boundaries of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 are eligible for up to $5,000 in assistance. Funding can be applied toward operating expenses and/or innovative marketing pivots in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total amount of $100,000 will be distributed to eligible businesses and you have until Feb. 16 to apply. Apply here.
Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 also commissioned a series of ice sculptures downtown to help us all find the whimsy in these cold temperatures. This weekend head to Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel to see an angelic piece, and then pop over the Milwaukee Public Market for a work that is especially photo-worthy.
Sculpture Milwaukee is offering Valentine's Day photo sessions in front of Robert Indiana's iconic LOVE sculpture that now lives on the lake side of Milwaukee Art Museum. It's the perfect way to celebrate the season and support an amazing public art initiative.
Milwaukee ranked one of the best cities
In the "we already knew that!" category, Milwaukee has ranked #9 among U.S. cities with the "Best Work-Life Balance 2020." The study drills down on several categories, including COVID. Milwaukee received a good inclusivity score too.
Stay warm!
Peggy Williams-Smith
VISIT Milwaukee
President & CEO
(414) 287-4233
pwilliamssmith@milwaukee.org
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