The first Meetings Today LIVE! event of 2026 kicked off May 3 in Milwaukee, with 40 planners and 40 suppliers gathered for a three-day Midwest meetings experience hosted at Hyatt Regency Milwaukee. Here’s a recap of what attendees experienced at Meetings Today LIVE! National during their time in Brew City.
To read a recap of each day, click on the jump links below.
| Opening Reception | | Day 1 | | Day 2 | | Meet the Mentee | | Image Gallery |
Opening Reception
Arriving in Milwaukee, attendees made their way to the 481-room Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, with 30,300 square feet of meeting space and a direct connection to the Baird Center, which recently completed a $456 million expansion. Hyatt Regency Milwaukee’s meeting space is spread across 23 rooms, but the Vue Rooftop Ballroom is the one that stole the show on opening night.
Formerly a rotating restaurant on the 21st floor, the 4,250-square-foot circular venue features 360-degree views of downtown Milwaukee and Lake Michigan. For our reception, it also provided a perfect view of the setting sun over MacArthur Square.
While soaking up some of the interesting sights Milwaukee has to offer, attendees got a chance to taste a variety of Milwaukee’s many flavors, inspired by the 100-plus festivals Milwaukee hosts throughout the year. Known as the “City of Festivals,” the destination has cultural celebrations, fests and live entertainment all summer long, often centered around the diverse communities that make up the city.
Around the Vue, multiple stations were set up to showcase the food that fuels Milwaukee’s many festivals, from mini corned beef sliders representing Irish Fest, Bavarian pretzels and beer cheese for German Fest, warm pita and baklava for Greek Fest, Mexican street corn and shrimp ceviche for Mexican Fiesta, a pierogi flight for Polish Fest and caprese skewers for Festa Italiana, all topped off with made-to-order cannolis from Cannoli Boys by Flour Girl & Flame.
The reception also featured a special visit from a four-legged friend, Frank, a 2-year-old yellow English lab representing the best of what Southern Cross Service Dogs, a charity matching people with disabilities (including veterans) with service dogs, stands for.
Our Meetings Today LIVE! National opening night reception gave attendees a sneak peek at just how well-prepared Milwaukee is to welcome groups and gatherings of all sizes, and before the evening wrapped, Visit Milwaukee Account Executive Katie Lawrence reminded us all that we were only getting started.
[Related: Milwaukee Meetings Are Getting a Major Makeover]
Day 1
Meetings Today LIVE! National attendees were up bright and early on May 4 for a breakfast featuring local and seasonally inspired fruit, cage-free scrambled eggs, sausage links and, of course, lots of coffee to fuel the business-filled morning ahead, starting in Hyatt Regency Milwaukee’s 2,722-square-foot Lakeshore Ballroom.
Matthew Krug, co-founder and executive director, and Joey Samuels, director of operations at Southern Cross Service Dogs, took the stage first to explain more about our CSR initiative, sponsored by the Grand Wayne Convention Center.
“Let me tell you why we do what we do,” Krug said. “Many people have heard the 22 number, right? Twenty-two veterans a day commit suicide. Well, the number’s actually double that. Recent studies say that 18% of the time, local authorities fail to identify suicide victims as veterans, and the [United States Department of Veteran Affairs] does not consider deaths from drug or alcohol overdose in their numbers. With those, in total, [the number is] 40 to 44 veterans who commit suicide every day. It's a staggering statistic.
“The good news is that another study done two years ago by Flagler College in Florida found that 82% of veterans paired with a service dog report reduced suicide ideation,” Krug continued. “The answer is pretty clear: Service dogs save lives. That's why we do what we do. We're here to save as many lives as we can.”
Before Krug—and Frank—left the stage, Meagan Drabik, sales manager at Grand Wayne Convention Center, presented Southern Cross Service Dogs with a $500 check.
Next up, Jessie States, vice president of MPI Consulting, presented “Challenge Accepted,” an education session sponsored by Explore Branson.
"When we bring people together, we really do make change happen, and that's why so many of us have stayed in this industry for so long,” States said to kick off her presentation. “We cherish that value, we believe in what we do and we know that when we bring people together, we can change lives.
“But when we are faced with challenges,” States continued, “that makes it harder for us to make that change. It makes it harder for us to do what we want and need to do. It makes it harder to achieve what we're trying to achieve.
When we work together on all sides of the ecosystem, when we bring together our partners and our suppliers and our stakeholders, and we're all in a room together. We can overcome some of these challenges.”
To walk planners through today’s event challenges and the current state of the industry, States referred to data from two surveys: MPI’s Quarter 2 Meetings Outlook report and Momentive Event Management Software’s Business Event Insights Research from last fall. Key takeaways from States’ morning session include:
- Only 47% of meetings professionals believe that conditions are going to get better in the next 12 months.
- 68% of respondents said that rising costs and inflation are the biggest challenges they face, followed by registration numbers (about 28%), event budgets (just over 25%) and attendee budget (25%). “Almost every challenge that meeting professionals are facing right now falls into one of those two things,” States said. “Either I'm struggling with my budget or my attendees' budgets, or I'm trying to create an experience that's engaging, seamless and impactful."
- “About half of meeting professionals say their budgets are going up, which is great,” States said. “They're not going up enough to keep up with the costs, but at least they're increasing."
- When it comes to where planners are cutting costs the most, entertainment and promotional products are taking the blow, with many also cutting on F&B and considering more affordable destinations, including second-tier cities.
- It used to take five or so years for the market to switch from being a buyer's market to a seller's market. “Now, we'll see that happen within a six-month period,” States said.
- Top event priorities for planners include improved accessibility, incorporating new tech, increasing DEI, increasing ROI, simplifying the experience and finding new revenue streams.
Following States’ presentation, attendees made their way back up to the Vue Rooftop Ballroom for their first set of one-on-one appointments, with a view to the north of where they’d be heading next: The Trade, Autograph Collection.
The 207-room hotel opened in 2023 across the street from Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, and offers more than 9,000 square feet of meeting space. The contemporary, luxurious hotel pays homage to Milwaukee’s hardworking history, celebrating the city’s foundational trades and manufacturing through an industrial-inspired design. Its fourth floor is known as the MVP, or “basketball floor,” with taller ceilings and toilets, higher shower heads and vanities, and California king-size beds designed with visiting NBA teams in mind.
After lunch, attendees had a bit of time to relax and refresh before happy hour at Miller Brewery, where over 160 years of brewing history comes to life in spaces like the Miller Inn and Stein Hall, a Bavarian-style beer hall complete with custom stained-glass windows and Steins imported from Germany.
The group also got to step foot in the historic Miller Caves, which date back to 1849, making them the oldest surviving structure at the brewery. The caves were abandoned in 1906 and remained closed until the early 1950s, when they were reopened and turned into a museum and event space for up to 40 seated or 75 standing.
Outside the Miller Inn, a group of bikers were waiting with their motorcycles to escort us to the world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum, situated not too far from where the first Harley-Davidson bike was built in a shed in 1903. The 20-plus-acre campus offers more than 15,000 square feet of indoor event space as well as space outdoors. For dinner, we gathered in the 5,651-square-foot Rumble room, which can seat 300 and, for our event, featured a live portrait artist, motorcycle photo-op, live music and food stations including a gnocchi bar, barbecue beef brisket, build-your-own smokehouse banh mi and a dessert bar with chocolates, candies, cookies, cake pops and more.
Day one of Meetings Today LIVE! National was indeed a sweet success.
[Check Out Our Upcoming Meetings Today LIVE! Events]
Day 2
The second full day of Meetings Today LIVE! National started with breakfast at Hyatt Regency Milwaukee again, which powered attendees for a second engaging education session and conversation led by keynote speaker Deborah Gardner, president and CEO of DG International.
The session, titled “Tie It All Together! The Industry Panel That Finally Says What Everyone’s Thinking,” featured four panelists representing a variety of perspectives in the industry:
- Mike Zollars, vice president of global accounts, HPN Global
- Leslie Johnson, chief sales officer, Visit Milwaukee
- Vanessa Bass, founder and chief event strategist, Foresight Management Group
- Doug Caldwell, director of business development, Atlantis Bahamas
Topics ranged from contract language and the RFP process to appropriate planner compensation and how AI is impacting the way we work today. Here are some of the best takeaways from the conversation:
- “Commission is not a replacement for compensation. Commission is a bonus for all of the other roles that you already play,” Bass said. “We know as event planners, we are therapists, we're nurses, we are bouncers sometimes, right?...Unfortunately, what happens when you don't get paid what you're actually worth, you're actually creating this benchmark: ‘We can get someone who will do it much cheaper.’ Good luck with that, though, because you're probably not going to get as much experience.” Planners, this means you should be charging for things like strategy, risk management and overall experience. If you discount your fees, you train the market to undervalue your talents.
- “A pet peeve is when a planner comes to me saying, ‘I need an RFP by EOD,’ and then I hear nothing from them for months after,” one supplier commented. And for many, this issue is persistent. Response times have grown from 48 hours to days, sometimes weeks, with multiple follow-up emails being ignored. “I try to put a very realistic decision deadline, and I'll put sort of a timeline of what the decision process is,” said Michelle Taunton, director of global accounts, HelmsBriscoe. “But if I'm going to go through that trouble, please don't start calling me two months before I said that decision date will be.”
- Resort fees, venue fees, contingency deposits, “cost of living” fees (apparently those exist now!) and AV penalties are eroding budgets. Planners are pushing back with contract language. “I literally put a ‘hidden fees’ clause into my contract that says, ‘If you have not told me everything prior to signing, I will not pay that shit,” quipped Staceyann Doria, founder and CEO of The Event Narrative. “Off of that clause alone, I saved $10,000.”
- The panel stressed that destinations, hotels and planners are on the same side when it comes to winning and hosting great events. “We all get along. We all work together,” Caldwell said. “Whether I get it or my competitor gets it, I want the business in [our destination].”
The main lessons learned: Be radically transparent, establish stronger negotiation skills, practice timely communication and, most importantly, own your value and know your worth.
Feeling more empowered and understood, attendees made their way to the Vue Rooftop Ballroom for a second morning of one-on-one appointments before heading over to the recently renovated Hilton Milwaukee, the city’s largest hotel. The property’s $42 million renovation wrapped last December and refreshed all 554 guest rooms, upgraded meeting spaces and included a redesigned lobby with restored architectural details, honoring the buildings 1927 Art Deco identity.
What attendees appreciated most about the hotel, though, were its two concierges: a pair of mini doodles named Millie and Sadie. (And yes, they do have an Instagram account! Follow them @millieandsadieatthehilton.)
From the Hilton, the group walked less than half a mile over to The New Fashioned, a bars and recreation experience in the heart of the Deer District, directly across from Fiserv Forum. The area’s largest multi-use facility features a 50-tap pour wall, classic Wisconsin fare and activities like bowling, curling and, for our group, an interactive experience called Game Show MKE hosted by Milwaukee-based hospitality company Bars & Recreation.
The competition heated up quickly as attendees battled through mini games like POP! Goes the Lyric, The Feud and The Big Pyramid. Ultimately, the blue team took the red team down and left victorious, with a Visit Milwaukee journal, koozie and beef sticks as a prize.
The 25,000-square-foot space is highly customizable, offering private event options for groups ranging from 12 to 1,000.
To bring Meetings Today LIVE! National to a close, attendees gathered for one last function at the newly expanded Baird Center, located across the street from our host hotel and connected to the property via skywalk. In 2023, the convention center wrapped its $456 million multiyear project, which doubled the Baird Center’s size to 1.3 million square feet, including 300,000 square feet of contiguous exhibition space.
Our Cinco de Mayo-themed dinner took place in the new Baird Ballroom, with the adjacent Baird Sky View Terrace providing views of the cotton-candy-colored sunset and the many churches in the distance. The “City of Steeples” made sure to send us off with a beautiful goodbye.
“We hope Milwaukee feels like part of your extended team,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. “Thank you Meetings Today for bringing us together, and thanks to all of you for your time, your ideas and your trust in this industry. We hope this isn’t goodbye, just simply see you again soon.”
Meet the Mentee
Meetings Today is continuing its mentorship project this year, where we host and sponsor a student mentee at each of our Meetings Today LIVE! events throughout the year in partnership with the University of Iowa’s event-management certificate program.
Selected students get to join the Meetings Today team onsite, where they shadow our event planners, help with behind-the-scenes tasks and network with other attendees to gather advice for starting a career in meetings and events.
For our Meetings Today LIVE! National event in Milwaukee, we were joined by Sammy Meents, a sport and recreation management major with a business concentration and a student in the event-management certificate program. As Meents prepares for her graduation in May, she is taking with her new knowledge and insights from established professionals gained through her firsthand experience at our event.
Read more about Meents’ mentorship experience in this Q&A with Meetings Today’s Taylor Smith.
Taylor Smith: What made you decide to apply to this mentorship program?
Sammy Meents: It was the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and explore a new side of the events industry. As a senior in the event-management certificate program, I have been actively seeking opportunities to grow and build my experience outside the classroom. I have a strong passion for event management, especially within sports, but what stood out to me about this program was its focus on corporate events, which I had not yet experienced. I was excited to step outside of my comfort zone, and through this experience I have discovered a new interest in the corporate events space.
What are your biggest takeaways from attending our event?
My biggest takeaway is how important communication and genuine connections are. It is not just about knowing someone’s name but actually building meaningful relationships. Before this experience, I was struggling with finding job opportunities, but now I feel much more confident knowing I have connections I can reach out to for guidance and support. I also gained a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of large corporate events and how much planning and preparation it takes to execute them successfully.
Why should other students follow in your footsteps and consider applying?
I believe all event management students should consider applying, even if they are unsure if events are the right fit for them. This experience not only helped me grow in event planning but also improved my communication skills and confidence, which are valuable in any career. I had an amazing time meeting incredible people, building meaningful connections and having the opportunity to experience new facilities and environments that I would not have otherwise. It is an experience that truly helps you grow both professionally and personally.
Want to reach out to Sammy? Email her at meentssam@gmail.com or add her on LinkedIn here.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
A big thank you to the sponsors for Meetings Today LIVE! National in Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
- Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
- Visit Milwaukee
- Harley-Davidson Museum (1903 Events)
- The Trade, Autograph Collection Milwaukee
- Hilton Milwaukee
- Bright Light Events & Entertainment
- Southern Cross Service Dogs
- Explore Branson
- Grand Wayne Convention Center
- Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
- KVL Audio Visual Services
- Wandering Maverick Photo + Film
Want to attend a Meetings Today LIVE! event? Applications are open for our remaining 2026 events in Sonoma County, California; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and St. Augustine, Florida. Click here to learn more and apply now!
Read more Meetings Today LIVE! event recap stories
