The
American Society of Association Executives is the latest group to select Milwaukee as host city for a large-scale convention.
Slated for 2034 at the
Baird Center, the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition will bring roughly 5,000 visitors to the city for a conference that's often called the “Super Bowl of meetings,” according to
Visit Milwaukee.
“We could not be more thrilled to host this event, which represents unparalleled exposure for Milwaukee in front of thousands of meeting planners,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee.
Based in Washington D.C., the ASAE has more than 52,000 individual members and more than 1,800 organizational members. Its annual meeting is the largest annual educational and networking conference for the association profession in the world.
Milwaukee was selected to host the 2034 event following a competitive bidding process which takes into account the city's convention center facilities, hotel packages and venue options for evening events. Other site selection factors include the geographic location; the commitment of the host city to deliver new experiences for ASAE attendees; and support of local city officials and hospitality industry leaders as well as the city’s relationship with ASAE.
The organization recently announced the sites of its next 10 annual meetings, including Los Angeles in 2025, Chicago in 2028, Columbus, Ohio in 2030 and Baltimore in 2033. The 2024 conference took place Aug. 10-13 in Cleveland.
Booking host cities far in advance enables the ASAE community to proactively plan their future professional development and engagement opportunities and gives ASAE and each host city more time to collaborate and invest in local communities through ASAE’s Meeting Community Needs initiative and other initiatives, according to Michelle Mason, president and CEO of ASAE.
“We are excited to partner with these cities to deliver exceptional experiences for ASAE attendees and showcase each city’s unique brand of hospitality," said Mason. "The ASAE Annual Meeting serves as a cornerstone for the association community to connect, share insights and shape the future of the profession. Our Annual Meeting host cities are critical partners to our success.”
The organization claims average immediate economic impact of the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition is between $15 and $18 million over four days, and host cities can reliably expect 20% of ASAE decision makers in attendance to book future business in the host city within five years.
