We're just two weeks out from Connect Marketplace—a corporate conference where attendees can get a week's worth of business done in two days while dancing to Lil Jon or crushing it on the trade show pickleball court. Yep, this isn't your average conference.

At Connect, attendees can expect a B2B event that, above all, values one-on-one appointments and purposeful education—but planners and partners who take time out of their schedule to attend deserve an experience too. That's where lively networking events and other perks come in.

Wondering what's on the docket for Connect Marketplace 2024, taking place Aug. 27-29 in Milwaukee? Below are a handful of things to look forward to this year. 

1. A firsthand look at Baird Center

Connect Marketplace attendees will get a firsthand look at Milwaukee's new Baird Center (formerly the Wisconsin Center), which debuted in May. A $456 million expansion means the convention center now spans 1.3 million square feet and offers a 100,000-sq.-ft. ballroom and 300,000 sq. ft. of total exhibit space, all of which can accommodate groups from 10 to 10,000.

The teams behind the build designed the facility with meeting planner input. Expect details like sensory rooms, nursing mothers' rooms, an underground stormwater management system, an on-site food composter, and a solar roof. Its extensive art collection is of note too; Visit Milwaukee says "nearly every surface within Baird Center spotlights a unique collection of mostly Milwaukee artists" and that all works "tell the story of Milwaukee through the eyes of its residents."

Connect will take over Baird Center's exhibit hall and will host its closing party with Lil Jon (more on that below) in the Baird Ballroom.

Read this article in its entirety on our sister publication, BizBash, here.

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