NGAUS 147th General Conference and Exhibition

The NGAUS conference next year will return to the Great Lakes region. The association’s annual gathering is headed to Milwaukee, a destination Vogue magazine calls “the Midwest’s coolest and most underrated city.”

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan just 90 miles north of Chicago, “Milwaukee,” Vogue said, “is a Midwestern city that feels like a coastal one, where sailboards bob in the harbor and golden beaches stretch along a shockingly blue shore.”

It’s also a city with great architecture, a thriving arts scene and a vibrant nightlife that includes 150 restaurants downtown plus pubs, bars and, of course, beer gardens. After all, the city is one of the beer capitals of the world.

Most conference meetings and the industry exhibition will be in the recently refurbished Baird Center. The facility was also the hub when Milwaukee hosted the event in 1998 and 2011.

But the Wisconsin National Guard Association is planning several events beyond the Baird Center. On Friday, Aug. 22, attendees will be able to choose among golf, a Harley Davidson motorcycle ride or sport fishing from a charter boat on Lake Michigan.

The always popular mixers are set for that evening at the Deer District, a downtown indoor-outdoor sports, retail and entertainment destination. The all-attendee Governor’s Reception is scheduled for Discovery World, a large interactive science and technology museum.

Most attendees will reach the city via Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, which is eight miles from downtown. The city is also just a six-hour drive from eight states.