Milwaukee Plays Host to Ultimate Sports Labor Day Weekend | Sports Destination Management

Milwaukee Plays Host to Ultimate Sports Labor Day Weekend

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Aug 30, 2024

Milwaukee will host numerous sporting events over the Labor Day weekend, showcasing the city’s ability to host multiple sports simultaneously as well as the area’s diverse array of venues and amenities to thousands of visitors. Ranging from INDYCAR racing to volleyball to a new-to-Milwaukee Red Bull wakeboarding event, the city will be activated with events for sports fans of all kinds.
 

“We are thrilled to welcome these dynamic and entertaining events to three of our amazing Milwaukee area venues! This weekend will offer our local businesses the opportunity to show the diverse fanbase why Milwaukee is a top-tier destination,” says Marissa Werner, director of Sports Milwaukee. “Our team is grateful for the trust Red Bull, Intersport, and IndyCar have in Milwaukee as a host and the continued economic benefit sports tourism brings to our community.” 


To capitalize on these events and drive even more awareness of Milwaukee’s sports offerings, Visit Milwaukee, in partnership with Travel Wisconsin, hired influencers Ryan Aliato,Tasia Robinson, and Katlynn Gill to promote this action-packed weekend. To help welcome visitors for these events, Visit Milwaukee’s Event Experience team provided welcome tables, welcome bags and specialized greetings at Mitchell International Airport for all event participants. In addition to this, Visit Milwaukee’s marketing team supported all events with local media promotion, along with social and web promotion to bolster ticket sales.


The sports sales division of Visit Milwaukee, Sports Milwaukee, aims to attract, promote and bolster youth, amateur and professional sporting events to generate a positive economic impact on the Greater Milwaukee area. Sports Milwaukee works with sports event planners to respond to RFPs and secure hosting for sports events of all sizes in Milwaukee including working with INDYCAR to secure a multiple year contract and bringing new events to Milwaukee such as Redbull Wake the City and The Women’s Volleyball showcase.


Since the inception in 2020, the team has increased room night production for youth, amateur, Olympic and professional events by 288%, from 28,539 room nights booked in 2019 to 82,097 in 2023. And, in 2023, the sports tourism industry nationwide accounted for $52.2 billion in total direct spending and $128 billion in economic impact.


The full lineup of Labor Day weekend sports events includes:

 

Milwaukee Milkmen vs. Lake Country DockHounds
The Labor Day weekend will begin on Friday, August 30 when the Lake Country DockHounds host the Milwaukee Milkmen for a crosstown rivalry. The three-game series will occur from August 30-September 1 at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park, with the winner clinching the final American Association east division playoff spot. Tickets for the Lake Country DockHounds can be purchased here.


HyVee Milwaukee Mile 250s
IndyCar returns to Milwaukee after a 9-year absence with the HyVee Milwaukee Mile 250s on August 30-September 1 at Wisconsin State Fair Park. On-track activities will begin on Friday, August 30, followed by NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on both Saturday and Sunday. The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s will be crucial in this season’s INDYCAR championship battle, serving as the 15th and 16th rounds of the 17-race 2024 season schedule. Live music acts like Ian Munsick, and Quiet Riot will accompany the INDYCAR weekend. Tickets for HyVee Milwaukee Mile 250s can be purchased here.


Red Bull Wake The City
Red Bull Wake The City will make its U.S. debut on Saturday, August 31 at Lakeshore State Park and the Henry W. Maier Festival Park, featuring top international wakeboarders showcasing their skills. Red Bull Wake The City brings a first-of-its-kind format to wakeboarding as teams face off in pairs, aiming to impress a panel of judges across five unique features. After it’s wildly successful inaugural run in Milan, Italy, the event makes its United States debut in Milwaukee.. The event is free to attend to the public for more information visit here.

 

Women's College Volleyball Showcase
The Women's College Volleyball Showcase will feature four powerhouse teams, including Wisconsin, 2023 national NCAA Division 1 champion Texas, Stanford, and Minnesota, competing at Fiserv Forum on September 1-2. The Wisconsin Badgers will face Texas on Sunday, September 1 and Stanford on Monday, September 2. While Minnesota will face Stanford on Sunday, September 1 and Texas on Monday, September 2, respectively. Tickets can be purchased for the Women's College Volleyball Showcase here.

 

Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers will take on their division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, in a Labor Day matinee on September 2 at 1:10 p.m. The Brewers currently stand on top of the NL Central with a 10-game lead over the Chicago Cubs. Tickets for Milwaukee Brewers baseball can be purchased here.

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