Meetings Mean Business! (MMB) Grants Program

The Meetings Mean Business (MMB) Grant Program helps potential Wisconsin destinations by providing financial assistance for facility costs or host destination expenses as they bid for regional and national meetings or conventions.

Why You Should Apply

Attracting national or Midwest regional meetings and conventions generates significant economic impact from additional room night bookings and traveler spending in the community in which they are held.
Attracting national and regional conferences gives Wisconsin a competitive edge and top-of-mind awareness as the premier place to host meetings or conventions.
Destination can go after a variety of different kinds of meetings and conventions that best fits their business model including but not limited to associations and organization meetings, trade shows, reunions, educational or social meetings.

Guidelines

The fund has $110,000 per fiscal year available for matching grants. Destinations may apply for 50 percent of the costs for convention facility rental, in-community convention transportation or host costs, up to a maximum of $30,000 during the State fiscal year.
This grant does NOT fund in-state events that are regularly scheduled or those that rotate destinations within the state.
Organizations receiving funding from Meetings Mean Business fund may not also request funding from Joint Effort Marketing grant fund for the same event, during the same fiscal year.
Please see MMB Grant Guidelines for complete grant requirements.

Apply for an MMB grant

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism now accepts all grants online with our electronic grant system. To apply for an MMB grant, go to grants.travelwisconsin.com. (Application Preview)

If you haven’t used the system previously, please contact the Grants Coordinator to assist with setting up your organizational account. See the Electronic Grant Program User Manual for additional instructions.

For further questions or additional applications reach out to the Grants Coordinator.

MMB Grant Deadlines

The Department of Tourism will be reviewing applications three times each year. The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM September 1, January 1 and April 1.

If the event is secured, the application must be received at least 180 days prior to the event.

If the event is not secured, the application must be received at least 90 days prior to event.