Rhinelander chamber releases conference center feasibility study

A new feasibility study released by the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce (RACC) suggests the city could support a conference center capable of hosting 500 to 1,000 attendees — though no project is currently on the table. The study, conducted by the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, was commissioned by the Rhinelander Tourism & Marketing Committee (RTMC).
In a presentation during the June 8 Rhinelander Common Council meeting, RACC CEO Lauren Sackett stressed the study was about gathering information, not advancing a specific proposal.
“As part of its responsibility to support tourism and economic development opportunities, the Tourism & Marketing Committee wanted to better understand whether a conference and event space represented a realistic opportunity for Rhinelander,” she said. “This study provides valuable information that can help guide future conversations and decision-making, should interest emerge from developers, investors, or community partners.”
Sackett also pointed to a shift in how organizations are choosing event locations. “The study notes national trends showing increasing interest in destination-based conferences and events,” she said. “Organizations are looking beyond those major metropolitan markets and seeking more unique, authentic locations that offer memorable experiences, affordability, and access to outdoor recreation — qualities that all align with the Northwoods.”
Sackett was direct about what the chamber is — and isn’t — asking for. “The chamber is not interested in owning or operating a conference center, and we are not asking the city to commit any funding, approve anything, or take any type of action,” she said. “If a private developer, hotel operator, or investor emerges in the future, we hope these findings can help guide that conversation.”

She said a facility of this kind would address a specific gap in Rhinelander’s tourism economy. “We have a lot of tourism and we see a lot of sports travel right now, but where we are missing in the market is Monday through Wednesday, which is typically business travel,” she said. “A conference center like this could fill that gap.” She added that a venue capable of accommodating 500 to 1,000 people is not something typically found north of Highway 29.
The study recommends building a facility with at least 11,400 square feet of leasable space, anchored by a 9,000-square-foot multipurpose room that could be divided into three smaller spaces. That main room would accommodate up to 500 attendees in a crescent round configuration, 600 for a banquet, or 1,000 in theater-style seating. An additional 2,400 square feet of breakout space would round out the facility, which NCWRPC estimates would total approximately 17,100 square feet and cost roughly $6.99 million to construct.
The study points to Rhinelander’s tourism economy, its role as a regional service hub, and its location within a 100-mile radius of more than one million people as factors that could support such a facility. It also notes that within that same radius, only eight venues currently offer a single room larger than 8,000 square feet,
The full study is available at www.RhinelanderChamber.com/community-researchreports/.