Wisconsin State Education Convention hotel room blocks will open on the same day as convention registration, Nov. 3, 2025. Once you register for the convention, your confirmation email will include a link to book your hotel room. This is in an effort to simplify the process and ensure members don’t have to book hotel rooms before they know who will be attending the convention.

Individuals who submitted breakout session proposals for the 2026 Wisconsin State Education Convention should have received a September email notifying them whether their proposals have been accepted. Contact WASB Director of Communications Brock Fritz at bfritz@wasb.org for more information.

The early bird registration fee is $325 per person until Dec. 15.

After Dec. 15, the registration fee is $360 per person.

Convention registration will open on Monday, Nov. 3.

There are many events that occur at the Wisconsin State Education Convention. In addition to the general registration, school board members and administrators may want to attend a pre-convention workshop, ticketed meal or tour.

Check back soon for the 2026 Registration Form, which administrative assistants can have school leaders fill out to manually indicate which events they will be attending before using the online system to officially register them.

All speakers attending the convention must be registered. Breakout session speakers are not paid for speaking. If a speaker is only coming to present at their session and then leaving, we can give them a single event speaker pass for their session. There is no charge for the single event speaker pass. Contact memberservices@wasb.org if a single event speaker pass is needed.

Yes. Registrations can be purchased onsite.

Tuesday, January 20
11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Baird Center, 3rd Floor

Wednesday, January 21
7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Baird Center, 3rd Floor

[Delegates: Pick up credentials on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. outside Ballroom A/B, 1st Floor]

Thursday, January 22
8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Baird Center, 3rd Floor

Starting with the January 2026 convention, the onsite handout print station will be discontinued. Handouts will instead be available digitally through the convention website and app.

This shift reduces paper waste and makes materials more accessible—attendees can view them anytime, anywhere, on any device. Not all presenters provide materials in advance, but as they are shared with us, we will upload them online for easy access before, during and after the event.

We encourage attendees and exhibitors to download or print any materials they would like in hard copy prior to arriving at the convention.

The WASB maintains each year’s convention website for a full year so you can continue to access handouts months after the convention. If you are looking for a handout from a previous year’s convention, contact the WASB staff – we may be able to provide it.

The agenda will be available in the fall, and it can be printed by day.

A printed convention guide will be available on site in Milwaukee.

The Baird Center is the new name of the Wisconsin Center.

The location of the State Education Convention has not changed, just the name of the venue. The Baird Center is located at 400 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee.

While the Baird Center offers public parking at the Kilbourn Avenue Entrance (501 W. Kilbourn Ave.) and the Wells St. Entrance (500 W. Wells St.), space is limited. There are several parking structures within a short walking distance. Additional public parking ramps are available throughout downtown, from street spots to nearby garages, including:

• 330 W Wells St. Garage
• 6th & State Lot (entrance located on 6th St. and James Lovell St.)
• Isaac’s Garage (Hyatt)
• MATC Surface Lot
• Hilton City Center Garage

We recommend allowing extra time during peak arrival hours and checking the Baird Center website for the latest parking maps, rates and accessibility details.

Yes. The loading dock is loaded at 850 N. 6th St., Milwaukee. More information here.

We strongly discourage dismantling booths before the hall officially closes at 2 p.m. on Thursday. Many attendees have limited time and are disappointed when exhibitors close earlier than expected.

That said, we understand that circumstances sometimes require an early departure. While there is no penalty for leaving early, please note that the loading docks will not open prior to 2 p.m. Exhibitors who dismantle early will need to remove items through the main exhibit hall doors and should plan to have their own means of transport.

We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and support in providing a positive experience for all attendees.

Courtesy of Lamers, shuttle service will run approximately every 45 minutes between the Baird Center and the area hotels listed below at the following times:

Wednesday, Jan. 21:
7-9 a.m.
4:30-5 p.m.
5-6 p.m. *

Thursday, Jan. 22:
6:30-7:30 a.m. **
7:30-8:30 a.m.
5-6 p.m.

* Pick up is at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center Hotel to accommodate the Networking Reception.
** Drop off is at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center Hotel to accommodate the WASB Breakfast.
***Hours subject to change.

Hotels in the downtown area with complimentary shuttle service include:
Aloft
Courtyard by Marriott
DoubleTree Hotel
Hilton Garden Inn
Hyatt Place
Milwaukee Marriott Downtown
Saint Kate Arts Hotel

Pick-up locations:

• Baird Center: Ground floor doors on Wells Street (near the corner between Ballrooms A/B and C/D)
• Hilton Milwaukee City Center Hotel: 6th Street Entrance (at the end of the Broadcasters Hall of Fame Hallway)

Electric scooters will be available for rental from On the Go Mobility, a local Milwaukee company. Contact them at 414-228-7100 or mail@onthegomobility.com.

Scooters are not provided by the convention center so advanced booking with On the Go Mobility is strongly recommended. Reservations must be made ahead of time.

A complimentary coat check is available on the ground floor of the Baird Center.

The skywalk connecting the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee with the Baird Center will be open in January 2026.

Wednesday, Jan. 21: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 22: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Our bookstore features a large selection of books focused on leadership and school district management. We also feature books by our keynote speakers. The bookstore is located in the Exhibit Hall near the WASB Commons.

Yes! Please share your photos and experiences from the 2026 Wisconsin State Education Convention on social media with #EdCon2026.

The WASB Delegate Assembly registration is handled separately because the Delegate Assembly is a separate event from the State Education Convention. The two events are held simultaneously for the convenience of members.

Convention registration is not required to attend the Delegate Assembly. In addition, it is imperative that only one member from each member board be given delegate credentials for voting purposes. By handling the Delegate registration immediately outside the Delegate Assembly room, staff is able to easily hand out credentials prior to the onset of voting. Staff is also able to readily confirm which board member has the district’s credentials and whether an alternate delegate may be admitted to the Delegate Assembly. Delegates may pick up their credentials on the ground floor, immediately outside the Delegate Assembly hall during designated hours on the day of the Delegate Assembly.

The Baird Center provides free internet throughout the convention center. However, it is limited and it will be slow if a large number of people use it at the same time. It is not recommended for use in presentations. Breakout rooms can be hard-wired for internet access. However, it is cost prohibitive and the State Education Convention budget is not large enough to absorb this cost even if it were possible to negotiate a reduced rate, which has not been an option.

The Baird Center contracts with a vendor to provide all food and beverages for conventions and other events. The WASB is required to work with the designated vendor and is not able to set prices directly for food and beverages provided in the Exhibit Hall or at the take-out carts.

Check out the Visit Milwaukee website at visitmilwaukee.org.

You can also ask the volunteers from Visit Milwaukee who staff a table near the registration desk on the third floor of the Baird Center during limited convention hours.

The Baird Center in Milwaukee is the only facility large enough in Wisconsin to accommodate all of the State Education Convention breakout sessions, general sessions and exhibit hall under one roof. In addition, Milwaukee is the only city with enough hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center for the State Education Convention. If we held the convention in any other city in Wisconsin, including Madison, Green Bay or Wisconsin Dells, multiple venues would need to be utilized, which would necessitate shuttling services for the various sessions, and many attendees would need to stay at hotels up to several miles away from the convention site(s).