Contact:
Kim M. Straka
Director of Communications & Public Relations
608.441.3946 or straka@visitmadison.com
Madison, WI – From June 18-21, approximately 650 writers, photographers and outdoor enthusiasts will converge in Greater Madison for the Outdoor Writers of America (OWAA) Conference. The prestigious conference itself spans just four days, but the OWAA’s presence will be felt in the Madison area and throughout Wisconsin for months to come.
The Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) not only had a hand in bringing OWAA to the Marriott Madison West in Middleton, but is also coordinating state-wide writer tours with other Convention & Visitors Bureaus and destinations in Wisconsin that will be attended throughout the year. During the conference and in the days immediately preceding and following it, the GMCVB will lead day trips to the International Crane Foundation, the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, DeForest’s Culver Conservancy, Fitchburg’s Artisan Woods Gallery, Middleton’s Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Monona’s Nature Net. The GMCVB is also planning shopping trips for meeting attendees in downtown Madison and Middleton.
“We’re excited to have this conference here,” said Deb Archer, GMCVB President & CEO. “Not only is it a good match for this community but it also has tremendous publicity potential that will last for years to come.”
Conference highlights include a free, half-day writers workshop that is open to the public, an opening night dinner with a performance of Guys on Ice, a keynote address by Ted Kerasote, author of Blood Ties and Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Aged, a breakout day at Lake Kegonsa State Park and a shooting program hosted at the Dane County Law Enforcement Training Center.
Previous conferences have been held in Spokane, WA and Columbia, MO.
To find out more about the OWAA Conference, please visit
