University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Wisconsin Union is comprised of the Memorial Union and Union South buildings. Both of our Unions are landmarks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, which provide facilities to thousands of students, student organizations, campus staff, local companies, and community members in order to facilitate the mission of the University and to provide learning opportunities outside of the classroom. Built in 1928, Memorial Union is one of the most beloved and historic destinations on campus and is well known for its historic architecture and famous Memorial Union Terrace that overlooks the scenic Lake Mendota.

The Memorial Union just finished multi-phase renovations to which include an updates to East Wing, campus bierhaus Der Stiftskeller, the Paul Bunyan room, West Wing programming spaces, in addition to utility and ADA compliant upgrades. Memorial Union serves all of campus and is known for its convenient location in the heart of downtown and the famous State Street area. The building is the “living room of the campus,” a place to come socialize, relax, study, eat, and enjoy all the beautiful sunsets and lake views that Madison has to offer.

Since opening its doors in 1928, Memorial Union has offered a variety of social and educational activities for UW students, faculty, Wisconsin Union Members, and the Madison community. Among its many treasures, the building houses a 1,200 seat performance theater, Strada Italian Cuisine, Carte Soups & Salads, the Daily Scoop Ice Cream, Badger Market, Peet’s Coffee, Der Rathskeller German-Style Tavern, Wheelhouse Studios, Wisconsin Hoofers, various art exhibits, and plentiful study space. Situated on the shores of Lake Mendota, the classic architecture of the building boasts a picturesque lakeside view as well as a spacious terrace that features 600 of our trademark sunburst chairs — the perfect spot for an afternoon snack in the summer.

Union South re-opened in April 2011 and replaced the former student Union located on the same space. Union South opened as a LEED Gold Certified building, featuring sustainable materials and technologies that have a track record of sustainability to ensure that the facility can incorporate even more new green technologies over time. Union South is the home of Varsity Hall an 11,000 square foot ballroom that is flexible enough to be divisible into three separate spaces. There are also spaces and amenities such as a 330-seat Marquee Theater, 17 on-site meeting rooms, state of the art audiovisual equipment and 60 hotel rooms, making the venue equipped to host a wide variety of event types. Other features include, several outdoor decks, four restaurants and Peet’s Coffee Shop on the ground floor, The Sett Recreation, climbing wall, bowling alley, pool tables, and games.

Each year, the Wisconsin Union holds large academic conferences ranging from 200-2,000 participants in its buildings and surrounding campus facilities. The Ribonucleic Acid Society Meeting was our largest hosted conference at 1,150 participants until 2011 when our staff hosted and coordinated the National Science Olympiad competition. Over 2,000 participants from 120 schools competed throughout campus including Memorial Union and Union South. This experience that the Wisconsin Union has hosting large events on its premises has provided it with the expertise to seamlessly facilitate a variety of conferences. The Wisconsin Union acts as a certified one-stop-shop for services, with a professional staff available to assist you with all aspects of planning to ensure a successful conference.