Milwaukee has one advantage for a December party: nobody expects to be outside, so the whole thing is designed indoors from the start. It also has lake-effect snow, which can take out an evening with very little warning.
Nine options and their trade-offs.
1. A hosted murder mystery at your own venue
Ours, and first because a party at your own office cannot be cancelled by snow and nobody drives across town in it.
It also gets people out of their own departments, which is the usual failing.
2. A brewery buyout
The Milwaukee classic, good value, and the spaces are built for it. Non-drinkers need planning for.
3. A restaurant buyout
Good value compared with most cities. Book by September for December.
4. A hotel ballroom
Right above a couple of hundred people, and downtown has capacity at sensible rates.
5. A historic venue
Milwaukee has some genuinely handsome buildings that do events. Long lead times and strict rules.
6. A daytime lunch
Better attended, cheaper, and nobody drives home on ice in the dark.
7. A supper club outing
Very Wisconsin and a real treat for staff who grew up here. Long, seated, and limited for mingling.
8. A cooking or cocktail class
Good for twenty to thirty and reliably indoors.
9. Charitable giving instead of an event
Well received and worthwhile, and not a party by itself.
Timing
Settle December by the end of September. We ask for about 45 days, so early October is the practical deadline — and have an answer for a heavy snow day.
If you want the version that goes ahead whatever the lake throws at you, We bring the host, the storyline and every piece of the game to your venue, and we ask for about 45 days so it can be staffed and prepared properly. Pricing and availability shows what your guest count works out to, you can book a date directly, and the contact page reaches a person if you would rather talk it through first.