The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is about to become home to more than 5,000 additional people.
Truth be told: It happens every year.
Annually, UW Oshkosh opens its doors to thousands of people during the Experiential Aircraft Association AirVenture, which draws hundreds of thousands to Oshkosh. And all those people need a place to stay. Enter: UW Oshkosh.
Every summer, UW Oshkosh opens its more than 2,000 residence hall rooms on campus during AirVenture as lodging for those visiting Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Event City. This year, AirVenture takes place from July 20 though 26.
“Aviators and those in the aviation community are a unique population,” said Marc Nylen, director at Gruenhagen Conference Center on the UW Oshkosh campus. “These are the kinds of people who love to interact and tell their story so it’s very important for our team to create a personal connection with our guests.”
That staff Nylen talks about includes between 60 and 70 students who do everything they can to make sure the guests who are lodging at UW Oshkosh for the week have a great experience.
“It’s really cool to see people from all over the world come here to our campus,” said Anna Metcalf, a UW Oshkosh senior who is studying communications and working this summer as a conference assistant at Gruenhagen. “It’s just amazing! And we get to show everyone our own campus and little city.”
This year, visitors from more than 25 countries will make their way to the UW Oshkosh campus.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from or what your status is, we want to take care of you at UW Oshkosh,” said Andrew Schumacher, EAA operations reservations manager.
UW Oshkosh has been opening its doors to AirVenture visitors for more than 40 years, Nylen said. It’s a point of pride for the University and an opportunity for student workers to leverage their expertise through interactions with people from all over the world.
“For us, this is a very coordinated effort on campus,” Schumacher said. “Having so many people on campus helps put UW Oshkosh on the map.”
Beyond just providing housing opportunities for AirVenture guests, the University provides other services as well—from food services to coordinated transportation to and from the EAA grounds.
New this year, UW Oshkosh has partnered with the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote the showing of the Pilot Error, whose producer will stay at Gruenhagen during AirVenture.
The movie will be shown during AirVenture week at Marcus Theatres, 340 Koeller St. UW Oshkosh will provide shuttle services to campus guests to the theater on Sunday, July 19. Talkbacks will be held at 4 and 7 p.m. following the showing. Additional showings take place throughout the week.
Gruenhagen will host an opening welcome event on Sunday, July 19 from noon until 5 p.m. and a showcase event will be held at Horizon Village for AirVenture guests on July 23.
Travelers looking for last-minute accommodations should call the Guest Reservations Center at (920) 424-3226 or email uwoeaa@lists.uwosh.edu.
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