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 Milwaukee native and Malcolm in the Middle star Jane Kaczmarek has joined forces with VISIT Milwaukee, the city's convention and visitors bureau, to encourage tourism and meetings in her hometown. The award-winning actress donated her time to act as narrator and Milwaukee spokesperson in this promotional video in which she touts the city's new and unique attractions as well as its more established sites and invites visitors to experience all that Milwaukee has to offer.

"Jane's testimonial is a wonderful addition to our efforts to market the city," commented Dave Fantle, VISIT Milwaukee vice president of public relations.

Kaczmarek’s television work includes recurring roles on Felicity, Party of Five, Frasier, and Hill Street Blues, and appeared in several movies, including the 1998 film Pleasantville. However, it is the role as Lois, (Malcom’s mother), in the much acclaimed sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle, which ran from 2000 t0 2006, that the Milwaukee native soared to stardom. Kaczmarek was nominated seven times for an Emmy for her performance on the show, one for every year. She also earned three Golden Globe nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, was honored with a Television Critics Association Award in 2000 and 2001, plus an American Comedy Award and a Family Television Award in 2001. Fans of The Simpsons also know, Kaczmarek—she provides the voice of Judge Constance Harm.

The video, which was filmed at the Milwaukee Art Museum, can be seen here: www.visitmilwaukee.org.

Among the highlights in the new Milwaukee video are exciting new attractions due to open in 2008, such as the Harley-Davidson Museum a 130,000-square foot Museum devoted to the classic American motorcycle, incorporates urban design elements such as exposed glass and steel to reflect the industrial history of both Harley-Davidson and Milwaukee. Three buildings will house the Harley-Davidson Museum and Archives, restaurant and café, retail store and special event space.

A $240 million expansion project of the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, also expected to be completed this year, will triple the size of the casino to 780,000 square feet, and include: 1,500 additional interactive slot machines, 100 additional table games, a new location and larger space for the Poker room, accommodating 24 poker tables, the renovated Bingo Hall, two new restaurants (Asian-themed and American fare), a Food Court, a six-story, and a new skywalk entrance.

"Potawatomi Bingo Casino, already one of the premiere attractions in the region, will be getting bigger and better and able to compete nationwide as a complete complex for gaming, entertainment and fine dining," said Doug Neilson, president & CEO of VISIT Milwaukee. "With its expansion opening in 2008, along with the new Harley-Davidson Museum just down the block, Milwaukee will have two new must-see tourism attractions."

In the video, Kaczmarek describes Milwaukee as "urban easy", alluding to the fact that visitors to the city can enjoy all the big city amenities without any of the big city hassles.

"With more than 6.9 million visitors per year, tourism is an enormous industry for the Greater Milwaukee Area; one  which we are always looking to grow," said Fantle.

VISIT Milwaukee markets Greater Milwaukee to tourists, convention and meeting planners nationally and internationally and is dedicated to a warm welcome and an enriching experience in this jewel of the Great Lakes. Tourism generated $2.6 billion in spending in Greater Milwaukee in 2006 and supported over 64,000 local jobs.

Of the $2.6 billion per year generated by tourism in the Greater Milwaukee Area, according to the CVB, an estimated 15 percent ($390 million) comes from meetings/conventions attendees.

Milwaukee has long earned a positive reputation as a meetings destination. The city boasts a remarkable 14,381 hotel rooms, with 2,374 within walking distance of Midwest Airlines Center, which features 189,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space and a 37,500 square-foot grand ballroom capable of accommodating 3,150 diners at one time. An additional 40,000 square feet of meeting space can be partitioned into as many as 28 meeting and breakout rooms ranging from 825 to 8,350 gross square feet The venue is equipped for satellite links, video teleconferencing, data transmission and other telecommunications and audio-visual technology.

In addition to the Midwest Airlines Center, the convention center campus also includes the $42 million Milwaukee Theatre, a 4,000-seat theater with two sloped tiers of seats. offering superior sight lines, luxury and comfort. Built-in flexibility can reduce the space to a more intimate theater setting with a full house of 2,500 seats. Behind the scenes, the theatre provides an outstanding amount of rehearsal, dressing room and production space, as well as state-of-the-art audio and lighting systems.

The signature feature of the Milwaukee Theatre is the half-domed rotunda lobby, ringed by three levels of gallery walkways, with a mirrored wall creating the illusion of an enormous, circular rotunda. This space is ideal for receptions, dinners and assembly breaks. Additional elegant meeting and reception areas add to the theater’s appeal as a venue for convention events.

Adjacent to the Milwaukee Theatre is the U.S. Cellular Arena, a 12,700 seat home for sports, entertainment and assemblies. An all-around superior environment for both patron and show needs, the building can accommodate 1,800 diners or provide 24,000 square feet of exhibit booth or trade show space. The building is equipped to support high-volume power requirements, satellite links, and telephone and data transmission lines.