NFL Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler Becomes Milwaukee’s First AI-powered Augmented Reality Sales Rep
MILWAUKEE (August 26, 2025) – Visit Milwaukee is redefining destination marketing with what it believes to be the first AI-powered augmented reality sales representative on a tradeshow floor. The immersive experience, Ask LeRoy, will debut Tuesday, Aug. 26, at Connect Marketplace in Miami Beach, which runs Aug. 25-27 and draws meeting planners from across the country.
Through this new tool, visitors simply scan a QR code, with no app required, and see Pro Football Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler appear in their space as a lifelike 3D avatar. Once he “arrives,” Butler greets guests, shares Milwaukee’s meeting capabilities, including highlights of the expanded Baird Center, and answers questions ranging from venue specifications to recommendations for local dining and attractions. These answers are AI-generated based on information provided by Visit Milwaukee. Taken together, this creates an entertaining, interactive way to learn about the destination and its offerings for meeting planners, and serves as a perfect complement to the expertise of the Visit Milwaukee sales team.
“LeRoy is an amazing Milwaukee ambassador, and we cannot wait for meeting planners and leisure travelers to get to meet him,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. “From the Lambeau Leap to immersive augmented reality and drone storytelling, Ask LeRoy showcases the innovation and warm hospitality that define Milwaukee.”
While the augmented reality version of Butler will be available for planners at Connect Marketplace, attendees will also have the unique chance to meet the man himself. On Tuesday, Aug. 26, Butler will join the Visit Milwaukee sales team in person at their booth to greet attendees and showcase the technology. This personal appearance offers meeting planners a rare opportunity to connect with both the real and virtual versions of one of football’s most iconic figures.
After its Connect Marketplace debut, the Ask LeRoy experience will accompany the Visit Milwaukee sales team to tradeshows nationwide for the remainder of 2025, ensuring meeting planners in other cities can also experience Milwaukee’s groundbreaking sales rep firsthand. Closer to home, Ask LeRoy will be incorporated into signage at Baird Center and in key locations in the Greater Milwaukee area, including Wauwatosa and Glendale. This expanded placement will give all visitors, whether in town for business or leisure, the chance to “meet” LeRoy while exploring the destination.
This innovation is the latest in Visit Milwaukee’s destination marketing toolbox that combines technology with compelling storytelling. Past projects have included a citywide NFT scavenger hunt created with Summerfest Tech, as well as the launch earlier this year of an immersive drone tour of the newly expanded Baird Center. Now totaling 1.3 million square feet, Baird Center’s scale and modern amenities are showcased through sweeping aerial footage that offers planners a dramatic new perspective on the LEED Gold-certified venue that was named Best Convention Center (100,000 – 500,000 sq. ft. of Exhibit Space) by EXHIBITOR Magazine in its prestigious 2025 Centers of Excellence Awards.
The Ask LeRoy launch also enhances Visit Milwaukee’s proven sales strategy. The organization’s sales team regularly attends major tradeshows, such as Connect Marketplace to meet with event and convention decision-makers and promote the city as a world-class convention destination. In 2024, Visit Milwaukee hosted Connect Marketplace in the newly expanded Baird Center, giving a national audience of about 1,000 meeting planners a firsthand look at Milwaukee’s premier meeting and event space just months after it debuted. In 2024 alone, these combined sales and marketing efforts helped the team secure events and conventions that will generate more than 287,000 hotel room nights for future years, delivering significant economic impact to the community.
LeRoy Butler’s legacy extends far beyond augmented reality. He starred as a safety for the Green Bay Packers from 1990 to 2001, earned four First-Team All-Pro honors, played in Super Bowl XXXI and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022. He is best known as the creator of the “Lambeau Leap,” a spontaneous touchdown celebration that has become one of the most enduring traditions in NFL history. Today, Butler is a proud Milwaukeean, making him an ideal ambassador for the city he now calls home.
About Visit Milwaukee
Visit Milwaukee creates economic impact and supports a stronger, more inclusive community by promoting the Greater Milwaukee area as a premier tourism destination. Strengthened by Visit Milwaukee’s dynamic convention and leisure marketing initiatives, tourism to Milwaukee contributes $6.632 billion to the local economy, supporting nearly 44,000 hospitality employees. Visit Milwaukee has over 1,000 members, including hotels/motels, restaurants, attractions, services, and area businesses. The Wisconsin Center District, with its recently completed $456 million Baird Center expansion, the city of Wauwatosa, and Potawatomi Casino | Hotel are strategic partners with Visit Milwaukee, providing funding support for conventions and tourism programs. For more information call (800) 554-1448 or visit www.visitmilwaukee.org.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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