MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Monday was the first day of the UGM conference hosted by Epic Systems. The conference is held at the Verona campus and brings over 7,000 people to the Madison and Verona area.

The conference brings together health IT organization partners. In an email to WMTV, they explain: “Epic organizations from around the world present innovations and discuss common challenges in peer-to-peer sessions and focus groups.”

Epic worked with organizations like Destination Madison and the Dane County Airport to ensure everything went smoothly. Destination Madison helped arrange thousands of hotel rooms for attendees. The airport worked with Epic to coordinate flights and transportation to ensure the airport could remain open to other passengers this week.

But this major event also helps to stimulate the economy and strengthen the image of the region.

“These attendees are here visiting our restaurants, our retail stores and staying at our hotels. That’s a huge boost for business owners and our community as a whole,” said Rob Gard, communications director for Destination Madison.

Gard said they expect visitor spending of around $8.2 million this week due to the Epic crowds.

Verona, where the Epic campus is located, is also receiving more attention. The Chamber of Commerce has made sure that all businesses know to expect larger crowds.

“They love it, they love it when different organizations come and visit Epic throughout the year, and for UGM and XGM, the two big ones, it’s also a chance to showcase their company,” said Le Jordan, executive director of the Verona Chamber of Commerce.

Traffic around Epic and Dane County Airport may increase throughout the week as visitors travel through the area and eventually return home.

The conference lasts the whole week.

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