The Pavilion at Madden's seats 250 guests for corporate dinners, conference meals, group cookouts and weddings in about 10,000 square feet of lakeside space. It is the newest event building at Madden's on Gull Lake, a family-owned resort on a 1,000-acre peninsula in East Gull Lake, in the Brainerd Lakes Area of central Minnesota.
Seminars and company events
Companies use the Pavilion for the evening program of a meeting held elsewhere on the resort: an awards dinner, a cookout after a day of sessions, or a reception with a view over the water. Madden's runs several other meeting buildings on the same peninsula. Town Hall Conference Center takes up to 700 for a banquet and has exhibit space and smaller rooms. Wilson Bay has a dining room for 230 and the Pemmican Room for meetings of 100 to 120. Across the resort, groups of 4 to 800 can be hosted. The events team also arranges teambuilding and holiday parties, and a planner handles proposals.
Weddings and receptions
The Pavilion is one of the resort's lakeside wedding venues, used for both ceremonies and receptions. A wedding coordinator and events team work with each couple, and Madden's publishes its open dates for 2026 and 2027. Couples who want something smaller can hold the ceremony on the beach.
Rooms and capacities
The building seats 250 under 14-foot stained wood ceilings, with a 30-foot light well that brings in daylight, Grand Cayman stone columns and a 17-foot stone fireplace. A double-sided bar with a granite top serves the room. Outside, the patio has five gas fire pits with radiant heat, two water features and two wooden pergolas, and the views cover 250 degrees of Gull Lake. A full audio system, Wi-Fi, accessible restrooms and accessible parking are included.
Accommodation
Guests stay on the resort. Lodging is spread across Steamboat Bay, Wilson Bay, the Inn and Golf Villas, Mission Point and multi-bedroom houses, with lake or golf views. The meetings pages do not publish a total room count, so ask the planner how many rooms can be held for your group.
Catering
Food is served in-house by the resort's dining and banquet team. The Pavilion has an open show kitchen with rotisseries on display, plus grill and char-broiler stations, which suits a cookout or a dinner where guests watch the food being prepared.
History and setting
Madden's has more than 95 years of history on Gull Lake and is still run by a family. The resort includes four golf courses (The Classic, Pine Beach East, Pine Beach West and the Social 9), pools and beaches, tennis and croquet, a marina, a water ski school and a spa, so a multi-day program can mix sessions with time outdoors. Restaurants on the resort include The Classic Grill, Mission Point and the O'Madden Pub.
Getting there
The resort's address is 11266 Pine Beach Peninsula, Brainerd. Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport is the nearest airport. The resort operates seasonally and closes in winter, so check dates before planning an off-season event.
