The Upper Midwest may have its share of cold winters, but attendees driving north up Interstate 35 or flying into Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport will soon discover that with the diverse and inviting nature of the Twin Cities region, there’s always a cozy place to convene.
“What really sets us apart is that our downtown is very clean, safe, vibrant, and active, and attendees love to be able to walk around and see shops and go to restaurants and have it in close proximity to their hotels,” says Kevin Lewis, vice president of convention sales for Meet Minneapolis, the city’s convention and visitors association.
With an enclosed, eight-mile downtown skyway system, Minneapolis lets visitors enjoy the city in indoor comfort during the colder months, making it a year-round destination, and the convenience factor is further complemented by the compact, easily accessible nature of the metro area, which also encompasses Saint Paul, just a few miles from downtown Minneapolis; Bloomington, home of Mall of America; and the fast-growing communities north of Minneapolis.
With its accessibility, sophisticated facilities and attractive urban ambience, the Twin Cities area won the bid for the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC).
The convention will be held in Saint Paul at the Xcel Energy Center, a concert and sporting venue, but in order to win the event, the region’s major cities and surrounding communities had to ban together to offer a wide range of venues and hotel rooms to meet the demands of the event.
“We are thrilled about it,” says Karolyn Kirchgesler, president and CEO of the Saint Paul RiverCentre CVA. “We had some very stiff competition, but [in the end] we have the package they were looking for.”
Lewis of Meet Minneapolis says it will be an excellent opportunity to spotlight the destination to a worldwide audience.
“This is going to give us tremendous global exposure over an extended period of time,” Lewis says. “There will be about 45,000 people that will come in.”
Minneapolis
When it comes to finding a unique, walkable group destination, one in which delegates are sure to be entertained no matter what their interests are, with well-appointed meeting space to boot, Minneapolis is an excellent choice.
“We have a convention facility that meets the needs of a variety of customers and a cooperative and diverse hotel mixture—from large chain hotels to a collection of smaller boutique, independent hotels,” Lewis says.
Minneapolis’ impressive skywalk system connects the city’s largest meetings venue, the Minneapolis Convention Center, to several of the city’s favorite group-friendly hotels, restaurants and attractions.
“You could be in all but three downtown hotels and go to the convention center from your hotel room and to shops and restaurants without ever having to step outside,” Lewis says. “The downtown area is without a doubt one of the most vibrant and active downtowns. We have an abundance of restaurants and theater attractions and sporting events.”
Minneapolis offers meeting facilities at properties such as the Hilton Minneapolis, currently undergoing an $11 million renovation; the Minneapolis Marriott City Center, scheduled to finish a guest room renovation in April; the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis; the Millennium Hotel Minneapolis; and Chambers Minneapolis, which opened last September.
In addition to its existing offerings, Minneapolis will soon unveil several new properties, including the Westin Hotel Minneapolis and the IVY Hotel and Residence, both scheduled to open later this year, and a W hotel in the historic Foshay Tower, slated for completion in June 2008.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis already has the second-highest number of theater seats per capita in the country (after New York City), and Lewis says the destination has gone through a “theater explosion” in the past two years. The new Minneapolis Children’s Theater debuted in October 2005, and the renowned Guthrie Theater moved into its new $125 million facility last June. Both venues offer space for group gatherings, as do other celebrated theaters in the city, including the State Theatre, the Pantages Theatre and the Orpheum Theatre.
The Walker Art Center, another renowned cultural site in Minneapolis, also offers performance space at its 385-seat McGuire Theater, a new space that was part of the center’s recent $68 million expansion. The project included the debut of a 17-acre urban campus with new galleries, education areas, plazas, rooftop terraces, a sculpture garden, and Wolfgang Puck’s 20.21 Restaurant & Bar. Various venues throughout the art center, including the restaurant, are available for private group events.
Off-site dinners and receptions can also be held at popular Minneapolis eateries such as Chino Latino, Dakota Restaurant & Jazz Club and Chambers Kitchen.
Saint Paul
As sleek and polished as Minneapolis feels, Saint Paul exudes a charming Old World atmosphere, according to Kirchgesler of the Saint Paul RiverCentre CVA.
“Saint Paul has a real European feel to it,” she says. “The Twin Cities really complement each other. Minneapolis is more modern when you compare it to Saint Paul, which is more historic.”
The Saint Paul of yesteryear can be seen by taking a leisurely stroll down Summit Avenue, a 4.5-mile stretch lined with Victorian homes and a place that Kirchgesler calls one of the “prettiest streets in America.”
Groups can also learn about Saint Paul’s notorious gangster past, a time when the city’s police chief told Midwest gangsters they were welcome in Saint Paul as long as they didn’t commit any crimes. The chief’s plan ended up failing during Prohibition. Groups can now enjoy tours escorted by tommy gun-toting guides, with highlights including Ma Barker’s home, gangster shoot-out sites and the Wabasha Street Caves.
In addition to the city’s historic attractions, groups are drawn to Saint Paul for its impressive meeting venues, starting with the Saint Paul RiverCentre, containing 173,300 square feet of exhibit space, 58,000 square feet of meeting space and the 5,600-seat Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The 18,064-seat Xcel Energy Center, site of next year’s RNC, is connected to the Saint Paul RiverCentre and accommodates large-scale gatherings as well as concerts and sporting events.
Notable meeting-friendly hotels in the city include the Crowne Plaza Hotel Saint Paul–Riverfront (formerly the Radisson Riverfront Hotel); The City Center Hotel Saint Paul, currently undergoing a facility upgrade; and the historic Saint Paul Hotel.
After a hard day’s work, delegates can enjoy a relaxing off-site event at local eateries such as Great Waters Brewing Company, Pazzaluna Urban Italian Restaurant and Bar, and Green Mill.
Minneapolis North
The suburbs situated due north of Minneapolis, dubbed the Minneapolis North region, offer a diverse array of group-oriented options—from impressive meeting venues to high-end shopping and dining facilities.
“Because we do have 11 cities, we have everything from a one-room community center to a large-scale conference facility,” says Amy Nostdahl, senior sales manager for Visit Minneapolis North.
The region’s varied settings offer options such as Blaine, a favorite for sports groups; Maple Grove, a well-known retail hub with its Arbor Lakes Development; and Arden Hills, with its plethora of city parks. Other communities include Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Mounds View, and Shoreview.
Nostdahl says the region primarily entertains corporate and association meetings at group venues such as the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, the Northland Inn and Executive Conference Center in Brooklyn Park, the Mermaid Entertainment Event Center in Mounds View, the Holiday Inn St. Paul–North in Arden Hills, and the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North in Brooklyn Center.
Growth in the region has really taken off in recent years, according to Nostdahl.
“The northern suburbs of the Minneapolis area are absolutely exploding,” she says. “There is constant new development, change and growth to this area, and that is so thrilling and exciting to be a part of and watch.”
One of the area’s impressive developments is the Arbor Lakes master-planned community in Maple Grove. Arbor Lakes, featuring retail, dining, entertainment, and hotel options, has continued to blossom with the introduction of The Fountains at Arbor Lakes last October, another phase of the mixed-use Arbor Lakes project, home to 2.2 million square feet of retail space, restaurants and commercial facilities.
Hotels have also been a welcome addition to Arbor Lakes. The Holiday Inn and Suites Maple Grove opened Jan. 30, and the Courtyard Maple Grove/Arbor Lakes is slated to debut in January 2008.
Just 18 miles northeast of Maple Grove in Blaine, the National Sports Center opened its new Schwan Super Rink in December, offering three large meeting spaces during the summer.
There are ample outdoor activities available in the area, from its 10 golf courses to walking and biking trails in the nearby Bunker Hills Regional Park and Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.
Local group-friendly dining options include Kozlaks’ Royal Oak Restaurant in Shoreview, Canyon Grille in Coon Rapids and Lindey’s Prime Steak House in Arden Hills.
Bloomington
Named for its “flowering fields” when it was established in 1858, Bloomington has more than 7,800 acres of parks and open land, but the city is most famous for one of its indoor lures: the massive Mall of America.
With the mall and a variety of facility options for meetings, Bloomington is well suited to a variety of groups.
“I think our access makes us ideal for groups,” says Bonnie Carlson, president and CEO of the Bloomington CVB. “We are a short distance from the airport and major highways, and we are just a few minutes from Minneapolis and Saint Paul.”
Mall of America is a 4.2 million-square-foot retail, dining and entertainment facility with everything from retail stores to an amusement park, a water park and an aquarium, as well as the group-friendly Mall of America Executive Meeting and Event Center.
Plans are under way for a 5.6 million-square-foot expansion of the mall, and if approved by the government, construction may commence later this year.
“[The expansion] would be a phenomenal addition to Bloomington,” Carlson says.
In other development news, Bloomington will welcome a new Hilton hotel next January, adding to its existing inventory of 7,300 hotel rooms at properties such as the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, the Ramada Mall of America, the Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport, the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport, the Minneapolis Airport Marriott, and the Grand Lodge.
Located about 21 miles west of Bloomington, the city of Chaska welcomes groups with the 147-room Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center, a Dolce-managed property that renovated its 22,000 square feet of meeting space last year. The IACC-certified property sits on 130 acres at Lake McKnight.
For More Info
Bloomington CVB 952.858.8500
www.bloomingtonmn.org
Meet Minneapolis 612.767.8000
www.minneapolis.org
Saint Paul RiverCentre CVA 651.265.4900
www.visitsaintpaul.com
Visit Minneapolis North 763.566.7722
www.visitminneapolisnorth.com
