From Picasso to Paul Bunyan, theme ideas in Minneapolis run the gamut, with just as diverse a selection of venues providing countless ways to impress attendees. Local DMCs such as metroConnections and Event Lab can help planners craft memorable Minneapolis experiences.
metroConnections
www.metroconnections.com
Taking advantage of the arts explosion in Minneapolis, metroConnections, founded in 1984, can build customized group programs spotlighting the cultural high points of the city.
“We’ve done ‘arts in the city’ programs that include the Guthrie for backstage tours, then we go over to the Walker [Art Center], have lunch at Gallery 8 Cafe there and visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden right out front,” says Sam Thompson, president of the company. “On some of those programs, we’ve even incorporated home tours of private art collections.”
With its own 45,000-square-foot warehouse, metroConnections also builds many of the unique props that grace its events, including those used at a recent MASH-themed program at Nicollet Island Pavilion, a premier off-site venue, according to Thompson.
“It’s a really impressive historic building that sits on the Mississippi River in the St. Anthony Falls area and has beautiful skyline views,” he says.
The company can also transform a ballroom into the great outdoors of Minnesota.
“We bring the trout pond into the venue and have Paul Bunyan characters and fishing, which is always very popular,” Thompson says.
Event Lab
www.eventlab.net
The rugged outdoors was also the theme of a recent program organized by Event Lab, whose specialty is incredible settings, says Jack Noble, president of the company.
“We did a lumberjack-themed event for a customer, complete with Minnesota Northwoods decor and a lumberjack show, and we even did audience participation, where they were chopping down trees and throwing axes,” he says.
With sophisticated Minneapolis in mind, Event Lab utilizes numerous standout venues, such as the Walker Art Center, where it recently held a Picasso-themed party; Windows on Minnesota, perched on the 50th floor of the IDS Center skyscraper; and the new Minneapolis Central Library.
One of the company’s most spectacular recent events was at a hangar at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.
“The guests walked into a reception area on one side of an actual airplane, and then walked through the airplane, which was designed for VIPs, and down a red carpet to their dinner table on the other side,” he says. “It was very unique.”
