A national political convention is of equal or, in some cases, greater economic worth to its host city than a Super Bowl. These are colossal events of a magnitude that speaks volumes to meeting planners. As the logic goes, if the locale can successfully accommodate the Republican National Convention (RNC)—as the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area will in September—it can most certainly execute any other meeting (big or small) a planner runs up the flagpole.
“It’s one of those things—if you host it well, the word gets out that you can host anything,” says Amy Nostdahl, director of meetings and conventions at Visit Minneapolis North.
She adds that of the 45,000 total delegates expected in attendance at the RNC, more than 15,000 will be members of the media, a number exceeded only by the Olympics.
Minnesota is traditionally a blue state; its Twin Cities had proposals on the table for both the RNC and the Democratic National Convention, which will descend on Denver in August.
Politics aside, the area was poised to roll out the red carpet for either party—everything from taking care of basic logistics and executing an array of auxiliary events to ensuring a welcoming spirit among hospitality workers and residents. Also, according to CVB representatives, the nearly 100 hotels scattered throughout Minneapolis and Saint Paul will undergo varying degrees of renovations in preparation for the RNC.
The metro area’s other key players, Bloomington and Minneapolis North, which encompasses 11 communities just north of the Twin Cities, are also getting ready for the event of the year.
Minneapolis
Last November, Meet Minneapolis announced that through the end of 2008, six hotels and nearly 1,000 hotel rooms will be added to its downtown inventory, as properties are adapting to an increasing demand by leisure and business travelers.
According to Kevin Lewis, vice president of convention sales at Meet Minneapolis, the city’s portfolio of hotels, including the Hilton Minneapolis, Minneapolis Marriott City Center and the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, will soon be joined by, among others, several Starwood properties.
Much like providing the necessary room count for the RNC is a concerted effort of the entire Twin Cities metro area, a new marketing campaign launched in January—“Minneapolis Saint Paul: More to Life”—is a partnership program developed by business, community and civic leaders.
“We’ve got such wonderful things here but we’re not good at bragging about it—that initiative talks about us as a great place to live and to bring business,” Lewis says, citing the area’s 22 lakes, educated community, parks, and consistent appearance on “Best Of” lists. “Our 30,000 downtown residents also set us apart; we have a very vibrant downtown where the notion that the sidewalks roll up at 5 isn’t true.”
Indeed, even in the dead of winter, the city’s expansive, heated skyway system helps maintain the city’s bustle.
In addition to an event at the Minneapolis Convention Center exploring the country’s political process, open to the public and RNC attendees during the convention, the city will offer a delegate experience program highlighting activities any group in town would enjoy. Among them, Lewis notes a theater and restaurant “explosion” and sporting events—Minneapolis is the home of the Twins, who will open a new baseball stadium for the 2010 season, and the Vikings.
If a planner requires a removed property with access to downtown, the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center Minneapolis in nearby Plymouth, Minn., is an ideal option.
St. Paul
In January, St. Paul hosted the 29,000-attendee National Pheasants Forever meeting and trade show at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, an events campus that includes the Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the Xcel Energy Center, which will be the RNC’s home base.
“The RNC is fun for us,” says Barb Madigan, assistant director of sales at the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention & Visitors Authority. “Now we’ll be able to tell people, ‘Yes, we’re big enough—we hosted the RNC!’”
Madigan says the whole city, from attractions and unique venues to hotels, is undergoing renovations and gearing up for the RNC. Two standout property upgrades in 2007 included the $4.5 million Crowne Plaza St. Paul-Riverfront renovation and the $8 million renovation of the historic Saint Paul Hotel, which made Travel + Leisure’s “500 Best Hotels in the World” list in December.
One night during the convention, Madigan adds, all ballroom space in St. Paul and Minneapolis will be utilized for separate state functions.
During the RNC and other group events in St. Paul, delegates will have much to do during downtime, including theater-going; dining; strolling Summit Avenue, one of the nation’s longest stretches of preserved Victorian homes; and shopping along Grand Avenue.
“In our city a lot sits on the river,” Madigan says, citing the Science Museum of Minnesota and Harriet Island, two popular spots for off-site events.
Minneapolis North
The multicity RNC will extend north of the Twin Cities, where 14 hotels are part of the official RNC block, including the oft-booked Northland Inn, Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North, Mermaid AmericInn Hotel and Convention Center, and Ramada Minneapolis Northwest.
The area’s largest meetings venue is the Earl Brown Heritage Center, which recently broke ground on an attached Embassy Suites, scheduled for completion later this year.
According to Visit Minneapolis North’s Nostdahl, the whole area is in bloom and the fastest-growing suburb in Minnesota is Maple Grove. There, the Courtyard by Marriott Maple Grove/Arbor Lakes debuted in January next door to the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites at Arbor Lakes, which opened at the end of 2007 with interior decor fashioned after Las Vegas’ Phoenician.
“Holiday Inn is going through a nationwide rebrand so this beautiful and unique property is noteworthy,” Nostdahl says. “And the Courtyard is a new prototype from Marriott with a sleek design for business travelers.”
With the National Sports Center, touted as the world’s largest amateur sports and meeting facility, in Blaine, Minn., Minneapolis North welcomes a good number of sporting events, from hockey to volleyball.
“We have a nice variety here, including an incredible park system so attendees are able to hike or fish,” Nostdahl says. “It’s a very exciting time for Minneapolis, St. Paul and their surrounding areas.”
Bloomington
Bloomington, like its neighbors north of Minneapolis, isn’t an industrial city, according to Jan Tolle MacDonald, CMP, CMM, sales manager at the Bloomington CVB, citing the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, hiking opportunities, lake activities, and skiing.
Of course, the Mall of America (MoA), which is likely to double in size if bond monies are issued this spring, is the metro area’s—and Minnesota’s—main attraction.
“Once approved, we’ll see a ton more activity with hotels signing on the dotted line,” MacDonald says, citing one developer nearing a deal for a new Marriott Renaissance property.
There are two reasons RNC and other group delegates will appreciate staying and meeting in Bloomington, according to MacDonald. First, she says, business travelers love being so close to Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, and second, MoA, complete with movies, shopping and theme parks, provides built-in (sometimes free) entertainment.
“A group could team-build at the mall with a scavenger hunt, or take a behind-the-scenes tour at Underwater Adventures Aquarium,” she says, adding that planners sometimes overlook the fact that every hotel in Bloomington provides free parking and complimentary shuttles to and from MoA and the airport. “It’s a money-saver. There’s even a light rail to downtown Minneapolis for a couple bucks.”
In January, a new Hilton joined standby Bloomington properties, including Ramada Mall of America, Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis Airport Marriott, and Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.
“The RNC couldn’t be here without us,” MacDonald says, explaining the city’s ample room count is imperative for an event of its scope.
Additionally, situated about 21 miles west of Bloomington in Chaska, Minn., corporate groups often meet at Dolce’s Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center for particularly educational, or otherwise-focused, gatherings.
Eagan
Perhaps not coincidentally, Northwest Airlines, which is headquartered in Eagan, Minn., just east of Bloomington, will serve as the official airline for the RNC. The town’s CVB boasts: “Within a 15-mile radius of Eagan we have 43 movie theaters; 199 bars; 3,257 restaurants; and 139 public golf courses.”
Among Eagan’s meetings-equipped properties are City View Banquet and Conference Center, Best Western Dakota Ridge and Crowne Plaza Hotel Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
Attractions in town include the Grand Slam Sports & Entertainment Center, where group reservations include unlimited miniature golf and batting cage fun; and Scherer’s Garden of Eagan, where upon request groups can arrange garden tours.
For More Info
Bloomington CVB 952.858.8500
www.bloomingtonmn.org
Eagan CVB 651.675.5546
www.eaganmn.com
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
