Minneapolis and Saint Paul double the pleasure for attendees with an abundance of both meetings-friendly facilities where they can take care of business, plus plenty of attractions to keep them entertained after the meeting.
The rest of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including Bloomington, Eagan and the area north of Minneapolis, also possesses the appropriate bells and whistles to please groups.
Minneapolis
During last year’s Republican National Convention, Minneapolis and the entire metropolitan Twin Cities area successfully strut its stuff. Numerous attractions, off-site event venues and the Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) were visited by droves of delegates, including meeting planners.
“A number of events for the RNC gave us a chance to showcase the [MCC],” says Melvin Tennant, CEO and president of Meet Minneapolis, which recently underwent an upgrade. “We were able to show planners it’s not just another convention center; it has unique aspects, including a flexible auditorium and a 50,000-square-foot ballroom. Around the country there’s not many ballrooms that size.”
The MCC, which has plans to launch a new website (www.minneapolisconventioncenter.com) in 2009, is joined by, among others, the meetings-friendly Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt properties to round out the city’s event portfolio.
Of late, Tennant adds, there has been a boom in boutique hotel development, including W Minneapolis–The Foshay, which opened in the historic Foshay Tower last year.
“A lot of cities try to re-create a vintage look, but it’s authentic in Minneapolis, where we have an effort for preservation, and developers can create and open hotels in old buildings,” he says, citing the Hotel Minneapolis and Westin, which opened in 2007 in storied bank buildings, and the Chambers and Ivy hotels, which both opened inside old office buildings.
“Another area we’re proud of is that we can provide live music, from jazz to rock,” Tennant adds, citing First Avenue, the hot spot made famous in the Prince movie Purple Rain.
The live music scene, plus more than 75 professional theaters throughout Minneapolis and Saint Paul, including the Guthrie Theater where groups can participate in a team-building event during which they put on a play, and museums such as Mill City Museum and the Walker Art Center, help to maintain the area’s draw for meetings.
“You don’t have to look for something to do here,” Tennant says. “There’s live music and arts and culture offerings every day of the week, and we’re promoting this as the real fiber of our destination.”
Planners booking the area might take a cue from festivities during the RNC, when many clubs and restaurants, including the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, Solera Restaurant and Brit’s Pub & Eating Establishment, where groups can arrange a lawn bowling team-building event, were bought out for private parties.
To the west of Minneapolis in nearby Plymouth, the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center is another worthy contender for group events.
Saint Paul
In Saint Paul, like Minneapolis, outdoor activities reign year-round, from cross-country skiing and ice fishing in the winter to bird watching and hiking in the summer.
“The wonderful spectacle of nature is a big part of our lives here,” Tennant says of the area.
Along with golf opportunities, available six months a year, Padelford Riverboats offers sightseeing tours on the Mississippi River and also private events for up to 700 people.
“Our ability to get out on sightseeing tours on the river is great,” says Adam Johnson, marketing projects director at the Saint Paul CVA. “It’s one thing to see it, and another to get out there.”
A second way to get intimate with the Mississippi River is to have an off-site event at the Minnesota Boat Club, which is located on the shores of Raspberry Island and also facilitates rowing lessons.
Other attractions in town include the Science Museum of Minnesota, which will open Titantic: The Artifact Exhibition in June through January 2010. Situated across the street from the RiverCentre, the museum hosts private events, as does the Minnesota History Center.
The Saint Paul RiverCentre is the city’s main meetings facility located downtown with seven nearby hotels, six of them connected via skyway to the RiverCentre.
“We have five miles of skyway, so in 10-below weather attendees could stay inside,” Johnson says, citing Holiday Inn, Embassy Suites and Crowne Plaza properties.
The newest hotel in town is Hotel 340, a boutique property with some meeting space, and one of the oldest is the Saint Paul Hotel, which enjoys a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Minneapolis North
A long time coming, the new Embassy Suites Minneapolis/Brooklyn Center is connected to the Earle Brown Heritage Center, which has 36,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Amy Nostdahl, director of meetings and conventions at Visit Minneapolis North.
“It’s so exciting for the area,” she says, explaining the 11-city region has five conference centers, but the Earle Brown/Embassy Suites duo will be the largest, with 175 rooms.
Other meeting players in the area with at least 10,000 square feet of function space include the Northland Inn Executive Conference Center, an all-suite property in Brooklyn Park; the Mermaid Entertainment and Event Center in Mounds View; the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North in Brooklyn Center across the street from the Earle Brown Heritage Center; and the Ramada Minneapolis Northwest in Brooklyn Park.
“We have a different style of meeting space with five conference centers, which offer an alternative to downtown Minneapolis,” Nostdahl says. “They’re easily accessible from the city, and close to downtown for shows and dining without the hassle and congestion.”
While it’s common for groups to venture into downtown Minneapolis to enjoy its attractions and nightlife, there are many noteworthy off-session options for groups meeting north of the city.
Two incredibly popular attractions in Maple Grove are Fountains at Arbor Lakes, which includes six hotels—the Holiday Inn and Suites Maple Grove and Courtyard by Marriott Maple Grove both opened here in 2008—and Shoppes at Arbor Lakes, both sporting a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment options.
The National Sports Center in Blaine, the world’s largest amateur sports and meeting venue, according to Nostdahl, is a unique off-site option for group events.
“It’s on a beautiful campus and has a very different feel with a first-class meeting facility,” she says. “It’s a different atmosphere if the planner isn’t after a traditional ballroom setting.”
Several area golf courses also have meeting space, including Rush Creek, Edinburgh USA and Majestic Oaks.
“What makes our area shine above all else is that people here are kind and caring, so planners deal with a high level of customer service and personal care,” Nostdahl says. “Planners will have peace of mind knowing their meetings will be executed beautifully.”
Bloomington
Bloomington, the closest city to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport and home of the Mall of America, is an accessible, affordable and exciting Twin Cities meetings player, according to Daniel O’Neill, vice president of strategy and sales at the Bloomington CVB.
“Because of the uniqueness of the mall and our central Twin Cities location, it’s where you want to be,” O’Neill says, adding Bloomington’s overall appeal attracts various markets, from government and sports to corporate and SMERF groups. “What’s unique is that we have economy to deluxe hotels, so we offer a range of pricing and accommodations.”
Among these meetings-equipped properties are the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, with more than 70,000 square feet of function space, the Hilton Airport, Ramada Mall of America, Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis Airport Marriott, and Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.
Mall of America, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment complex complete with meeting and banquet facilities, including an Executive Center on the fourth level, is a one-stop shop for planners seeking function space and fun.
“There is so much to see and do at the Mall of America,” O’Neill says, citing the new Nickelodeon Universe.
A few more strong selling points, he adds, are the new Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, one of largest such facilities in North America, the lack of tax on clothing and shoes, and free shuttles between hotels and Mall of America.
Situated west of Bloomington in Chaska, Minn., corporate groups often meet at Dolce’s Oak Ridge Hotel and Conference Center.
Eagan
Situated east of Bloomington is Eagan, Minn., where groups will find meetings-ready properties and various attractions, including an array of restaurants and golf courses.
Among Eagan’s meetings properties are City View Banquet & Conference Center, Springhill Suites by Marriott, Best Western Dakota Ridge and the Crowne Plaza Hotel Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
Attractions in town include Cascade Bay Waterpark, where groups enjoy waterborne activities and the nine-hole Captain’s miniature golf course, and Caponi Art Park, which hosts an annual summer performance series, Medieval Fair and Shakespeare Festival.
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 CVA 651.265.4900 www.visitsaintpaul.com
Visit Minneapolis North 763.566.7722 www.visitminneapolisnorth.com
