Last September, Meet Minneapolis, the Saint Paul CVA and Destination Bloomington joined forces for the first time to bring meeting professionals to the area to market the region as "3 Cities. 1 Destination."
"Our experience hosting the Republican National Convention proved what we can accomplish when we pool our resources," says Karolyn Kirchgesler, president and CEO of the Saint Paul CVA.
The theme of the trip was the "Culture of Cuisine," but planners were exposed to other facets of the cities, such as the historical treasures, picturesque neighborhoods and many unique shopping opportunities.
Vanessa Petty, meeting contracts associate for the Council of Chief State School Officers, says there are many reasons to bring a group to Minneapolis.
"Minneapolis is very walkable, and the skyway system is incredible," she says. "This makes it easy to place attendees in overflow properties without having them feel disconnected from the conference hotel or other attendees."
Jared Fox, a project manager for the International Culinary Tourism Association, adds that the "Mini Apple" offers groups plenty of nightlife and urban sightseeing.
Planners got a taste of Minneapolis at Hell’s Kitchen, where they breakfasted on lemon-ricotta hotcakes and towering huevos rancheros with a crisp flour tortilla and hashbrown potatoes. Conde Nast Traveler says the restaurant serves up the best brunch in town.
Saint Paul offered up plenty of ideas for groups as well.
"Saint Paul made me feel like wanting to go back in time, to an era where everything was elegant, beautiful and peaceful," says Teresa Alfaro, meetings manager for Volunteers of America.
Planners went on an extensive bus tour of the city and took in the sights of the Victorian homes along Summit Avenue. Things got even sweeter when they made a prolonged stop at family-owned Just Truffles on Grand Avenue. The handmade confections have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti was a big fan of the truffles, and he wore a gold elastic bow from a truffle box during one of his performances in Saint Paul.
Fox says Saint Paul has a down-home vibe, yet the city is perfect for sophisticates who enjoy architecture and theater.
The trip wasn’t complete without checking out the Mall of America in Bloomington. Planners participated in a culinary scavenger hunt at the mall after it closed for the evening.
Petty adds that having the airport in Bloomington makes it easy to get from the airport to any of the surrounding hotels, with which she was impressed.
"The hotels provide the convenience of an airport property, but they have a luxurious style," she says.
