With a new stadium, high-profile golf event, and an ever-expanding Mall of America, the greater Twin Cities knows how to "Go Bold" in the cold.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the surrounding area is getting ready to welcome the Ryder Cup this October and the Super Bowl in 2018. These high-profile events have instigated area-wide renovations and new builds for hospitality venues, including downtown Minneapolis' $1.1 million U.S. Bank Stadium, which is scheduled for completion in August. The stunning 49,000-seat stadium will include 131 suites of seven distinct types, including 23 located directly on the field.
Then there's the new 610 Freeway connecting the East Minneapolis with the west "all the way to I-94," says Annette Belding, senior sales and business development manager for Minneapolis Northwest CVB (which serves the communities of Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Maple Grove, Anoka, and Ramsey), making drive-to meetings and the Super Bowl exodus easier and faster. All of this should put the greater Twin Cities on planners' radars.
These types of events are years in the planning, notes Daniel S. O'Neill, vice president of strategy and sales for Bloomington CVB, who has spent five years working on the Ryder Cup tournament, a 10-day event that was awarded about a decade ago. Technically, the Ryder Cup is being held at the Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska, MN, which is southwest of the twin cities metro area -- but with an international event, everyone chips in.
Already there is talk that St. Paul, which hosts a Winter Carnival each year, is planning an epic Ice Palace for the Super Bowl. In fact, the new brand, "Bold North," belies the perceptions of the winter chill factor. "We try to embrace winter," says O'Neill. "That's a testament to us winning the 2018 Super Bowl." O'Neill has done some familiarization trips where "we've brought people in from around the country in February, and taken them ice fishing, on snowmobiles, and on ice luge events."
In Bloomington, the Mall of America (MOA) is evolving beyond retail into a complete destination, with hotels, restaurants, special-event venues, and purpose-built meeting space: the 4,000-square-foot Parkview Meeting + Event Center, which features private space with an outdoor balcony, overlooking Nickelodeon Universe.
According to O'Neill, the MOA is in the midst of adding 1 million additional square feet of space, featuring performing arts venues, luxury retail, and hotels. The first luxury Marriott in the state of Minnesota, the 342-room JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America opened last year, competing with MOA's still-new 500-room Radisson Blu.
One of the many things to do in the Twin Cities area is to have a beer tasting, pairing, or flight, thanks to more than 120 microbreweries operating within the state. Says Belding, "Some attendees and planners are asking for local microbrews and wines, as well as locally made ciders and sodas," adding that cooking competitions are also popular.
In counterpoint to all these good things coalescing, the people of the twin cities are still coming to terms with the death of Prince, the international rock star who was their family, friend, and neighbor. But even as they mourn his passing, local tourism organizations are pulling together to create a Purple Pilgrimage, so that visitors can follow his musical journey. It should be a significant cultural draw for years to come.
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This article appears in the June 2016 issue of Successful Meetings.