Meet in Minnesota Marketing Effort to Emphsize Meeting & Convention Business

Governor Tim Pawlenty joined with representatives of the convention and tourism industries to announce a new effort to encourage local corporate leaders to hold their meetings in Minnesota.

The Meet in Minnesota campaign highlights the hundreds of meeting venues all across the state that accommodate business needs. Minnesota has a wide selection of facilities including those in an easily-accessible urban setting, a backcountry camping retreat, an all-inclusive resort, or a progressive business center.

The new marketing effort will include various public relations efforts including the creation of www.meetinminnesota.com and promotion of the Meet in Minnesota theme to companies throughout the state.

Meet in Minnesota was created by Explore Minnesota Tourism in partnership with Minnesota convention and visitors bureaus, corporate leaders and meeting venues across the state.

Meeting and convention travel plays an important role in Minnesota’s economy and in building successful businesses. The $11 billion leisure and hospitality industry accounts for 15 percent of Minnesota’s state sales taxes, and provides 10.7 percent of the state’s total private sector employment. Minnesota’s hotel and motel managers estimate that 20 percent of their total room-nights are sold to meeting/convention travelers.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, meetings and events are responsible for 15 percent of all travel-related spending, create nearly $40 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue, and generate more than one million jobs.

About Explore Minnesota Tourism
As the state’s tourism office, Explore Minnesota Tourism pursues an entrepreneurial approach, leveraging the state’s tourism investment with increased involvement by the private sector. A council of representatives from the state’s tourism industry strongly connects Explore Minnesota Tourism with tourism businesses and organizations.

Tourism is an $11 billion industry in Minnesota, a key sector of the state’s economy. The leisure and hospitality industry, a major provider of tourism services, employs more than 247,000Minnesotans. More information can be found at www.exploreminnesota.com.