Spotlight On: Melvin Tennant, President & CEO, Meet Minneapolis

Spotlight On: Melvin Tennant, President & CEO, Meet Minneapolis

2023-02-14T16:06:26-05:00February 14th, 2023|Economy, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Spotlight On, Tourism & Hospitality|

4 min read February 2023 As the business traveler and convention segments were hard hit during the pandemic, Minneapolis implemented a plan B. “What we’ve done is to focus much more on leisure travel until whenever the business travel component returns to where it was before the pandemic,” said Melvin Tennant, president & CEO of Meet Minneapolis. In an interview with Invest:, he also discussed the organization’s DEI efforts and the key tourism opportunities moving forward.

What have been the key highlights and milestones for Meet Minneapolis over the last 12 months? 

One of the biggest successes has been the return of in-person events large and small. We suffered several cancellations in 2020 and 2021 but over the last 12 months, we’ve seen a return to regular meetings and events. For us, that’s huge. Among the major events hosted in Minneapolis was the NCAA Women’s Final Four. We were very excited about that. We also had the Craft Brewers Conference for craft beer aficionados and makers from around the country and it had a record attendance. We also hosted the USA Fencing National Championships. That gives you an idea of the variety of events that we host in Minneapolis. We’ve been able to attract numerous new events that appeal to different demographics and different areas of interest. That makes us a strong destination. 

Another highlight is the elevation of our work in diversity, equity and inclusion. We added a department within our organization that is responsible for coordinating those activities. We have been very active in DEI and access, in general, over the years but we didn’t have a single person who had that accountability. We have that now within the organization.

How has the Minneapolis tourism industry evolved over the past few years?

Like most destinations, we were knocked off track during the pandemic. We found that travelers, individual travelers as well as individuals who are responsible for planning meetings, changed their priorities, which continues today. A lot of those meeting organizers still want a virtual component, for example, so we’re having to deal with two platforms for meetings. A lot of groups are doing that. 

That’s one thing that has evolved. We also have seen that because of that technology and how Zoom and other virtual technologies allow certain gatherings to take place virtually, some people have curtailed travel. That is an area that we’re focusing on. 

We are encouraging the return to in-person business travel; however, in the meantime, we’re focusing more on leisure travel. We have always been a strong leisure destination but, essentially, when you have an economy that’s made up essentially of leisure, business travel, groups and conventions, if one of those declines it certainly makes sense to focus on another of those areas to make up the difference. That’s what we’ve done in terms of focusing much more on leisure travel and group convention until whenever the business travel component returns to where it was before the pandemic.

What shifts in expectations have you observed among leisure travelers?

We have seen a lot more visitors to the metropolitan area. There are more people who want to get more familiar with their community at large. We’re a large metropolitan area of 3.69 million people. We did a campaign during the pandemic called, “We Need Us!,” where we encourage our local community to come and discover the things that they may not have realized were in their backyard. 

Where do you see the key tourism opportunities moving forward?

A key opportunity is the specialized World Expo in 2027, which would be held in Bloomington if the United States wins the bid. We have dedicated a lot of resources to winning the opportunity to host Expo 2027 and we are very excited about it. Hosting an expo can change the trajectory of tourism for Minnesota. If you look at other cities that have hosted expos over the years, from Seattle to Chicago to San Antonio, it has changed those communities right at the core. We’re going to invest a lot of time and effort and do our best to secure the 2027 bid from the Bureau of International Expositions. 

We are focusing on the authentic experiences that we want people to have when they come here. We have spent a lot of time elevating the level of attention on our cultural districts in Minneapolis, for example. We have seven official cultural districts that represent different areas of diversity, including our Native American community, our Latino communities and our African American communities. We can present our destination in a very authentic manner, which is something that a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily think of when they think of Minneapolis, but we are a very diverse community.

What is your outlook for the next couple of years and what are your priorities? 

We look broadly at the recovery expectations among industry prognosticators. We know that for a variety of reasons Minneapolis has been a little slower in recovering than some other cities but we do know that we’re able to impact that with our efforts, such as the leisure tourism campaign. If I look at the major groups that are coming in over the next couple of years, I’m very optimistic about the group conventions and events that we’re attracting. I’m very excited about the fact that we’re able to tell much more authentic stories about this destination. My outlook is very optimistic at this point.

For more information, visit: 

https://www.minneapolis.org/

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