Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Celebrating Our Success

Last night, we headed over to the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley for the annual Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association (MMPA) excellence awards event. Hosted by WCCO's Jason DeRusha, the 13th annual event awarded magazines in 88 categories (including, design, edit, photography and overall excellence). Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal earned three awards. 

BRONZE Overall Excellence

SILVER Best Overall Design

GOLD Best Use of Visuals/Photography (Spring '09, "Design Showcase")

In total, our custom publishing department earned four awards and our company, Greenspring Media Group, pulled in 22.

Great job, team!

Behind the Numbers

The writers over at MinnPost have started a series called Behind the Numbers, which shares various stories of how individuals are coping during these difficult times. One such profile is of Christina Anderson, a meeting planner in Shakopee.

These difficult times are affecting us all, but can it be true that the current economy is actually good for a meeting planner's business. Budgets may be shrinking, but when it comes to wedding planning, the money for a professional planner is actually money well spent.

"Couples are trying to save more money these days, she said, but they are still hiring wedding planners to organize their budgets and help them find the most efficient ways to pay for the big day."

According to the story, Anderson's business has grown considerably over the past five years. She planned 10 events during her first year in business, and this year she will likely plan between 40 and 45 events.

Do you have a similar story to tell? We'd love to hear it. Also, watch for our annual State of the Industry report in our upcoming winter issue, where we will provide our own look behind the numbers.

-Joel Schettler
Editor

A Look Back: November Blog Posts

Here's a quick peek at what we were talking about during past Novembers:

November 2008

+ We received a few comments on our post about making personal connections. Should your Facebook and Twitter friends be considered real relationships?

+ We discuss Prop 8 and how that could affect the events industry. 

+ We pat ourselves on the back after we won five Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association awards. This year's awards event takes place on Thursday - wish us luck!

+ We mention a great green resource: The Green Meeting. Where do you find your green information?

+ We mention some cool tech tools, courtesy of Popular Science. 

November 2007

+ Have we really been talking about social media for this long? Two years ago, we point to a few articles and blog posts that talk about the pros and cons of using social media in your business. 

+ Two new hotels, Cambria Suites in Maple Grove and Minneapolis' Hilton Garden Inn, both broke ground this month.

+ Amazon releases the Kindle.

+ Another social media post: allowing bloggers at the political conventions brings up the discussion of how social media has changed the events industry. What do you think, have we figured it all out yet?

-- Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

SOI Event Preview: Our Keynote Speaker

 

Details are coming together for our annual State of the Industry Event. We're excited to announce that we selected Joan Eisenstodt, chief strategist, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC, as our keynote speaker. Eisenstodt is a respected expert in the hospitality industry; she founded Eisenstodt Associates, a planning and management support company, in 1981. Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal previously consulted with Eisenstodt for "Contingency Planning 101" in last year's winter issue. Learn more about Eisenstodt by following her on Twitter and reading her Meetings Collaborative blog then mark your calendar for the State of the Industry Event on February 2, 2010, when you can hear her give a keynote speech touching on the future of the industry and host a breakout session. Stay tuned for future announcements about the speakers at this year's event ...

--Ellie M. Bayrd, Associate Editor

Special Time of Year

Tomorrow, candy and costumes rule then we all rush to our alarm clocks to "fall back"--a busy weekend. Fall is a great time of year for some hospitality venues. This Halloween Forbes Traveler lists 10 Vampire Vacations; last year they presented a list of America's Haunted Hotels to check out for the holiday. When its time to change the clock, Historic Hotels of America celebrates with its Fall Back in Time promotion to help you decide what to do with that extra hour. Deals for each of the participating hotels center around pricing that matches the year the hotel first opened (For example 1913 =  rates of $191.30). How will you celebrate this weekend?

--Ellie M. Bayrd, Associate Editor

Walker Art Center Fun Facts

I was reading the Walker's bi-monthly newsletter/magazine and I found a list of "notable figures from the past year," which "highlight key aspects of the Walker's mission: artistic leadership and innovation, audience engagement and civic commitment, and stewardship." I thought the numbers were interesting, especially the number of people around the globe who are exposed to our contemporary art museum's touring productions. Very cool.

Walker Art Center: Notable Figures from the past fiscal year (2008-2009)

1,425 Artist presentations and engagement at the Walker (including visual and performing artists, filmmakers and designers)

1,575 Total number of artists in the Walker collection

12,661 Total number of artworks in the Walker collection

85 Newly acquired works

671,757 Total attendance at the Walker

382,328 Total visitors to the Sculpture Garden

10,281 Total number of attendees at Rock the Garden 2009

193 Partnerships with local arts and community organizations

60 Copresentations with local and national arts organizations

499,641 People around the globe who attended Walker-organized touring exhibitions at seven host museums in three countries

24,400+ People around the globe who attended Walker-commissioned touring performances at 40 host venues in 30 cities in eight countries

3,621,718 User sessions at walkerart.org, artsconnected.org, and mnartists.org

19,748 Fans on Facebook and Twitter followers.

Way to go Walker!

(Photo courtesy of Walker Art Center)

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Live from D'Amico Kitchen at Chambers Hotel

Those interested in a little "culinary voyeurism" can now be a fly on the wall at the new D'Amico Kitchen at the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. The restaurant has installed three video cameras in its kitchen, and every evening from 7:30 to 10 interested parties can hop on the Web site and watch live, unedited footage of the chefs in action behind the scenes. The footage will also be broadcast on a large screen outside of the kitchen so diners and Hennepin Avenue passersby can be in on the action.

Starting next Wednesday, Oct. 28, Executive Chef John Occhiato will post weekly video blogs to share his own thoughts and inside experience on a range of delicious topics, including the transition from D'Amico Cucina to D'Amico Kitchen during six weeks this past summer, how he uses seasonal ingredients in his dishes and how he orders when he goes out to eat. 

This is a pretty unique idea and the first time a Twin Cities restaurant has offered the experience. So, if you can't make it to D'Amico Kitchen in person, check out the video instead. It may just make you get out of the house and go out to eat.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Quick News links: Winter Carnival, B&N e-reader, text messaging, gift cards and Louvre love

A few bits of news I felt were worth mentioning:

+ The St. Paul Winter Carnival received two awards from the International Festivals & Events Association, including a silver award for Best Educational Program and a bronze award for Best Event Photography (Tom Maloney). The carnival is judged in the category of festivals with annual budget of $250,000 to $749,999. (Hat tip MinnPost.)

+ Rumor has it Barnes & Noble is planning to release its own answer to Amazon's Kindle called the Nook. Early talk looks good for B&N. While I think it will be a long time before I give up books for an e-reader, I do like that you can actually lend books to other people with the Nook (although, your friend has to have one too). Lending books is a huge part of the reading experience for me, plus it's a money saver. (Hat tip Wired and Gizmodo.)

+ Morrissey Hospitality is offering up an awesome gift card deal this holiday season. According to the press release: Starting Nov. 1, every shopper who purchases $100 worth of gift cards from one of Morrissey's seven participating properties - The Saint Paul Hotel, The St. Paul Grill, Pazzaluna, The Hotel Minneapolis, restaurant Max, Tria restaurant and Enjoy! - will also receive a free bonus package including five promotional $20 gift cards to those same properties, which can be used by the customer themselves or to give as gifts.

+ Mall of America launched a text-messaging service last week called MallCall: The Text Best Thing. According to the press release: Mall patrons can opt-in with each visit by texting a provided phone number. Then only during store hours and only on that day, customers will receive real-time text messages about promotions and in-store coupons allowing them to take advantage of that day's special offers.

+ Just for fun, I loved this Face2Face post from earlier this month. MeetingsNet editor Sue Pelletier shares what she did during a nine-hour layover at LAX. I would never think to take the shuttles to different hotels and just check them out! What a good use of time.

+ Want to learn how to tell a masterpiece from a fake? Or, maybe you'd like to take a trip to Paris without leaving the Twin Cities? The highly anticipated exhibit The Louvre and the Masterpiece opened over the weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. This is a huge deal for the MIA as many of the pieces have never before left the Louvre and we are only one of two stops the exhibit is making in the U.S.

What else is going on?

-- Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

October ISES Meeting: A Case for Corporate Events

Yesterday we attended the ISES monthly meeting at the Guthrie Theater. The meeting was set up in the Level 5 cafe space, which was a touch awkward but seemed to work for the number of people in attendance. Linen Effects did the decor and I have to say it was perfect. The blue napkins and the purple tablecloths in some kind of luscious fabric were the perfect complement to the theater building as a whole. The lunch left a bit to be desired, but the service was friendly and accommodating.

The keynote speaker was Richard Foulkes, director of special events and productions at Imagination, a leading communications agency, and president-elect of ISES UK. Imagination works with huge clients, such as Ford, and puts on unbelievable events and tradeshows around the world. Foulkes used this opportunity to talk about the importance of engaging your attendees and managing your reputation.

I thought what Foulkes had to say was interesting, but not anything this group hadn't heard before. He also filled his speech with quotes from philosophers and scientists when really I wanted to hear more about his thoughts and his experiences. I mean, this guy helps put on events that some planners probably only dream about. But, in the end I think he was motivating to the group. Find more specifics after the jump:

A Look Back: Past October Blog Posts

October 2008
+ We were very excited about Southwest Airlines coming to the Twin Cities. I think it's turned out to be a success (obviously).

+ For a podcast episode, I interviewed the lovely Marilyn Carlson Nelson about her new book, How We Lead Matters. She's a very intelligent, interesting woman who is a big player in our local hospitality industry.

+ We were hopeful about the report that international tourism was increasing.

+ We discuss performance reviews.

+ We took a tour of all the meeting spaces offered at Mall of America.

October 2007
+ Ah, the smoking ban. The statewide ban went into play in October 2007. We mentioned it, and since the ban has always been controversial, we weren't surprised that it was the post on which we had the most comments. Ever.

+ We refer to former City Pages writer (and now Minnesota Monthly editor) Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl's restaurant news. And hey, these restaurants - Porter & Frye, Nick & Eddie, Meritage - are still around!

+ As always, the Twin Cities rank high in Travel + Leisure's favorite cities. 

+ I can't believe Frida Kahlo at the Walker was two years ago already. Editor Joel Schettler predicted it would be successful, and it really was. 

There are lots of other good posts from the past two Octobers, so take a stroll down memory lane and check them out. Time sure does fly!

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor