Marketing and selling Minneapolis is both an art and a science. On the science side, we know empirically and statistically where our customers are and which strategies are most effective in reaching them. We can also measure how many touchpoints it takes to ultimately convince them to choose Minneapolis as a destination.

On the art side, we know meeting and event decision-makers are professionals in their field and regular consumers at the same time. This means brand awareness plays a key role in all the purchases they make. Recommendations from trusted colleagues and friends can influence buying decisions for consumer products and for meeting and event destinations.

Science and art converge when we host customers in person for a major signature event, because it greatly enhances our ability to persuade them to select Minneapolis for their next gathering. Meet Minneapolis has a long history of using the major signature events we host to introduce – or reintroduce – key customers and decision-makers to our destination’s attributes. Those past events include an MLB All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, a WNBA All-Star Game, numerous NCAA men’s and women’s championships, the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials, and more.

Most recently, we used the pre-Broadway premiere of the Purple Rain musical as a palette to skillfully paint a picture of what Minneapolis is at its core and what it can provide as a destination.

Experience Prince’s Minneapolis was a recent multi-faceted client immersion event where our clients were able to enjoy Minneapolis the way Prince lived it. The itinerary included a behind-the-scenes tour of Paisley Park, a Prince Legacy Bus tour, and, of course, the pre-Broadway performance of Purple Rain. Over three days, we hosted 15 national customers who either had strong desire to bring a meeting here or already had an active bid in process.

In conjunction with the Purple Rain premiere, we hosted eight national journalists to showcase Minneapolis, using Prince and the musical as the hook. These journalists have written for a variety of publications, including:

• Condé Nast Traveler
• ESSENCE
• Lonely Planet
• Range Magazine
• The New York Times
• The Points Guy
• The Washington Post
• Travel Noire

We work closely with journalists to equip them with the content and tools they need to write about the Minneapolis experience for their readers. It can be more impactful to have another credible source independently help shape our city’s narrative than to rely solely on paid advertising. This greatly increases the authenticity of our message. Our meeting and event professionals and media guests walked away with a deeper understanding of why Minneapolis is such an amazing destination for leisure and business travel.

The Meet Minneapolis team delivered outstanding results in both the direct sales and media relations using Purple Rain as a draw. Our hospitality and tourism industry will no doubt reap the benefits of our Experience Prince’s Minneapolis activities – and similar initiatives we have in the pipeline – for years to come. We want the world to know that Minneapolis is a star!