To date, Meet Minneapolis has nearly 700 partner businesses and we continue to add more every month. We are tremendously grateful that you and so many businesses in the Minneapolis region are invested in our mission to “market, sell and maximize the visitor experience of Minneapolis for the economic benefit of our community.”

This was made clear to us again, last week, when we had a record number of individuals attend our “Maximizing Your Partnership” (ROI) workshop.

As with any business, you want to ensure the dollars you’re investing into something – be it a product, a marketing campaign or a partnership – fit with your business model and provide a return on your investment.

What our “Maximizing Your Partnership” workshop offers is a deeper dive into how our organization operates and how you can leverage all of your partner benefits to further enhance your business.

Access Partner Tools on Minneapolis.org
With a login and password from our Partnership team, you will be able to access valuable tools such as our Convention Calendar and Convention Alerts. This dedicated, partner-only area will also allow you to update your account and partner listing, view our partnership directory, and it provides information on our events calendar and criteria.

Services Team and Tools for You
The Meet Minneapolis Services team fulfills the commitments made in our sales contracts. They are the primary contact for event and meeting planners, as well as our liaison between planners, our partner businesses and the city. This team also plays an important role in many of your partner benefits and discusses those during the workshop, such as:

• Convention Calendar – This robust calendar, updated twice a year, includes: details on all contracted groups, meeting planner contact information, total number of anticipated attendees, client website URL for research and much more. How to use: Make sure you or your team are reviewing the groups coming in the next 4-6 months. Is this a group where your business or services could be utilized? Would you need to adjust staffing schedules based on the number of anticipated attendees?
• Convention Alerts – These are added to the Partnership section of our website one month prior to the event for citywides and/or high profile groups at the Minneapolis Convention Center. (These alerts are also included in this email newsletter.) How to use: Proactively review the alerts for an overview of the group or event, identify hotels in the room block, see the schedule of events including open evenings for the group, and connect with the event’s meeting planner and attendees via social media.
• Services Lead – If a meeting planner has a specific request, you may receive a “Services Lead.” These include a detailed request from the meeting planner, as well as all pertinent information about the event. How to use: Add ServiceLeads@minneapolis.org to your “safe sender” list and respond to the contact person listed in the email (generally the meeting planner) by the date requested.

There is much more our Services department handles. Here’s how you can get involved with this team:

• Working through your partnership manager, invite our Services team to come visit your business – the more they know about you, the more they can refer potential business to you.
• Work together with our Services team to host clients on site visits to Minneapolis when a request comes through.
• If there are updates or changes to your products, venues, or services, make sure this team has the latest information.

Key Takeaways from the “Maximizing Your Partnership” Workshop
What I shared above is only a fraction of what’s covered in this workshop. Each team at Meet Minneapolis shares practical ways for you to become more involved, from Sales and Partnership to Marketing, Public Relations and our Meet Minneapolis Visitor Center. Here are the key takeaways from the workshop:

• Make sure your account contacts are accurate and up-to-date by logging in to our Extranet.
• Keep our team in the loop with what is happening at your business – we want to promote your business and unique attributes to meeting planners and visitors.
• Watch your emails for leads, referrals and potential media requests.
• Access your “Partner Benefits” online at minneapolis.org/partners and utilize our channels to help extend your reach.

To learn more about how to take advantage of your partner benefits, please reach out to a member of our Partnership team. I’ve included their contact information below. Our partnership team is your primary conduit to the more than 70 Meet Minneapolis team members who work directly to attract visitors and enhance their experiences here.

Jenn Schaal, Director of Partnership | jenns@minneapolis.org

Michael Rainville, Partnership Manager | miker@minneapolis.org

Marie Chaiart, Partnership Manager | mariec@minneapolis.org

Nicole Oja, Partnership Associate | nicoleo@minneapolis.org

Ross Slovensky, Events and Business Development Manager | rosss@sportsminneapolis.org