Q. What are you most proud of during your time as Chair of the Meet Minneapolis Board of Directors?

A. What I’m actually most proud of is the Meet Minneapolis staff and everything they are accomplishing. I think as Chair, Board Officer or Board Member, our job is to support and enable Meet Minneapolis to be a great organization. The stars that make that happen are first and foremost Melvin and his leadership team and second, everyone on staff.

Q. Why are sports important to our growth and development as a destination?

A. Sports is just another area of focus to bring visitors to our community. What makes sporting events so important are two factors; they’re not subject to the seasonality of the meetings and conventions business and they often use our sports facilities, bringing outside visitors in while the Convention Center is completely booked with local home and garden shows.

Q. What’s something you learned during your time as Board Chair that you didn’t expect?

A. Because of the public/private nature of Meet Minneapolis’ mission, one really gets a close inside look at the workings of our municipal government.

Q. How is public/private partnership important for making our organization successful?

A. Meet Minneapolis is a very successful example of a true public/private partnership. It pursues a vital interest of our City’s goal to keep a thriving hospitality business and the associated jobs and tax revenues. It does so by adhering to strict government standards of accountability, transparency, diversity and inclusion while also having the freedom to operate with private business practices that allow for speed and innovation.

Q. What’s your hope for the future of Meet Minneapolis and Minneapolis as a convention, sports and leisure destination?

A. I think Meet Minneapolis has shown the true horsepower they have when they successfully pursued the Super Bowl and Final Four bids, to name a few. I hope our City and business community continue to let Meet Minneapolis grow as an organization capable of defining our future as a destination and that we give the Meet Minneapolis team the ability to lead us there.

Q. What are you most proud of during your time as Chair of the Meet Minneapolis Board of Directors?

A. What I’m actually most proud of is the Meet Minneapolis staff and everything they are accomplishing. I think as Chair, Board Officer or Board Member, our job is to support and enable Meet Minneapolis to be a great organization. The stars that make that happen are first and foremost Melvin and his leadership team and second, everyone on staff.

Q. Why are sports important to our growth and development as a destination?

A. Sports is just another area of focus to bring visitors to our community. What makes sporting events so important are two factors; they’re not subject to the seasonality of the meetings and conventions business and they often use our sports facilities, bringing outside visitors in while the Convention Center is completely booked with local home and garden shows.

Q. What’s something you learned during your time as Board Chair that you didn’t expect?

A. Because of the public/private nature of Meet Minneapolis’ mission, one really gets a close inside look at the workings of our municipal government.

Q. How is public/private partnership important for making our organization successful?

A. Meet Minneapolis is a very successful example of a true public/private partnership. It pursues a vital interest of our City’s goal to keep a thriving hospitality business and the associated jobs and tax revenues. It does so by adhering to strict government standards of accountability, transparency, diversity and inclusion while also having the freedom to operate with private business practices that allow for speed and innovation.

Q. What’s your hope for the future of Meet Minneapolis and Minneapolis as a convention, sports and leisure destination?

A. I think Meet Minneapolis has shown the true horsepower they have when they successfully pursued the Super Bowl and Final Four bids, to name a few. I hope our City and business community continue to let Meet Minneapolis grow as an organization capable of defining our future as a destination and that we give the Meet Minneapolis team the ability to lead us there.