This comprehensive plan has called upon the talents of nearly 100 community leaders from the public and private sectors who dedicated many hours of their time to formulating strategies to make Destination Transformation 2030 come to life. Without the diligence of these dedicated volunteers and our hard-working internal team, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this milestone. Overall, more than 3,000 local, regional and national stakeholders have been a part of this process. The specific strategies that we will share on March 2 have emanated from the intense work of the following subcommittees:

• Minneapolis Awareness
• Tourism Diversity and Inclusion
• Visitor Transportation and Wayfinding
• Tourism Infrastructure
• Tourism Policy
• Tourist Activities

When we initiated the planning process, we knew that unprecedented growth was taking place in our city. In fact, the City of Minneapolis reported that building permits issued in 2016 eclipsed $1 billion for the fifth straight year. Our local hospitality industry was a major driver of the growth with projects such as the Target Center renovation and multiple new hotels.

However, as envious as our growth is, other cities aren't remaining stagnant. Cities such as Louisville, KY, Austin, TX, and Nashville, TN are also experiencing unprecedented growth in their hospitality assets. When the Super Bowl LII planning team arrives in Houston later this month, we'll no doubt see tremendous growth there. We are not trying to keep up with the competition. We are responding to the needs of our current and future customers to ensure that our tourism economy continues to flourish.

We hope that you will make plans to attend the annual meeting and learn how you can play a part in Minneapolis' destination transformation.

This comprehensive plan has called upon the talents of nearly 100 community leaders from the public and private sectors who dedicated many hours of their time to formulating strategies to make Destination Transformation 2030 come to life. Without the diligence of these dedicated volunteers and our hard-working internal team, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this milestone. Overall, more than 3,000 local, regional and national stakeholders have been a part of this process. The specific strategies that we will share on March 2 have emanated from the intense work of the following subcommittees:

• Minneapolis Awareness
• Tourism Diversity and Inclusion
• Visitor Transportation and Wayfinding
• Tourism Infrastructure
• Tourism Policy
• Tourist Activities

When we initiated the planning process, we knew that unprecedented growth was taking place in our city. In fact, the City of Minneapolis reported that building permits issued in 2016 eclipsed $1 billion for the fifth straight year. Our local hospitality industry was a major driver of the growth with projects such as the Target Center renovation and multiple new hotels.

However, as envious as our growth is, other cities aren't remaining stagnant. Cities such as Louisville, KY, Austin, TX, and Nashville, TN are also experiencing unprecedented growth in their hospitality assets. When the Super Bowl LII planning team arrives in Houston later this month, we'll no doubt see tremendous growth there. We are not trying to keep up with the competition. We are responding to the needs of our current and future customers to ensure that our tourism economy continues to flourish.

We hope that you will make plans to attend the annual meeting and learn how you can play a part in Minneapolis' destination transformation.