Minneapolis (Aug. 11, 2020) – Meet Minneapolis, the city’s convention and visitors association, has joined with Carmichael Lynch to create the We Need Us! campaign to inspire Minneapolis and metro residents to safely support the wide array of local businesses that make Minneapolis a vibrant place to live and work. The intent of the campaign is to rally the community and includes a call to action: We Need Us! Support the Minneapolis Businesses That Support Us Back.

The new marketing initiative spotlights area businesses and business owners with targeted social media, robust content on the Meet Minneapolis website and We Need Us! signage across the city.

“Meet Minneapolis markets the city to potential visitors, meeting planners and events rights holders around the world,” said Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant. “Local establishments are some of our greatest assets. Visitors want to ‘experience the destination like locals,’ and by supporting these diverse businesses, we all can become authentic champions for our neighborhoods amid the transformation that’s taking place across the city.”

“If we want our favorite places to survive, we need to keep showing up for them,” added Courtney S. Ries, SVP of Destination Branding and Strategy for Meet Minneapolis. “Businesses have adjusted their products, implemented new protocols and developed procedures to keep people safe, all while giving back to our community. We Need Us! reminds people that we need to support them, and there are a variety of ways to safely do so.”

A selection of featured businesses and program partners include:
- b. Resale
- i like you
- La Doña Cervecería
- Midtown Global Market
- Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia)
- Photographer Asha Belk
- Pizza Lucé
- Sammy's Avenue Eatery
- YogaFit

Metro residents will see advertising supporting local businesses through the month of September. Once the organization resumes its normal regional, national and international sales and marketing initiatives, local businesses will continue to be an area of focus.

More information on the We Need Us! campaign can be found at www.MeetMinneapolis.org.