P H O T O : VA D A P H O T O G R A P H Y

UNCONVENTIONAL
CONVENTIONS

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Convention center leaders across the state weigh

in on hot new ideas and trending concepts for
state-of-the-art gatherings.
BY JULIE KENDRICK

GO BIGits what
convention centers are
made to do. In hosting
conferences or trade
shows, these large-scale
facilities must also go
all out in order to not
only maintain relevance
in the industry, but also
enhance attendee experience. Going green, focusing on wellness and
sourcing food locally are
trends that arent going
anywhere soon (if ever),
and Minnesotas convention centers have adapted seamlessly to meet
the demand, and then
some. MNM+E talked to
convention center staff
statewide about how
areas like sustainability, food and beverage,
technology and more
have shaped the strucDuluth Entertainment
Convention Center

ture of todays meetings

and events.

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No one wants to just sit still

and be spoken at during a conference anymore, says Kate
Setley, director of marketing
and event management, Saint
Paul RiverCentre. People
want an interactive experience instead, and one that
builds in the opportunity for
active engagement. Setley has
noticed social media being
included before, during and
after many events. Meeting
planners request videos or photos to be submitted as part of
pre-event contests, are encouraging live tweets with a designated hashtag during meetings,
and then soliciting feedback
and short videos after the event
is over. Conventions no longer
end when load-out happens at 5
oclock, Setley says. And from
a venue perspective, it allows
our team to stay connected
with attendees. If its too cold
in a breakout room, for example, Ill see tweets about it right
away. It allows us to stay on the
pulse of whats happening, and
we receive a lot of information
we wouldnt get otherwise.

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MNM+E

BRANDED EXPERIENCES

Unlimited and reliable wireless access has passed

the point of nice to have and is now a musthave for meeting facilities. I recently attended the
International Conference of Convention Centers,
says Burt Lyman, executive director, Verizon
Wireless Center in Mankato. One of the hot topics
was the installation of redundant Internet support,
so that if one system goes down, the other one kicks
in. Lymans facility, like many others in the state,
has ramped up its capacity for usage spikes during
events. People usually walk into a convention center carrying at least two devices, a smartphone and a
tablet, and sometimes a laptop, too, he says. Wi-Fi
has become a given, like fresh air and water. And
along with all those devices comes the need to keep
them constantly charged. Weve included plenty of
power locations for charging, and weve also added
USB ports, Lyman says.

Attendees increasingly expect to enter a convention

facility and immediately begin having an experience with the brand of the conference. Were hanging banners in places we never thought they would
go, Setley says. Planners want to be able to take a
neutral space and make it their own. Jeff Johnson,
executive director, Minneapolis Convention Center,
has created a high-tech option for branded signage,
using large-scale video screens that are similar to
the types used in stadiums and arenas. Screens are
now at the front entrance area and the new visitor information center, and there are plans to add
more screens in front of exhibit halls. Instead of
being called Exhibit Hall B, a room can now have
the name and logo of the sponsor or the meeting
theme, Johnson explains. Its a way to make everyone feel more welcome, as if theyre in a building
that belongs to their group.

RIGHTSIZING

ALL IN ONE

In the Mayo Civic Centers 202,631-square-foot

expansion, slated to open spring 2017, space
flexibility is built into areas like the new grand
ballroom, expanded meeting rooms and lobby
areas. We paid close attention to rightsizing, so
every gathering will have that Goldilocks justright feeling, says Brad Jones, executive director,
Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau. For
example, our 40,000-square-foot ballroom, which
will be the second largest in Minnesota [based on
2013 data], will be able to accommodate up to 4,312
people. But well also be able to reconfigure that
space in half, or in half again, so its never too big
or too small.

Full-service lodging is increasingly popular for

many convention attendees. Weve seen a rapid
appetite shift toward hotels offering integrated
restaurants, reception areas, patio space, spas and
retail, says Jones, who notes that approximately
1,400 hotel rooms will be added in the Rochester
area in the next few years. Time is at a premium
for many people, so theyre seeking an all-in-one
experience that allows them to stay in one place and
have all the amenities they desire.

CHANGE IN SCENERY
Meeting planners are increasingly asking convention facilities to break from tradition and offer new

P H O T O S : M I N N E A P O L I S C O N V E N T I O N C E N T E R ; M AYO C I V I C C E N T E R

SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ

WI-FI: LIKE FRESH AIR AND WATER"

| FALL 2015

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Left: Minneapolis Convention Center features 475,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Below: Mayo Civic Centers new outdoor plaza will be open to receptions and events.

Did You
Know?
Fun facts about
Minnesotas
convention centers.

Most people are surprised to learn we have

2,070 hotel rooms attached to the Mayo Civic
Center [via skyway], so
attendees can move directly from room to meeting, without having to
go outside. On a snowy
January day in Minnesota,
that can be a big valueadd, says Jones.
ways to allow attendees to interact in meeting
spaces. Instead of classroom or theater-style
setups in breakout rooms, Setley is receiving
more requests for small circles of chairs, or
tables set at rounds, to encourage collaboration and creativity. We recently hosted a conference which served lunch right in the middle
of the trade show area to encourage attendees
to explore exhibitor booths, she says.
That creativity has extended to the great
outdoors, as well. Johnson points to the
Minneapolis Convention Centers use of
across-the-street open green space as a location
for the Creative City Challenge, an annual public art competition with the winning exhibit
being temporarily installed in the Convention
Center Plaza. The space, which also hosts a
summertime Creative City Market of locally
crafted goods, allows people to explore something new and rejuvenate during a long day.
The use of that space is really an example of
placemaking at its finest, Johnson says.
The Mayo Civic Center is an easy three
blocks away from the pedestrian-only Peace
Plaza in the center of downtown. The center will have its own outdoor space as well;
the Riverfront Plaza, tucked in between the
Mayo Civic Center and Zumbro River, will
be available for open-air receptions, events
and small concerts when the expansion is
complete. Planners want not only a quality
meeting experience in your venue, but a way to
offer attendees authentic and interesting experiences outside the facility, says Brad Jones.
Our plaza area allows visitors to get outside

and enjoy downtown shopping, nightlife, restaurants and bars.

For Kristi Anderson, convention sales
and service manager, Sanford Center, giving
attendees an opportunity to enjoy the great
outdoors is always a positive meeting enhancement. Our outdoor patio is right off of our
Lakeview meeting room, overlooking Lake
Bemidji, she says. We can even bring in a
portable bonfire.

GOING GREENER
Green initiatives and a focus on sustainability
are nothing new for Minnesota convention
facilities, but several of them are introducing next-level enhancements of this environmental focus. Weve been committed to
recycling for years, but weve stepped up our
game recently with a focus on compostable
cups, plates, napkins and more, says Tony
Goddard, director of community services and
facilities, St. Cloud Rivers Edge Convention
Center. And because conventions can generate an enormous amount of waste, his team
(including Bill Dunsmoor, manager) has made
a push toward preventing waste from happening in the first place. Were encouraging conventions to go all-paperless and post agendas
and brochures online, he says. In addition
to creating a significant waste reduction, it
also allows planners flexibility for edits when
agendas change.
For Sue Ellen Moore, director of sales at
the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
(DECC), a little bit of creativity can help make

In a quest to create
a unique Minneapolis experience, the Minneapolis Convention Center has
added the Craft Bar and
Lounge in the main lobby.
Weve entered into a
partnership with the
Minnesota Craft Brewers
Guild, and every quarter
we feature a new lineup
of locally crafted beers
from Surly, Lift Bridge,
Big Wood and more,
Johnson says. People attending conventions will
be able to enjoy beer they
cant find anywhere else
but Minnesota.
In an industry in
which turnover can be
fairly steep, the operations staff at St. Cloud
Rivers Edge Convention
Center is justly proud of
its depth of experience.
Ive been here 25 years,
says Bill Dunsmoor, manager, St. Cloud Rivers
Edge Convention Center.
Our least senior full-time
person has been here 20
years. Meeting planners
love coming here and
seeing the same familiar
faces, and often comment that our staff seems
to know their needs
before they do.

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Common areas at Saint Paul

RiverCentre encourage more
intimate conversations.

a positive environmental impact. We recently hosted a conference

in which the planners addressed their biggest waste factorlanyards
and name tag holders. They developed a creative name tag contest and
encouraged attendees to create and bring their own tags and recycled
lanyards. To encourage participation, they presented awards for categories like most legible and most creative. At another conference,
planners created buttons with the message: Ive been caught greenhanded. Whenever a staff member noticed an attendee engaging in a
sustainable behavior, such as filling their own water container at one
of the complementary water stations, or putting paper into a recycling
bin, they handed out a button to the green attendee. It became a
coveted item that people wanted to earn, Moore says. And what happened with the buttons at the end of the convention? We gathered
them all in a basket to reuse next year, of course, Moore says.

GATHERING SPACES
I attend quite a few conventions throughout the year, and Ive been
noticing more and more facilities paying attention to common areas,
Lyman says. Anyone whos ever attended a convention knows that
you usually learn more in peer-to-peer conversations than you do
during lectures, so larger and more comfortable common areas for
informal chatting is certainly a trend worth noting. His view is seconded by Jones. In his work with the Mayo Civic Center, hes become
convinced that networking and face-to-face time are critical to a
meetings success. Weve developed an environment thats ripe for
connecting with others, and weve added soft seating with views that
connect attendees to the outdoors, Jones says. Those spaces help
people get together to share knowledge and ideas in a creative and
relaxing way.

Were noticing that some of our large associations, which used to do

awards banquets in the evening, moving away from that trend and
instead offering vouchers to local restaurants, says Goddard. It not
only helps with cost control, but eliminates the food waste that happens when people RSVP to the banquet and then dont show up. Its

DULUTH ENTERTAINMENT
CONVENTION CENTER

CONVENTION
CENTERS
BY THE
NUMBERS

42

MNM+E

120,000 square feet of exhibit space

30 meeting rooms
Two ballrooms: Lake Superior Ballroom
(26,000 square feet) and the Harbor Side
Ballroom (12,000 square feet and 5,000
square feet of prefunction space)
Two arenas: Amsoil Arena (19,600 square
feet, concert seating for up to 10,000)
and DECC Arena (23,976 square feet,
concert seating for up to 7,000); parking
for 1,800

MAYO CIVIC CENTER

VERIZON WIRELESS CENTER

Accommodates 12,223 theater-style

(19,357 after expansion; Riverfront
Plaza will fit about 300)
117,998 square feet of meeting/
event space (202,631 square feet
after expansion)
Expansion will feature:
40,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom
25,000-square-foot exhibit hall
25,000-square-foot arena
16 breakout rooms (making it
23 total)

45,000 square feet of flexible banquet/

exhibit space (65,000 after expansion in
September 2016)
Two halls (plus one with expansion):
600-person Banquet Hall (11,201 square
feet) and 2,173-square-foot Reception Hall
Five smaller meeting rooms for 10 to 50
people (nine after expansion)
Technology Center features a 10-person
Boardroom and Classroom equipped with
12 computers
25,000-square-foot Arena

P H O T O S : S T. PA U L R I V E R C E N T R E , J I M M I M S P H O T O G R A P H Y

BYE, BYE BANQUET

| FALL 2015

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WELLNESS MAT TERS

a positive trend for our downtown restaurants,

too, because they experience increased weeknight business. The awards are then given away
at the luncheon events, according to Goddard.

FOOD FOCUS
Having an in-house catering department allows
the DECC to provide meeting planners with a
consistent focus on high-quality, locally produced food. We began looking at our sustainability and environmental mission statement
back in 2003, Moore says. Our food and
beverage manager at the time looked in our
walk-in cooler and found boxes and boxes of
cookies that had been imported from Canada.
That discovery led to a search for local sources,
and the DECC now features locally baked rolls,
cookies, bars and what Moore refers to as our
fabulous lemon cake. Along with an increased
focus on local foods, the demand for special
meals just keeps growing. Ten years ago, 3
percent of the meals we served were special
requests, Moore says, and we now have conferences in which more than 20 percent are
special requests.

Conferences are adding wellness components to their traditional focus on networking and
education, Moore says. Being
located on the beautiful North
Shore, were an ideal location
for 5K runs or lake walks. Some
groups are starting off their sessions with yoga classes or early
morning stretch time. Shes
noticing the wellness emphasis
in catering choices, too. Were
serving a lot fewer doughnuts
and a lot more fresh fruit.
Anderson has also noted an
uptick in the number of planners who request physical activity as part of their meeting. The
Sanford Center has built a lifesize Jenga and cornhole sets to
use during team-building activities. People need to get back to
learning how to converse with
each other, and a fun activity is
a great way to do that.

Get Connected
DULUTH ENTERTAINMENT
CONVENTION CENTER
decc.org | 218.722.5573
MAYO CIVIC CENTER
mayociviccenter.com
507.328.2220
MINNEAPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER
minneapolis.org
612.335.6000
SAINT PAUL RIVERCENTRE
rivercentre.org
651.265.4800
SANFORD CENTER
thesanfordcenter.net
218.441.4000
ST. CLOUD RIVERS EDGE
CONVENTION CENTER
stcloudriversedgeconventioncenter.com
320.255.7272 | 800.450.7272
VERIZON WIRELESS
CENTER
verizonwirelesscentermn.com
507.389.3000

ST. CLOUD RIVERS EDGE

CONVENTION CENTER

MINNEAPOLIS
CONVENTION CENTER

SAINT PAUL
RIVERCENTRE

180,000 square feet

of overall space
60,000 square feet
of continuous exhibit space
16,000-square-foot ballroom
19 multifunctional meeting
rooms (some with views
of the Mississippi River)
Connected to two
full-service hotels
Accommodates five to 5,000

475,000 square feet

of exhibit space
3,400-fixed-seat auditorium
87 meeting rooms
28,000-square-foot ballroom
55,000-square-foot ballroom
Accommodates 15-person
meetings or tens of
thousands events

230,000 total square feet

100,000 square feet of
exhibition halls
44,800-square-foot auditorium
27,000-square-foot
Grand Ballroom
15 meeting rooms with views
of the Mississippi River
Executive Board Room overlooks historic Rice Park

SANFORD CENTER

10,000-square-foot ballroom
30,000 square feet of
exhibit space
Four 1,000 square-foot
meeting rooms overlooking
Lake Bemidji
1,200 parking spaces
Accommodates 10-1,000
Spacious prefunciton lobby
and outdoor patio

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