Meeting Planners “Take a Closer Look” at Minneapolis Northwest

Minneapolis Northwest Convention & Visitors Bureau gave 30 meeting professionals the opportunity to “Take a Closer Look” at the Minneapolis Northwest area as a meetings destination.

The Minneapolis Northwest tour, titled Take a Closer Look, took meeting and event planning professionals on a one-day journey through ten different hotels and unique venues.

The tour provided an opportunity for participants to see, hear, touch and experience just some of what the Minneapolis Northwest area has to offer.

“I am really glad I attended,” said Debbie Van Ravenhorst, Regional Vice President at HelmsBriscoe. “I have been spreading the word about the hotels we saw and the great venues.  I learned a lot about the northwest side of Minneapolis.”

Stops on the tour included Embassy Suites Minneapolis North, Earle Brown Heritage Center, Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North, Minneapolis Marriott Northwest, Holiday Inn & Suites Arbor Lakes, WhirlyBall Twin Cities, The Oilerie Maple Grove, The Paint Pub, Redstone American Grill and Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano.

A substantial amount of planning went into the process to determine where stops would be made on the tour.  In additional to internal staff planning, Minneapolis Northwest used requests and ideas from meeting planning professionals to gauge what would be beneficial for planners to see while on the tour.

“We surveyed meeting planners asking them what they wanted to see on the tour,” said Annette Belding, Corporate & Convention Sales Manager at Minneapolis Northwest. “They really wanted a mix of unique venues and restaurants. We let them choose.”

Lorenz Bus Service, Inc graciously provided transportation for the tour which gave them the opportunity to showcase their new, 58-passenger bus.

Jim Kruger of LandMark Photography & Design lent his services for the tour, taking photos of attendees and venues throughout the day.

About Minneapolis Northwest Convention & Visitors Bureau
Minneapolis Northwest Convention & Visitors Bureau is the destination marketing organization that represents the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, including: Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove. The bureau offers complimentary services to assist planners, tour operators and sporting event planners all while encouraging them to utilize the lodging and venues within its member cities. For more information about Minneapolis Northwest, please visit www.minneapolisnorthwest.com.