Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson
President & CEO
2025 Impact Report
A Transformational First Year: Bold Futures Strategic Plan
2025 was a defining moment for Visit Saint Paul. It was the first year implementing our Bold Futures: 2025–2027 Strategic Plan; setting a new direction for how we drive tourism, attract events, and elevate Saint Paul’s story.
This year, we didn't just plan for the future, we activated it. From hosting world-class events to launching high-performing campaigns and exceeding key performance benchmarks, 2025 demonstrated what’s possible when strategy meets execution. This year was about building a stronger, more intentional foundation for long-term impact. In year one of a new strategy, Visit Saint Paul not only met expectations - we exceeded them across nearly every major performance metric.
The Bold Futures Strategic Plan establishes five guiding priorities, centered on driving tourism, strengthening partnerships, and elevating Saint Paul’s brand. In 2025, we brought that strategy to life by:
- Driving tourism and events through bookings and attendance
- Boldly sharing Saint Paul’s story via high-performing campaigns
- Connecting the industry through expanded partnerships and programs
- Strengthening operations with data-driven decision making
- Collaborating across the community to deliver impactful experiences
A Message from Mayor Her
*Scroll to read the full statement
In 2025, the City of Saint Paul demonstrated its resilience, beauty, and capacity for growth.
Led by community, Saint Paul worked towards the vision of an inclusive city that shares its culture, hospitality, and innovation with the world. With tourism on the rise, Saint Paul hosted major events from the International Ice Hockey Federation Championship and Fan Fest -- where we showcased the World’s Largest Hockey Puck -- to the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival and the Winter Carnival amongst countless other cultural and community festivals.
Downtown is the economic engine of our city and strategic reinvestments present us with the opportunity to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for all Saint Paul residents. Much of the ingredients necessary for revitalization are already active in the city; and in 2026, Saint Paul is positioning itself for a record year in the spotlight.
The City of Saint Paul recently achieved a framework agreement with the Minnesota Wild leadership to modernize Grand Casino Arena, the River Centre, and Roy Wilkins Auditorium, three of our largest and most profitable publicly owned assets. In 2026, Saint Paul has already hosted one of the largest rallies in city history, cheered on the Minnesota Frost this season following back-to-back championship wins, sang along to our first major K-pop concert, and marched in the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. We are preparing for a full summer of community and cultural events that reflect the rich vibrancy of our city.
If we want others to continue investing in our city, we must do so ourselves. Made possible by partnerships within our city, Saint Paul has designated $5 million for the new Downtown Vitality Fund to grow housing downtown and cultivate economic development. We are streamlining permitting processes
to make development easier, and we are fiercely defending and supporting Saint Paul’s immigrant communities, markets, and businesses.
Saint Paul is the capital city and as such, it belongs to all Minnesotans. Our beautiful parks, libraries, historic buildings, and access to the roaring Mississippi River make us unparalleled in delivering the highest standard of living possible.
Saint Paul is a city on the rise and as we reflect on our accomplishments in 2025, we invite you to join us for an even more spectacular 2026.
Sincerely,
Kaohly Her, Mayor of the City of Saint Paul
Convention & Event Bookings
2025 was a standout year for conventions and major events. Key highlights include:
- 131 total bookings secured (131% of our annual goal)
- Booked future events anticipating 270,571 attendees to Saint Paul (1,082% of our goal)
- 47,949 future room nights secured
- Over $60 Million estimated for future economic impact from booked business (120% of our goal)
- 279 leads and 40 site visits hosted
Notable Events Include:
Minnesota Yacht Club Festival
A Rockin' Three-Day Celebration
In its second year, the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival grew in impact and ambition, adding a third day of music to the festival and achieving a record-breaking performance:
- 96%+ hotel occupancy during peak nights
- ADR up 29% YoY
- RevPAR up 40% YoY
- $2 Million in hotel revenue generated in just four days
The Impact of Expansion
Minnesota Yacht Club’s addition of a third festival date turned a traditionally low-performing day into the third highest revenue day of the year (with +61% increase in hotel rooms sold and 176.7% revenue increase YoY), reinforcing Saint Paul as a premier summer music destination, and demonstrating how strategic event growth directly impacts the hospitality ecosystem.
A Global Stage: IIHF World Junior Championships
In late 2025, Saint Paul stepped onto the global stage. Hosting the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships represented one of the most significant international events in our city’s recent history and proved that Saint Paul is ready as a host for world-class events.
This event was a citywide moment that demonstrated Visit Saint Paul’s ability to compete on a global scale, mobilize community partners, and drive measurable visitation from over 200,000 attendees to Saint Paul through targeted marketing.
Puck Yeah!
Our regionally targeted marketing campaign drove:
- 751,000 impressions
- 22,348 clicks
- 6,961 conversions
- 24,834 attributed visits
- Increased hotel demand up to 58% with demand surging 300%+ on New Year’s Eve.
Community-Driven Activations
The World’s Largest Hockey Puck
This iconic puck, fabricated by Wonder Stu stood at 22.25 feet long (beating the former record of 20 feet), 7 feet tall, and a whopping 5,000 pounds—a true testament to Saint Paul's love for the game.
A New Year’s Eve Disco Puck Drop
This community project was fabricated by Wonder Studio. conic puck stands at 22.25 feet long (beating the former record of 20 feet), 7 feet tall, and a whopping 5,000 pounds—a true testament to Saint Paul's love for the game.
The Puck Passport program
We launched a hockey-themed passport to showcase the history and celebration of the sport in our capital city. The pass features over 20 iconic Saint Paul hockey landmarks and restaurants for fans to visit, check in, and earn points towards exclusive prizes.
- 218 sign-ups
- 747 check-ins to local hockey hotspots
Marketing & Digital Engagement
In 2025, Visit Saint Paul refined its marketing approach to focus on high-intent audiences, measurable conversions, and full-funnel strategy.
- 2.28 million pageviews (114% of our goal)
- 878,000 users reached
- Social audience growth exceeded targets with:
- 19,778,634 Total Social Media Views (+167% YOY growth)
- 14.3% Social Follower Increase
- 334,576 Interactions
- Email open rates of 46–48%
- Increased PR efforts garnering 24 television and radio segments, 9 print & digital publication features, and media support for the promotion of cultural festivals and the IIHF World Junior Championship.
The Dumpling Passport
A free passport featuring 34 diverse Saint Paul locations featuring dumplings on their menus. Pass goers can check in upon visiting each location to earn points toward exclusive dumpling-themed prizes.
- 1,430 Pass Sign Ups
- 2,129 Restaurant Location Check-Ins
- 101 Prize Redemptions
- 10,612 Website Views
Learn More
Top Posts on Instagram
Top Posts on Facebook
Campaign Highlights
This year our campaign focus was to align messaging with audience intent and optimize media investments for conversion to turn digital engagement and awareness into real-world visitation.
A Little Extra (Summer Campaign)
We drove visits by connecting with unique audience personas and showcasing the incredible Saint Paul adventures they value most: outdoor experiences, inspiring attractions, world-class dining and a wide range of sports. This campaign repositioned Saint Paul as a destination that delivers more connection, discovery, and experiences.
- 14.2 million impressions
- 193,000+ clicks
- 29,000 conversions
Saint Paulidays (Winter Campaign)
This campaign highlights the most magical season of all in Saint Paul by driving awareness and engagement of key events during the holidays. This integrated digital campaign drove visits to European Christmas Market, the Ordway, GLOW Holiday Festival, Circus Juventas, Grand Meander, and Hub for the Holidays at Union Depot. Visit Saint Paul is not just telling stories, we are driving measurable travel behavior.
- 1.23M impressions
- 12,499 clicks
- 12,202 attributed website visits
Event Marketing Program
We expanded our Festivals and Events Marketing Support Program in 2025 to spread even more cultural joy:
- Supported 30+ festivals and events
- 3.8 million billboard Impression
- 1.2 million impressions with retargeted mobile ads
- Launched 20 weekly e-newsletters promoting the festivals
- Garnered 200,000 webpage sessions that promoted festival dates and details
- Utilized our MPR sponsorship to drive 1.3 million radio impressions
- Collaborated with three local influencers to experience and share specific festivals that aligned with our brand personas
A Word from Festival Organizers
Grand Old Day
"Thank you so much for this! We truly appreciate Visit Saint Paul's help getting the word out about Grand Old Day - we thought the partnership was a great success and we hope to continue it for 2026!"
Hmong International Freedom Festival
"The billboard looks amazing. Thank you for doing this!! It will be so impactful not only for the United Hmong Family to share about this festival but also individuals to see a cherished Hmong cultural event alongside our highways. This means so much."
Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival
"This is all awesome. Thank you for all you do to support small community festivals like Chroma Zone. We are grateful!"
Strengthening Saint Paul Through Partnership
Visit Saint Paul’s work is amplified through collaboration
Our partnership network powers the visitor economy by connecting local businesses, venues, attractions, hotels, restaurants, and community organizations to new audiences, increased visibility, and economic opportunity.
Visit Saint Paul welcomed 24 new partner businesses and organizations, expanding representation across hospitality, arts & culture, dining, retail, events, and community organizations. Through collaborative programming, we continued to support businesses of all sizes through cooperative marketing, promotional opportunities, and destination-wide storytelling.
Investing in Industry Education
Through the Destination Uplift educational series, Visit Saint Paul offers accessible and actionable digital marketing skills designed to strengthen tourism readiness, marketing knowledge, and business growth throughout the community.
In 2025, we hosted 10 unique and actionable training webinars on practical and actionable tools and emerging industry trends in digital marketing to help partners adapt, innovate, and enhance the visitor experience.
By the Numbers
- 402 active partners
- 24 new members
- 23 free networking and educational events
- 6 MyVSP bi-monthly membership and hospitality community meetings with an average of 93 attendees
Looking Ahead
2025 proved that Visit Saint Paul’s strategy works
As we move into the second year of our Strategic Plan, we will:
- Build on momentum from global and national events
- Expand high-performing campaigns
- Deepen partnerships across the community
- Continue to position Saint Paul as a must-visit destination
Last year was about momentum, confidence, and clarity of purpose. We are not just promoting Saint Paul—we are shaping its future.
Strategic Plan
A Word from Our Board Chair
*Scroll to read the full statement
2025 was a standout year for Visit Saint Paul and for Saint Paul’s continued rise as a destination city. Across conventions, sporting events, festivals and cultural experiences, Visit Saint Paul helped bring real energy and visibility to the city while demonstrating the essential role tourism plays in driving economic activity and supporting local businesses.
The impact this year was real and substantial. Major events brought hundreds of thousands of visitors and generated tens of millions of dollars in economic activity across Saint Paul and the region. From the continued rise of the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival to the global stage of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, Saint Paul welcomed the world and delivered a city experience that is vibrant, welcoming and unmistakably its own. World Juniors alone drew 200,000 attendees and generated $71.5 million in economic impact, while the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival set new highs with more than $2 million in hotel revenue and record demand. Alongside these marquee moments, a strong lineup of conventions and tournaments filled hotels, activated venues and drove sustained spending in restaurants, retail and small businesses citywide.
Marketing efforts also reached a new level of focus and effectiveness in 2025. Campaigns like A Little Extra and Saint Paulidays turned inspiration into action, driving engagement, visitation and hotel stays while highlighting the depth of experiences available year-round, from arts and culture to outdoor adventure, dining and sports. At the same time, expanded festival and event support helped amplify the creativity and community spirit that define Saint Paul’s identity.
What makes this work especially powerful is how it comes together through partnership. Across the city, collaboration between public, private and community partners continue to shape a stronger, more dynamic visitor experience and a more energized downtown. That shared commitment is building real momentum for the future.
As Board Chair, I could not be prouder of the Visit Saint Paul team, board members and partners whose creativity, hustle and belief in this city continue to push the work forward. 2025 showed what is possible when Saint Paul is operating at its best, and the energy heading into the future is even stronger.
Emma Burns, Board Chair for Visit Saint Paul
Visit Saint Paul Board of Directors
Emma Burns
Chair
Saint Paul Downtown Alliance
Mimi Daly Larson
Vice Chair
Nonprofit Strategy Solutions
Michael Solomon
Treasurer
Saint Paul Port Authority
Rebecca Noecker
Saint Paul City Council
Anika Bowie
Saint Paul City Council
Molly Coleman
Saint Paul City Council
Sara Daggett
Minnesota United FC
Richard Dobransky
Morrissey Hospitality
Trisha Duncan
Xcel Energy
Kim Hepola
Delta Air Lines
Amanda Heu
Commander of Saint Paul Police Department
Liz Lee
Minnesota House of Representatives
Shena Matrious
Grand Casinos
Wade Luneburg
UNITE HERE Minnesota
Connie Shaver
Ordway Center
Annie Rose
Lost Fox
Monique Linder
OMG Media Solutions
Sha’ Saice
Courtyard by Marriott St. Paul Downtown
Sierra Wolfe
St. Paul Saints Baseball Club
About Visit Saint Paul
The RiverCentre Convention and Visitor Authority (RCVA), operating as Visit Saint Paul, serves as the official convention and visitors bureau for Saint Paul, Minnesota's capital city. Our primary goal is to drive economic growth in Saint Paul by effectively promoting the RiverCentre campus, Saint Paul, and the region as a premier convention and tourism destination for diverse cultures and groups.
Working under contract with the city of Saint Paul, Visit Saint Paul manages the city-owned convention center and ramp while also acting as the Destination Marketing entity, showcasing Saint Paul’s brand to attract visitors and secure conventions, meetings, and events for the city.
Saint Paul Arena Company is engaged by Visit Saint Paul to oversee the Saint Paul RiverCentre, the renowned Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and the RiverCentre Ramp. Our combined efforts contribute to the community by fostering economic growth and positioning the city as a top choice for conventions and tourism.
Through our partnership with the city, our teams leverage our expertise in destination knowledge, brand management, facility operations, and promotional activities to attract, market, sell, and engage with potential visitors. By focusing on initiatives that drive visitor traffic, we enhance Saint Paul's economic standing and vibrancy, creating opportunities for all residents of the city. Our vision is to enrich our community by boldly and creatively evolving the positive impact Visit Saint Paul creates as we invite the world to fall in love with our vibrant city. We do this work in alignment with our values of Integrity, Optimism, Belonging and Creativity.
Sheeying Moua
Chief Finance Officer
Jenn Schaal
Vice President of Operations & Strategy
Amanda Friedrich, CMP
Vice President of Sales & Service
651-265-4908
Ann Elkins
Vice President of Marketing
Rachelle Schmitt
Senior National Account Executive
651-265-4928
Edgar Tapia
National Account Executive
651-265-4910
Ava Diaz
Senior Marketing Manager
Cristina Archila
Partnership Manager
Mai Lou Xiong
Manager, Operations and Sales Support
651-265-4936
Hunter Meyer
Digital Marketing Manager