Tourism Award Winners Named by Visit Saint Paul

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 4, 2018

Contact:

Nick Cusick, Marketing & Media Relations Manager

P: 651.265.4907 | C: 651.341.9422 | ncusick@visitsaintpaul.com

Adam Johnson, Vice President of Marketing & Media Relations

P: 651.265.4904 | C: 651.226.5403 | ajohnson@visitsaintpaul.com

SAINT PAUL, Minn. (Oct. 4, 2018) – Visit Saint Paul, the city’s official convention & visitors bureau, recognized five award-winners for supporting travel and tourism during the organization’s annual meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at Midpointe Event Center in Saint Paul.

Awards were presented to the following:

• Hmong District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance as the 2018 Meeting of the Year. In May, the Hmong District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance held its 2018 Annual Conference at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The group chose Saint Paul for its 40th annual celebration because Minnesota’s reception of the Hmong community has allowed them, in their words, “to prosper educationally, economically, socially and faithfully.” The conference drew more than 3,000 attendees from around the world and posted an estimated economic impact of $1.5 million to the city. This was truly an international event which Saint Paul was honored to host.
• NCHC Frozen Faceoff as the 2018 Event of the Year. In March, Saint Paul welcomed the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff Championship Tournament to the Xcel Energy Center. The tournament decorated the city with light pole banners, hotel welcome desks and a two-day Frozen Faceoff Fan Fest and introduced a new crowd to the already festive St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Fans flocked to the arena tallying the largest attendance in their five-year history and produced an estimated economic impact of more than $1.5 million.
• HelmsBriscoe as the 2018 Partner of the Year. Since 1992, HelmsBriscoe has streamlined the meeting planning process by managing the time-consuming task of researching, contacting and evaluating venues for clients' events. In Saint Paul, HelmsBriscoe partners with Visit Saint Paul, relying on the official convention and visitors bureau's knowledge of the city and its relationships with local hotels, venues, suppliers, etc. Working together, they have secured 10 new national client meetings totaling more than 10,000 hotel room nights in the city.
• Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation for 2018 Member of the Year. In 2018, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival celebrated its 132nd year in grand style. The 10-day event added an extra week to draw in more Super Bowl visitors and constructed a seven-story ice palace in Rice Park made from more than 1,000 tons of ice. When budgets and weather conditions nearly derailed the entire effort, the Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation stepped up, formed the leadership and secured the money to assure Saint Paul didn’t miss its moment in the spotlight. An estimated 500,000 people visited the palace in Rice Park throughout the 17 days and media coverage included 3000 mentions, 3.9 billion impressions and $10 million in publicity value.
• Mary Boo, Executive Director of the North American Council on Adoptable Children, for the 2018 Hometown Hero award. Each year we like to recognize a Hometown Hero who has worked tirelessly to expand our footprint as a coveted leisure and meetings destination. Located in Saint Paul, the North American Council on Adoptable Children is a small nonprofit that believes every child deserves a permanent, safe, and loving family. Executive Director Mary Boo had a vision for holding the national conference right here in their hometown for the first time since 2004. She championed it, saw it through to fruition and was the first person to welcome many of the 800 people who attended.

“These recipients demonstrate Saint Paul’s great momentum and are responsible for a lot of our recent success,” said Terry Mattson, President & CEO of Visit Saint Paul and the Saint Paul RiverCentre. “Congratulations to all.”

According to Explore Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the U.S. Travel Association, the Ramsey County travel and tourism industry provided more than $2 million in direct spending and more than $130 million in state sales taxes in 2016, while employing more than 28,500 people.

Photos from Visit Saint Paul’s annual meeting can be downloaded by going to https://s.crowdriff.com/c43b2475. Please credit Visit Saint Paul for photos.

About Visit Saint Paul:

Visit Saint Paul, formerly the Saint Paul Convention & Visitors Authority, was founded in 1927 as the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau, making it one of the oldest destination marketing organizations in the United States. The mission of the organization is to generate economic growth for Saint Paul by effectively marketing the RiverCentre campus, Saint Paul and the region as a preferred convention and tourism destination. Visit Saint Paul oversees management of the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention Center and Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium. For more information go to www.visitsaintpaul.com.