Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

What it Means to be (or have) a Mentor: Tell Us Your Stories

For the past two years, I’ve been a mentor to two students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Minnesota. The SJMC Alumni Mentor Program is one of the longest-running and most successful mentorship programs at the U, and over the past two decades it’s made hundreds of matches in the fields of print journalism, broadcast, advertising and public relations. Some mentees who were in the program 20 years ago are mentors currently, and some matches from the beginning still hold great relationships with each other to this day. I, too, was a mentee a few years back and had such a wonderful experience I knew I wanted to give back when it was my turn.

So, what does it mean to be a mentor? It doesn’t necessarily mean making big, important connections and/or getting your mentee a job (though that’s always an added bonus). I think it’s more about listening, providing support, offering suggestions, sharing ideas and just learning from each other. For me, when you work in an industry that’s faltering, just being there for my graduating mentees and telling them, “Yes, this sucks, but you’re going to be just fine,” can go a long way. As a mentee, I remember how cool I thought it was that I had a personal connection at a “real magazine” who let me come to her office and see how it all worked.

This is where YOU come in. For our fall issue, we’d like to highlight meeting planners, vendors, chefs, caterers, front-line employees…anyone…who has or has had a mentor or mentee. We want to hear your stories - from both sides. How did these relationships help you succeed? What did you learn? Why was it a valuable experience for you? The relationship can come through a formal program like those that MPI and ISES have in place, or it can be a relationship that formed organically and informally through your workplace.

If you’re interested in sharing your experience, leave a comment or send me an e-mail. Let’s chat.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

This Summer Explore Your Own City

Last week the folks at Capital City Partnership launched a brand-new Web site called St. Paul Staycation. Using the words of several local bloggers, the Web site aims to keep locals informed of all there is to do in St. Paul.

"We continued to hear people say that they couldn't afford to go to Arizona or California to golf or other destinations this year because of the economic climate, so we wanted to create an experience for people that still gave them the benefits of a vacation," says Sue Gonsior, director of communications for Capital City Partnership.

The writers, who all approached Captial City Partnership with interest when hearing about the project, cover all aspects of St. Paul life from outdoors and shopping to family and culture. For example, Alisa Blackwood helps people pack the perfect picnic lunch and pick a park at which to enjoy the meal. Or, Kate Iverson highlights the hidden cultural treasures of Highland Park. Even Mayor Coleman describes his favorite summer activities in St. Paul.

The Web site was designed as a summer promotion and will be live until Sept. 1. "We hope that people experience St. Paul in a new way, as an actual vacation destination rather than just where they live or work," Gonsior says. "We hope that people actually are able to take mini vacations right in their own backyard. It's not just a list of things to do, but an actual person out there developing itineraries, making recommendations, giving feedback, and taking actual staycations in St. Paul."

My St. Paul Staycation? Shopping along Grand Avenue in the afternoon, having dinner on the patio at Salut or The Liffey, walking through Rice Park before spending the night at The Saint Paul Hotel, with breakfast at Day by Day Cafe the next morning. (That's only one out of a number of different itineraries I can think of.) What about you?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Travel Tech Tools

Being the designated tech tool finder on staff, I of course had to read Time's Hi-Tech Travel Companions. The piece lists 25 must-have travel gadgets and some of them are very cool.

+ Apple's Airport Express: Just plug this bad boy in and link up to your own private Wi-Fi domain, no matter where you are.

+ Kensington ComboSaver Portable Notebook Lock: Kind of like a bike lock for your laptop. Wrap the cord around a table leg and stick it into one of your jacks, and your laptop is that much harder to steal.

+ Wine Skin: Like Time says, this really isn't a "tech tool," but it's uber cool. For those who like to purchase wine on trips but are too afraid to pack the bottles into their checked luggage, this bubble-wrap baggie protects the bottle and your clothes.

+ Reef Stash Sandals: My girlfriend and her husband went on a cruise in January. Her only complaint? Because one of them always had to watch their things while "off boat," they couldn't enjoy the ocean water together. Enter Stash Sandals (pictured). The sandals hide your stuff in the sole - plus they're fashionable. Shove those under your towel, and I think you're good. (I worry with too much publicity, thieves will be able to spot these eventually... but maybe not?)

+ Swissbit Swiss Army 1GB USB Flash Drive: The old mainstay goes high tech, with all the pieces of your average Swiss Army Knife plus a USB drive. Makes perfect sense.

Other handy gadgets include GPS, laptops, iPhone (no list is complete without it), a water bacteria-killing wand and so much more. What's your favorite?

--Amanda Fretheim Gates   
Managing Editor

It's U.S. Travel Rally Day!

As part of the larger effort to jump-start meetings and travel industry after a rough year, the U.S. Travel Association has declared today the first U.S. Travel Rally Day. Through its Web site, social networking sites and Twitter, the association is encouraging CVBs and cities throughout the country to hold rallies and events to show their community why “Travel Matters.” U.S. Travel has a downloadable toolkit full of images, logos, sample letters to policy makers and media outlets, and rally and event templates.

The Rally Day coincides with the Annual National Travel and Tourism Week, May 9-17. Designated in 1983 by President Reagan, the week has promoted travel and for 26 years.

Is your company participating in the Rally Day? Are you? By blogging, tweeting, writing your newspaper, calling your elected officials, and keeping the buzz going, you can help spread the word that meetings and travel are an important, valuable sector of the American economy.

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

Podcast Episode 6: Tony Wagner, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Tony Wagner is vice president of meetings and events for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a group that assists clients in identifying their meeting spend, negotiating with vendors and developing event concepts. Editor Joel Schettler recently sat down with Wagner for our latest Podcast to talk about the current state of the hospitality economy, the “perfect storm” we’ve felt in the meetings industry and how he works with companies to help them manage their meetings, maximize their investment and develop strategic goals.

Joel Schettler: Please describe the effects the economy has had, as you see them, on corporate travel and meetings and events.

Tony Wagner: In this economic challenge that North America and the entire world is going through, we’re seeing that companies are looking at all of their expenses, and travel is no exception—it is one of the most disposable items that you can quickly attack… I do think as you look forward, as the air capacity has decreased, and there are more available seats than marketplace, I think you’ll see that it will fit more into the budgets of corporate travelers and people attending meetings...

JS: Are you seeing these effects worldwide, or are certain markets hit more than others?

TW: In general we’re seeing a decrease across the board in meetings and events. It may not be as pronounced as here in North America, but, for example, in Europe we’re seeing a decrease in the average spend per participant per day.. . We’re also seeing changes in behavior of where they’re having meetings. The U.S. dollar has strengthened, which means you might not have as many foreign groups coming into the U.S., and vice versa—[American companies] tend to stay in the U.S. for meetings right now...

For more of our interview with Wagner, check out our most recent podcast episode, and then let us know your thoughts about what he had to say.

--Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor

Minnesota Dining History

After three consecutive years of being nominated for a James Beard Award (which are like the Oscars of the food world) Chef Tim McKee from La Belle Vie finally won last night. Hooray for Tim, but also hooray for the Minnesota dining scene.
From 2004-2006, Chef Lucia Watson of Lucia's Restaurant and Wine Bar was nominated, and in 2007 both McKee and Alex Roberts from Restaurant Alma were in the running. In 2008 as well as this year, Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery was added to the pool of Minnesota nominees.
So it's been a long time coming, folks. Of course McKee deserves the recognition (look for our profile of him and his business partner, Josh Thoma in the upcoming summer issue) but the larger implication is that the work of local restaurateurs and chefs is finally gaining recognition outside of Minnesota.
A big congratulations to all the excellent chefs and restaurants in the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota!

--Marni Ginther
Assistant Editor

(Photo taken from La Belle Vie Web site)