Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal

Meet Casey, the Sports Intern at the St. Cloud CVB

If you haven't had the privilege of watching the video series by Casey, the sports intern at the St. Cloud CVB, take a moment, because the guy is pretty charming. Not only is he the only guy in an all-female office (poor guy can only get some privacy in the men's room, where he films a lot of his monologues), but he's a full-out sports lover who has jumped into St. Cloud's sporting events business with both feet. Watch him practice for a duathlon, play a little rugby and train for the Star of the North Games, where he claims he'll participate in all 19 sports.

He's building quite the portfolio for himself. It's pretty cool to watch. Here's his inaugural video (prepare to have The Office theme song in your head the rest of the day):

-- Amanda Fretheim Gates, Managing Editor

Weekly Roundup: River rides, Restaurant news, Opening weekends & more!

A quick thanks to all our service men and women and all the veterans - Happy Memorial weekend. Here's the news:

+ Active military, veterans and their families can take a FREE river ride on a Padelford boat on Monday.

+ If you're a senior planner and have yet to register for SPINCon, get on it. It's going to be can't-miss event.

+ Enter the Explore Minnesota Sweepstakes for your chance to win a Minnesota vacation.

+ Mall of America and the Mayo Clinic have taken a first step toward the hospital's permenant MOA facility.

+ Working Mother named General Mills one of its top companies for multicultural women.

+ Mill Valley Kitchen opens June 7 in St. Louis Park. Chef Michael Rakun previously worked at the Saint Paul Hotel and Mission in the IDS.

+ The Mixed Blood Theatre is experimenting this upcoming season: No charge for any performances on the main stage.

+ There's an ordinance in the works to restrict outdoor dining, due to noise and crowds in neighborhoods like Uptown.

+ He likes us just the way we are: Burno Mars will headline this year's Glamorama.

+ It's a great weekend to look back on history with the help of costume docents. Fort Snelling opens this weekend.

+ The Science Museum's Big Back Yard opens this weekend.

+ Please nominate someone you know for our Vision Awards. We're taking submission now through July 15!

-- The Editors

Weekly Roundup: Airline news, Cirque du Soleil, Groupon deal & more!

What a beautiful week it was! Hope you enjoy your weekend. Here's your news:

+ Today's Groupon deal: Half-off a boat cruise on a Padelford Riverboat. Two tickets for $16 - go get 'em!

+ Northwest Airlines memorabilia is a hot ticket. Who knew?

+ If you're in Duluth, don't miss the Social Media Conference next Wednesday at Lake Superior College.

+ Delta News: The airline plans a big NYC flight expansion, and it would like to open 12 new restaurants (12!) at the MSP Airport.

+ Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal named Target Field the Best Sport Facility. Too bad our team isn't doing so hot in its hot new stadium.

+ Take the kids, or your husband, to Lego KidsFest this weekend. Looks awesome!

+ Memorial Day weekend brings the opening of the Ramada Mall of America's backyard pool and bar, with a party held on May 28.

+ Cirque du Soleil's OVO opens next week! The Big Top goes up today!

+ Looking for a fun acitivity this spring? Take a metroConnections award-winning City Tour. They're a blast, and you learn a lot about our fair cities.

- The Editors

 

Weekly Roundup: More accolades, Restaurant news, Peter Greenberg in town & more!

Well, spring came and went this week. Let's hope for some sun soon! Here's your news:

+ Manny's Steakhouse has a new lunch menu. Plus, Zagat named the restaurant a "power lunch hot spot."

+ Let the accolades continue. Minnesota was named the most "hipster" state in the U.S., for its live theater, farmers' markets and music scene, just to name a few.

+ The New York Times raves about the Twin Cities bakeries, including Patisserie 46 & Sweets Bakeshop.

+ The new Crave downtown Minneapolis opens next week!

+ The Avenue Q stars from the Mixed Blood Theatre will sing at tomorrow's Twins game.

+ Porky's Drive-In? Really? That and nine other Minnesota sites are on the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota's annual 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list.

+ Travel expert Peter Greenberg brings his radio show to the Twin Cities tomorrow, specifically the Marquette Hotel; guests include Brenda Langton of Spoonriver, Maureen Bausch of Mall of America, Darsie Alexander of the Walker and many others.

+ Don't miss the giant Monopoly Board at the Mall of America tomorrow.

-- The Editors

Apps for Events

New York Times reporter Martha White has written a good article today about the growing use of mobile applications to offset the amount of paper that's used at events: guides, handouts, maps and booklets. In particular, tablets such as Apple's iPad are becoming very popular.

White speaks to many trade show organizers and industry leaders, including MPI, about  how using tablets with custom-made event applications saves attendees time--not to mention the reduction in the amount of hefty brochures. However, the greatest advantage to using tablet applications could be the contribution they make to the conference bottom line. One conference organizer highlighted in the article eliminated nearly all of the paperwork from his company's three annual conferences, which saved nearly $50,000 alone. Yet while such applications offer great savings, what makes them most attractive is their ability to enhance the attendee experience. From White's story:

Jennifer Wilhelm, editor of digital media for the American Society for Training & Development, said she planned to offer an app that includes an iPad version for a conference in May that is expected to attract 8,000 people. The app will free her from the trouble and expense of printing handouts for three keynote speeches and roughly 200 education sessions, she said. Attendees will be able to follow along with a speaker’s PowerPoint presentations, take notes and fill out worksheets all within the app. “Viewing the slides and seeing any materials where there might be a worksheet is going to be huge on a tablet,” she said.

Do you have plans for increased use of tablet applications at your upcoming events? If so, we'd love to hear about them.

--Joel Schettler
Editor 

Thrice is Nice: Isaac Becker Takes James Beard Award

In 2009, Tim McKee of La Belle Vie and Sea Change took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest. In 2010, Alex Roberts of Brasa Rotisserie and Restaurant Alma followed suit and took the prize. This year, the "Oscars of the culinary world" recognized Isaac Becker of Minneapolis' 112 Eatery and Bar La Grassa in the same category. Three years in a row the award has now gone to a Minnesota chef. Local nominees over the past few years have also included Lenny Russo of Heartland and Sameh Wadi of Saffron. Since opening in 2009, Becker's Bar La Grassa has been named Restaurant of the Year by the Star Tribune (2009), one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appetit (2010) and Best Italian Restaurant by City Pages (2010). Amy Thielen of the Star Tribune also picked up a James Beard Award for cooking, recipes or instruction writing. Explore the local dining scene and some of our amazing chefs in the spring issue of the magazine. Read interviews with Scott Pampuch of Corner Table and Tour de Farm, Carrie Summer and Lisa Carlson of Chef Shack, Lenny Russo, Serge Devesa of Colette Bar and Bistro and Alex Roberts.

Watch the 2011 James Beard Awards unfold in the livestream below:

Watch live streaming video from jamesbeardfoundation at livestream.com

 --Ellie M. Bayrd
Associate Editor

[IMAGE: Bar La Grassa photo by Todd Buchanan]

Weekly Roundup: Dalai Lama visits, Restaurant news, Dome update & more!

Happy Friday! Will we finally hit 70 this weekend? Here's hoping! And here's your news:

+ This weekend the Dalai Lama visits the U of M Campus.

+ The Saint Paul Hotel has done some spring cleaning and refreshed its guest rooms with new pillows, sheets and duvet covers. Also, don't miss the Business Etiquette luncheon at the hotel on May 19.

+ The Dome will be ready by August 12. One of the first events will be an open house to celebrate the completion of the new roof.

+ Dine at certain restaurants and you'll receive a discount off tickets to the King Tut exhibit at the Science Museum.

+ Restaurant news: The Nook reopened; Soul Daddy opened at Mall of America this week; Blackbird Cafe is suing Heidi's for last year's fire; The Bullfrog opened in downtown Minneapolis this week; on May 12, Sea Change features a special five-course dinner from Salvador Dali's cookbook.

+ Mary Leonard, our favorite chocolatier, welcomes MSNBC to her shop tomorrow to film a segment of the network's "Your Business." Stop by and you could be on TV!

+ The sale is final on the Hennepin Stages space in Minneapolis and Brave New Workshop will open on its stage this fall with a new comedy.

+ If you're a senior-level planner and looking for a new, innovative, affordable conference just for you, don't miss the opportunity to check out SPINCon this June 2-4 in St. Paul.

+ Don't forget to nominate yourself or your colleagues for one of our Vision Awards!

-- The Editors

A Casino in Downtown. What Do You Think?

The Star Tribune reports on the casino plan for Block E, a 3,200 position casino that a consulting group estimates could bring 5 million more people to downtown Minneapolis each year.

Other numbers: 2,800 full-time jobs, $125 million/year tax stream, 84,000 addional hotel room nights and a private investment of at least $200 million.

The audience: The young and affluent (but also people from out state).

So, what do you think about this? As a Minnesota resident, as a Twin Cities citizen, do you see yourself gambling at a downtown casino? Do you see visitors gambling at a downtown casino?

I have a hard time believing the younger crowd will make up a majority of this audience. I don't know too many people my age who gamble regularly. I know more people my parents' age who gamble, and I know they'll stick to their Mystic Lakes and Grand Casinos with the easy parking and large-footprint gaming floors.

However, we definitely need something to happen to Block E, so it's nice to know there are plans in the works, even if the plan has a long way to go. (It is fun to imagine a Vikes stadium by Target Field and a Block E casino - the area would be hoppin'!)

-- Amanda Fretheim Gates   
Managing Editor