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News/Happening Details
Minnesota Pitches State To Host Sports Events
Release Date: Mar 13, 2012
Contact:
Colleen Tollefson
651-757-1872
colleen.tollefson@state.mn.us
St Paul, MN (March 13, 2012) – Explore Minnesota Tourism, in cooperation with convention and visitors bureaus and chambers of commerce in the state, has launched a marketing effort to attract amateur sports events to Minnesota communities. Sports events have become an important niche in the tourism industry, since they can have a significant economic impact on the communities where they are held.
"Minnesota offers a wide selection of terrific venues for sports events, from extreme to mainstream, including adapted sports," said John Edman, director of Explore Minnesota Tourism, the state's tourism promotion office. "Our state is an exciting four-season destination that offers participants and fans plenty of other fun things to do, and we want to attract even more sports events to Minnesota."
The Minnesota sports marketing program includes a new logo and website (MinnesotaSports.org), where chambers and convention and visitors bureaus can list the various venues they offer for different types of sports, provide contact information for event planners, and receive RFPs to be considered as the site for an event. Event organizers can use the site to research locations that would be a good fit for their event and contact community representatives.
Minnesota is being promoted to event organizers from across the country at national sports event trade shows, including the TEAMS Conference and Expo, organized by SportsTravel magazine, and the National Association of Sports Commissions Sports Events Symposium.
The state's sports marketing program builds on local sports marketing; many of the largest convention and visitors bureaus and cities in the state have staff focused on sports marketing, and they are coordinating their work with Explore Minnesota Tourism to attract events to Minnesota.
Minnesota has a wealth of sports venues across the state, ranging from collegiate and community facilities to venues such as the National Volleyball Center in Rochester and the National Sports Center in Blaine, which hosts the USA Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament each year. The venues can host a wide variety of events, from youth leagues to senior games, regional events to international competitions, and a wide variety of sports.
For instance, the international Red Bull Crashed Ice competition brought excitement to the streets of St. Paul this winter, the Can-Am Police-Fire Games are coming to St. Cloud this summer, and the Junior Division Midwest Regional Wheelchair Basketball Tournament will be held in the Twin Cities area next November.
"Events like these can fill hotel rooms and boost sales at shops and restaurants," explains Edman. "They can also be a great PR opportunity to showcase Minnesota as a destination."
About Explore Minnesota Tourism
As the state's tourism office, Explore Minnesota Tourism pursues an entrepreneurial approach, leveraging the state's tourism investment with increased involvement by the private sector. A council of representatives from the state's tourism industry strongly connects Explore Minnesota Tourism with tourism businesses and organizations.
Tourism is an $11.3 billion industry in Minnesota, a key sector of the state's economy. The leisure and hospitality industry, a major provider of tourism services, employs more than 235,000, representing 11 percent of private sector employment. Leisure and hospitality also generates 17 percent of state sales tax revenues.
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