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MPR News with Angela Davis
Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom

What will bring more visitors to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul?

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday

Minneapolis skyline with spoon and cherry and St. Paul skyline with bandshell
What will it take to bring more visitors to Minneapolis and St. Paul and why does it matter? Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the leaders of the cities' tourism and convention organizations about pulling out of a visitor slump.
Top: Raspberry Island and St. Paul skyline Courtesy Visit St. Paul; Bottom: Spoonbridge and Cherry with Minneapolis skyline by Lane Pelovsky Courtesy Meet Minneapolis

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If you were planning a weekend getaway or scouting a location for a big professional conference, would downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul make your short list?

Both downtowns took a big hit when the COVID-19 pandemic forced hundreds of events and conferences to cancel, closed restaurants and kept many visitors away.

Tourists and conventions have been coming back, but the recovery has been slow.

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the leaders of the visitor and convention bureaus of both cities about marketing their downtowns and what it takes to create vibrant cities that people want to visit.

And we want to hear from you, too.

If you’ve visited downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul recently, what drew you there? Or, what’s been keeping you away?

Call us during the 9 a.m. hour at 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828. 

Guests:

  • Melvin Tennant has served as president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis since 2007. The organization works to attract visitors, events and conferences to the city. He's also worked in destination marketing in California, North Carolina and Texas.

  • Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson is the president and CEO of Visit Saint Paul, the official convention and visitors bureau for the capital city. She's also worked for The Beer Dabbler, promoting craft beer, food and arts in Minnesota, and the Grand Avenue Business Association in St. Paul.

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