Companies, Events, Individuals Honored for 2015 Tourism Impact

Embed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 3, 2016

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. (May 3, 2016) – Visit Saint Paul, the city’s official convention & visitors bureau, recognized six award-winners for supporting travel and tourism in 2015 during the organization’s 89th annual meeting on Monday, May 2, at Saint Paul RiverCentre.

Awards were presented to the following:

• Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) Conference as the 2015 Meeting of the Year. Saint Paul hosted AHEAD at the RiverCentre on July 13-18, 2015, and totaled 1,000 out-of-town attendees and captured 3,000 hotel room nights. AHEAD is an international, multicultural organization of professionals committed to full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities.
• 2015 International Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Championships as the 2015 Event of the Year. Organized by the Minnesota RollerGirls, Saint Paul hosted the International WFTDA Championships at The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium on Nov. 6-8, 2015. The event included 16 roller derby teams from throughout the U.S. and teams from London and Melbourne, Australia. It was the first time the event was broadcasted on ESPN3, first time a non-U.S. team medaled and the first time in five years that the defending four-time world champions has lost a game. There were more fans in attendance than the previous three years of the Championships.
• Red Bull North America as the 2015 Partner of the Year. Red Bull brought Crashed Ice to Saint Paul for a fourth straight year on Jan. 23-24 2015, drawing an estimated crowd of 140,000, and made the event its world finale in 2016. The Crashed Ice Village street party was also launched in 2015, followed by Red Bull’s partnership for the first LuckyPalooza street party on March 14, 2015, which drew an estimated 35,000 people to West Seventh Street. Red Bull also filmed “Frozen City” with stunt snowmobiler Levi LaVallee in December 2015. The video debuted in early March 2016, was mentioned by media outlets around the country and currently has more than 500,000 views.
• Schmitty & Sons Transportation/Gray Line Minnesota for 2015 Member of the Year. The transportation company has fulfilled conference shuttling needs as well as scenic tours of the city for many years. The company is also a premier provider of transportation for the Red Bull Crashed Ice Championships and will provide transportation for the TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) conference at the end of May. Additionally, Schmitty & Sons Transportation/Gray Line Minnesota generously sponsors transportation for Visit Saint Paul’s STAR Tours, which allow front end staff at hotels throughout Saint Paul to learn about the city.
• Anne Hunt, Environmental Policy Director, City of Saint Paul for a 2015 Hometown Hero award. Hunt was a main influencer in bringing the National Adaptation Forum for 2017 to Saint Paul. The event will bring about 1,000 attendees to the RiverCentre, which was selected as its location primarily because of its commitment to sustainability. Hunt received the ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) Local Government Staff Sustainability Leadership Award in 2010.
• Ken Smith, President and CEO, District Energy St. Paul for a 2015 Hometown Hero award. The International District Energy Association (IDEA) will host its annual convention in Saint Paul June 20-23, 2016, bringing more than 1,000 people from around the world to the RiverCentre. Smith is a national leader in the industry and is a former chair of IDEA’s executive committee on its board of directors.

“Last year was an outstanding year for Saint Paul and our award-winners played key roles in our success as a community,” said Terry Mattson, President & CEO of Visit Saint Paul and the RiverCentre. “We are proud to honor them.”

Visit Saint Paul’s annual meeting was once again held during National Travel and Tourism Week — America’s annual salute to travel and tourism — to shine light on the impactful contributions the travel industry makes in Saint Paul and the nation.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, the U.S. travel industry provides $947.1 billion in direct spending, $147.9 billion in direct taxes and 8.1 million direct jobs.

For images of Visit Saint Paul annual meeting, please send requests to Creative Services Coordinator Emily Hendricks at ehendricks@visitsaintpaul.com or 651-265-4921.

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.