The Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to present our 2018 Annual Report. From Super Bowl LII to successful initiatives and programs in sales and digital marketing, it was a great year. The following pages will outline our accomplishments, and as always, we thank you for being a part of Bloomington's continued success as a destination!
Click on the yellow arrows to scroll through sections.
Letter from the President
Bloomington partners,
2018 started off with a bang: Minnesota hosted the largest sporting event in the United
States, Super Bowl LII, in early February. Bloomington and other metro partners had been
preparing for the Super Bowl for years, and our efforts paid off with a very successful
week of activations leading up to the big game.
After serving on the Bloomington CVB Board of Directors for the past five years, I was honored to step into the position of chair this year. Through my role as the Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the Metropolitan Airports Commission, I’ve experienced how important visitors are to our destination.
Mall of America was full of special events, attractions and marketing activations during the week leading up to Super Bowl LII. The Bloomington CVB showcased our hospitality to visitors, fans, and media from all over the world at the Bold North #ColdCash Sweepstakes photo experience. Located in a prime atrium location near Media Row, Mall of America's North iconic main entrance, and the passageway to Nickelodeon Universe® theme park, our photo booth invited visitors to grab a fun prop and get their photo taken in a Bold North–themed booth.
2018 was a historic year in hospitality for Bloomington as we hosted Super Bowl LII. The sales
department welcomed many national corporate groups during the Super Bowl, showcasing our hotels to event planners and ensuring we demonstrated the Bloomington visitor experience.
Outside of the Super Bowl, Bloomington CVB’s sales team engaged in 90 site visits with
many corporations, military groups, associations and sports planners to share new experiences
available in our destination. With our continued focus on Washington D.C., which is home to
some of the top associations in the United States, we saw an increase in national association
business and an increase in client activation and sales missions in the D.C. area.
Sports continue to play an important role for the Bloomington CVB’s sales team. Along with
traditional “stick and ball” sports, esports has emerged as one of the fastest
growing sports in the segment. Much of 2018 was spent understanding the market, identifying
opportunities, market analytics and determining the opportunity for our destination to grow
this market. Our traditional youth sports focus continued to bring groups to Bloomington this
year, including hockey, basketball and volleyball events, which are an important generator of
room nights.
Technology continues to grow and evolve, and so does its impact on corporate group travel.
Corporate travel is an important market for us, and it performed at high levels in 2018. Last
year, the Bloomington CVB’s sales team took advantage of new technologies to influence
group planners’ decisions via new digital platforms, social media campaigns, e-bids and
mobile applications.
Receptive tour operators – brokers of tourism packages made up of hotel rooms, attractions
and transportation – are key drivers of room nights in Bloomington. We planned site
visits to coordinate with the announcement of new direct flights from Dublin, Seoul and Mexico
City, and continued to strengthen existing relationships with key players. In 2018, we hosted
receptive operators from HotelPlanner.com, Hotelbeds, FM Tours, Getaroom, HotelsPro, Rey Royal,
TourMappers, Travel Architects and Rocky Mountain Holidays to see our destination and meet with
hotels. Our goal is to secure highly desirable contracts with our hotels and attractions to
ensure more room nights for Bloomington.
The Big Ticket™ Adventure Pass is a convenient, mobile-friendly, three-day attraction pass that bundles five Mall of America attractions and the Minnesota Zoo for one
affordable price. Sales were up 51% in 2018.
The promotional video highlights all the fun attractions included in The Big Ticket. Two
attractions were replaced with more mall-centric attractions while the pass remained at a
competitive price.
In 2018, the Bloomington CVB hosted very successful FAM trips with travel writers, social
media influencers, and both national and international tour operators. With new airlift and
route announcements, media and tour operator FAMs generated interest in our destination.
Partnerships with our in-country reps from the U.K., the Nordic region and China and membership
organizations like Great Lakes USA and Mississippi River Country generated both traditional and
social coverage.
Our most successful social media marketing effort was with yTravel, a blogging
family from Australia. Our earned media on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and their blog was
extremely successful, with over 98,857 impressions and a record number of MOA coupon book
redemptions. View examples of stories written as a result of our successful efforts in 2018.
Building our photo assets continues to be a focus for our team. In 2018, we increased our photo
library through new initiatives with local photographers, FAMs and social contributors. View
our growing photo gallery:
The Bloomington CVB worked in various capacities in preparation for Super Bowl LII, and we
successfully executed several fantastic activations. The state of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Mall
of America® and Bloomington were shining stars of the Bold North. Bloomington was the hub
of activity, hosting over 5,800 media in the media center at Mall of America, both NFL teams,
media and team parties, and sold- out hotels.
Bloomington experienced record hotel occupancy with a peak of 98.6% on Saturday, February 3.
Bloomington and Mall of America were a hub of activity, hosting NFL teams, team parties, the media center, and the media party.
The Bloomington CVB hosted 21 groups of media, influencers, and tour operators on familiarization trips. The 87 individual participants came from Australia, China, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, United Kingdom and United States.
Top Three FAM Visits
Great Lakes USA – Germany, China and United Kingdom
The Bloomington CVB’s strategic relationship with Mall of America is key for our
marketing efforts. Collaboration to drive new and innovative ways to extend our brand
awareness and increase our reach nationally and internationally to potential leisure, group
and meeting travelers remains vital. Relationships and programs with receptive operators
and tour operators are still focuses, as they generate significant room nights for
Bloomington. A joint Bloomington and Mall of America visitors guide is also produced
annually, and we will continue to partner on special new events and promotions. Hosting influencers, media, and familiarization tours has proven to be a successful tactic in driving business to MOA and Bloomington hotels.
The Bloomington Diamond Service Awards program was created 23 years
ago to honor outstanding employees in the tourism, hospitality and retail industries and
celebrate those who enhance Bloomington’s reputation as a friendly, world-class
visitor destination. The awards program has served as a national model for best practices
in community awareness and recognizing excellence. Longtime City of Bloomington Community Development Director, Larry Lee, was honored with the Spirit of Hospitality Award in 2018. We also inducted four
people into the Hospitality Hall of Fame who had a combined 128 years of service in
Bloomington, and we added a new Diamond Service Cocktail Challenge (see video) to expand
our reach.
2018 marked the first full year of the Bloomington CVB’s home at The Offices @ MOA,
the new office tower attached to our most iconic attraction and strategic partner, Mall of
America®. Our new space offers a great collaborative workspace for our employees,
convenient access to many of our partners, and spacious and flexible meeting spaces for our
team and many organizations, including the City of Bloomington. It’s been a fantastic
backdrop to hosting FAM groups, clients and meeting planners.
2131 Lindau Lane
Suite 420
Bloomington, MN 55425 (952) 858-8500
BloomingtonMN.org
Bloomington partners,
2018 started off with a bang: Minnesota hosted the largest sporting event in the United States, Super
Bowl LII, in early February. Bloomington and other metro partners had been preparing for the Super Bowl
for years, and our efforts paid off with a very successful week of activations leading up to the big
game.
We were very proud to have had all the media and both NFL teams staying here in Bloomington at our
amazing hotels, where thousands of fans were welcomed throughout the week. As you will see in the Super
Bowl section of the annual report, the Bloomington CVB team and our partner, Mall of America®,
worked hard to make visiting media feel at home with our hosted media party and media lounge. The
Bloomington CVB also had our own activation at Mall of America that gave fans the opportunity to take a
fun photo and share it on social media, further extending our marketing reach. If only we could host an
event like the Super Bowl every year!
According to Smith Travel Research, Bloomington’s hotel rate grew 7.4% in 2018, although hotel
occupancy remained relatively flat for the year. Our sales team worked very hard to distribute quality
leads to Bloomington hotels in 2018 and has also been building two new market segments for our
destination.
The Bloomington CVB continued to invest in our technology platforms, completing a full audit of our
website functionality and implementing new programs to tailor content to website visitors and keep them
engaged longer. We also participated in the final World Expo bid for Minnesota, with Bloomington being
the potential site. Although we were not awarded the Expo for 2023, efforts continue with a new bid for
2027.
2018 marked the 22nd year of the Diamond Service Awards, which honors the hospitality employees who provide great service to customers and keep them coming back to Bloomington. Looking ahead, we will continue to work with the City of Bloomington on future development that will make us an even more attractive choice for visitors.
A sincere thank you to our board of directors, industry partners and hotels for all your continued
support. We couldn’t do it without you!
Bonnie L. Carlson
President & CEO
After serving on the Bloomington CVB Board of Directors for the past five years, I was honored to step
into the position of chair this year. Through my role as the Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the
Metropolitan Airports Commission, I’ve experienced how important visitors are to our destination.
During this past year as we took center stage with Super Bowl LII, it was clear how fortunate we are to
have a wonderful place to host visitors. Since Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport is at
the doorstep of Bloomington, we’ve had many opportunities to partner with the Bloomington CVB. In
2019, direct air service from Dublin, Ireland; Seoul, South Korea; and Mexico City, Mexico, will bring
even more opportunities to welcome visitors to Minnesota and Bloomington.
I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the board of directors and work with a talented group of
individuals who represent a variety of business segments. The passionate, creative and dedicated team
at the Bloomington CVB makes it a truly exceptional destination marketing organization, and I look
forward to our continued success as we begin 2019.
Sincerely,
Mitch Kilian
Chair of the Board
Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Metropolitan Airports Commission
10,369
email subscriber opt-ins
22,050
website touches
3,801,153
media impressions, including placements via geofencing, social and email
$0.45
cost per touch
2018
HSMAI Adrian Awards Bronze winner
92
Industry Trade Shows and Events Covered by Sales Team
75
Destination Site Reviews
37
Convention Groups Greeted
115
Meetings and Groups Serviced
80
Leisure Groups Serviced
68,611
Destination Materials Distributed to Attendees
59,923
Destination Materials Distributed to Leisure Travelers
7
Volunteer Events with Local Nonprofits
88
MOA VIP Shopping Package Distributed to Meetings & Convention Attendees
Cellet Travel Services Representative Firm - UK
Atlantic Link Representation Firm
China Business Network
Norway Sales Mission and Tradeshows
Icelandair Mid-Atlantic Conference
Swanson’s Travel Show Sweden
Discover America Denmark Trade Event
IT & CM China
IPW Trade Show
Rocky Mountain International partnership
BONNIE CARLSON
President & CEO
SALES
DAN O’NEILL
Vice President of Strategy & Sales
TODD LEHRKE
Director of Sports & Faith Markets
JULIE GIORGIO
National Account Manager
ROSE DUDYCHA
National Account Manager
TONY COOK
Sales Manager & Online Housing Manager
SUSAN BREEN
Convention Services Coordinator
TAMMY BARNUM
Sales & Marketing Assistant
LISA CONNELLY
Online Housing Manager
MARKETING
JAN KROELLS
Vice President of Marketing
JOELL MORIN
Director of Digital Marketing
PAM JOY
Media & Tour Account Manager
SHERRI MULLERY
Vice President of Business & Foundation Partnerships
DINO LOBAIDO
National Tourism Account Manager
PAIGE PAULSON
Digital Communications Coordinator
ADMINISTRATIVE
LORI REBERS
Director of Administration
EVE CAHOON
Finance Manager
LINDA MALMSTEDT
Receptionist
JANICE MACHAU
Receptionist
Icelandair FAMs
Bloomington hosted three Icelandair FAMs from Iceland, Norway and Denmark for tour operators to
highlight
Icelandair’s increased year-round service to MSP Airport. Tour highlights included:
Minneapolis-Saint Paul City Tour
Mall of America®
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
Hard Rock Cafe, Firelake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, Cedar + Stone, Urban Table and Fogo de
Chão
China FAM
13 Chinese tour operators and travel writers spent four days experiencing Mall of America®
and Minneapolis-Saint Paul Area. Tour highlights included:
Mall of America®
SEA LIFE® Minnesota Aquarium Behind-the-Scenes
FlyOver America
Nickelodeon Universe®
Experiential dining at FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, Hard Rock Café, Cedar +
Stone, Urban Table, David Fong’s, Fogo de Chão
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Mill City Museum
Chaska Curling Center
Enki Brewing tour
Mayo Clinic Minneapolis
Timberwolves game
AVEX
Platinum Sponsor
COLOURS MARKETING + DESIGN
Platinum Sponsor
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON HOTEL BLOOMINGTON – MINNEAPOLIS SOUTH
Platinum Sponsor
EDGPRODUCTIONS
Platinum Sponsor
GREENSPRING MEDIA GROUP
Platinum Sponsor
MALL OF AMERICA®
Platinum Sponsor
FLYOVER AMERICA
Gala Sponsor
GAMEWORKS
Gala Sponsor
HARD ROCK CAFÉ MALL OF AMERICA
Gala Sponsor
NICKELODEON UNIVERSE®
Gala Sponsor
SEA LIFE® MINNESOTA AQUARIUM
Gala Sponsor
US FOODS
Gala Sponsor
AT LARGE
CHAIR: MR. MITCH KILIAN
Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Metropolitan Airports Commission
VICE CHAIR: MR. DAVE MONA
Senior Consultant & Former Chairman, Weber Shandwick
MS. FAY BEAUCHINE
President, Brojure
DR. JOYCE ESTER
President, Normandale Community College
MR. DAN JASPER
Vice President of Communications, Mall of America®
MR. STEVE PETERSON
Principal Architect, Microsoft Corporation
CITY OF BLOOMINGTON
MR. GENE WINSTEAD
Mayor, City of Bloomington
MR. JACK BALOGA
Bloomington City Council
MR. JAMIE VERBRUGGE
City Manager, City of Bloomington
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
PAST CHAIR: MR. JIM SACCOMAN
General Manager, Embassy Suites Bloomington
MR. HARRY GORSTAYN
General Manager, Radisson Blu Mall of America®
The Bloomington CVB develops partnerships that prove to be mutually beneficial and produce results for
website positioning, leisure leads, event sponsorships and digital campaigns.
Bloomington Hotels
Mall of America®
Condor
Delta Air Lines
Icelandair
Jet Blue
Sun Country Airlines
Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
Explore Minnesota Tourism
Hard Rock Café
FlyOver America
Crayola Experience
GameWorks®
Ike’s Food and Cocktails
Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville®
The Escape Game
Paisley Park
Dick’s Last Resort
Chick-Fil-A
Sons of Norway
SEA LIFE® Minnesota Aquarium
Diamond Service Award Sponsors
Macy’s
metroConnections
Artistry
Eclipse Transportation
Destinations International
Great American West
Great Lakes USA
U.S. Travel Association
Visit USA Nordic Countries
Visit USA France
Visit USA UK and Ireland
Mall of America® PARTNERSHIP STRATEGIES
Cooperative Advertising, Digital and Promotional Campaigns
Media and PR Efforts
Social Media Activations
Influencers, Bloggers and Familiarization Tours
Video and Photo Asset Development
The Big Ticket™ Adventure Pass
Bloomington and Mall of America Visitors Guide
Fulfillment Mailing and Call Center Services
International Marketing Sales Missions and Familiarization Tours
Discover America and Brand USA International Marketing
In-Country Representation and Marketing Firms
Joint Trade Show Representation
Shared Meeting and Special Event Space
CROWDRIFF
Bloomington CVB continues to populate our website with user-generated content
utilizing CrowdRiff, a social aggregator tool used to connect with social media users. CrowdRiff
galleries were instrumental in generating timely and engaging content on several key website pages,
which included the Bold North (promoting Super Bowl LII events and MOA® activations), Press &
Media, The Big Ticket™, and Meeting Planner pages. We also built out our Media Hub to better fulfill
requests from media, bloggers and partners.
