Stay tuned … for information about the State of the Industry survey coming in June and our 2009 event.

January 31, 2008 * Edinburgh USA, Brooklyn Park

Meetings: Minnesota’s Hospitality Journal’s third annual State of the Industry Event, held on January 31, 2008, at Edinburgh USA in Brooklyn Park, was a success. Editor Joel Schettler and Ingrid Schneider, director of the University of Minnesota Tourism Center, kicked off the event with an analysis of our magazine’s fourth annual Industry Survey and what those results say about the region’s hospitality industry. Leaders from each sponsoring association also participated in a panel discussion at the event. The day ended with a presentation from keynote speaker Patrick Hanlon. Hanlon, a experienced brand marketer and author of Primal Branding: Create Zealots for Your Brand, Your Company and Your Future, spoke about how companies create brands that have lasting emotional connections by outlining the seven key factors in creating a primal brand.

Meetings: Minnesota’s Hospitality Journal congratulates Debi Cain-Rivord, senior executive assistant, Novartis Nutrition, recipient of our Industry Innovator Award.

[ Photos by John Markovich ]

Patrick Hanlon

Award winner Debi Cain-Rivord, center, celebrates with Nita Nurmi of IAAP and Editor Joel Schettler

Download State of the Industry Event Presentation ( 2.8 MB)

Ingrid Schneider, director of the University of Minnesota’s Tourism Center, and Editor Joel Schettler explain what the results of this year’s fourth annual survey mean to the hospitality industry.

Leaders from each participating association led an industry panel discussion during the event. From left, Nita Nurmi, IAAP; Kathy Roberts, NACE; Jim Leighton, ISES; Editor Joel Schettler; Kathleen Johnson, MSAE; Corrine Sullivan, SGMP; Jan Tolle MacDonald, MPI; and Paul Miller, GMC-PCMA.

Amanda DePhillips, marketing and public relations manager with metroConnections, and Barb Madigan, assistant director of sales with the Saint Paul RiverCentre Convention and Visitors Authority, check out the magazine’s survey results.