3 minute read
EDITOR’S LETTER
Morgan Halaska, editor
MORGAN.HALASKA@TIGEROAK.COM
Ready for Anything
I’M A BIG BELIEVER IN MURPHY’S LAW: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The adage might sound pessimistic, but it’s a useful reminder of the importance of being proactive. You know that, as planners, you must plan for the worst-case scenario. If you don’t then not only will it happen, but you’ll also be completely unprepared. In our Planning for Contingencies feature on page 26, we talk to experts who live by Murphy’s law.
Back in August, the editorial team had the pleasure of attending ILEA Live 2019. We sat in on the inspiring opening panel on Cultivating Creativity, partied at First Avenue, and wandered through the seven events at the Walker Art Center for the Esprit Awards Gala. The entire event left us in awe of the talent in Minnesota’s event industry. To quote Ryan Hanson, who helped produce the Esprit Awards: Gala “In Minnesota, we don’t give ourselves enough credit. We do some amazing work here and we don’t take enough time to acknowledge it, so this was a time to celebrate and really show what we’re capable of.” To see how creative event professionals can get when they’re planning for their peers, flip to page 33.
International events like ILEA Live 2019 show planners what is capable here, helping to boost Minneapolis’ reputation as a desirable place for meetings and events. And Minneapolis continues to catch eyes, with CWT Meetings & Events’ 2020 Future Trends Report naming it one of the up-and-coming cities. Beau Ballin, CWT’s vice president of business development, writes that “Minneapolis outperforms its peers, including Kansas City, Denver, Indianapolis and Charlotte when it comes to tourist attractions and hospitality.” Read more on page 13.
We head down to Red Wing for this issue’s Destination (page 20), round up some of the area’s best food and beverage suppliers on wheels in Meeting Notes (starting on page 10), and relay the latest in people, hotel and venue news in Regional News (starting on page 42).
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WINTER 2020
mn.meetingsmags.com
EDITOR Morgan Halaska
SENIOR EDITOR Megan Gosch ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kassidy Tarala DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR Julianna Fazio EDITORIAL INTERNS Hannah Cullen, Megan Ekstrand, Dinneen Graff, Sophie Jonsson
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Christie Altendorf, D’Amico Catering • Jessica Elhard, University of St. Thomas Devie Hagen, Élan Speakers Agency • Amy Leyden McNamara Alumni Center Connor Myhre, W2O Group • Rosemarie Ndupuechi, 3E Productions LLC Katie Numedahl, CWT Meetings & Events • Lindsey Schneider, Minnesota Medical Association Teresa Sorenson, Minnesota Turkey Growers Association • Melissa Stenberg, Minnesota HomeCare Association
DESIGN DIRECTOR Courtney Nielsen
ART DIRECTORS Traci Zellmann Taylor Kilgore Olivia Curti
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Dianne Talmage PROJECT COORDINATOR Brittni Dye
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jeremy Wieland
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Published quarterly Minnesota Meetings + Events, Winter 2020 © 2019 Tiger Oak Media. All rights reserved.
