BOLD FUTURES
Mission
To get you to Saint Paul. Because we know you’re going to love it.
We generate economic growth for Saint Paul by effectively marketing the RiverCentre campus, Saint Paul, and the region as a preferred convention and tourism destination for all cultures and groups.
Guiding Principle
Spotlighting Saint Paul to drive tourism that builds pride and benefits residents and businesses. We stimulate economic growth and development through tourism, nurture a more united and inclusive community, and position Saint Paul as a top travel destination.
Vision
Sparking discovery, sharing joy, and inviting the world to fall in love with Saint Paul.
We continuously evolve how we drive tourism and engage both visitors and locals in exploring all our vibrant city has to offer, growing the impact we create.
Core Values
BELONGING
We are good hosts and welcome everyone generously and without ego; we celebrate one another.
CREATIVITY
We proactively foster connections, solve problems, and share the joy of discovery.
INTEGRITY
We authentically and transparently lead with our values to build trusting relationships.
OPTIMISM
We embody and share enthusiasm for work, a growth mindset, and a focus on abundance.
A MESSAGE FROM VISIT SAINT PAUL’S PRESIDENT & CEO
As Visit Saint Paul approaches our 100th anniversary, it’s incredible to reflect on the journey from our beginnings in 1927 to where we are today. We’ve got fresh energy, and have grown our team with talented new leaders who are enthusiastic and ready to tackle the future. It's been a transformative year for our organization. We’ve been actively involved in many of our city’s exciting events while evaluating the goals and opportunities ahead, and how to best serve our community.
Our focus has been on strengthening our foundation and preparing for the future—moving beyond recovery to ignite more activity to drive economic impact. We also recognize that there are challenges inherent in our work, not dissimilar to those faced by other urban areas. Visit Saint Paul is committed to working collaboratively and courageously with our partners to find solutions.
To continue this transformative work, we launched a Strategic Planning process for the first time in over a decade, led by a representative Task Force whose input has been instrumental in shaping our future focus. We gathered insights from a wide range of voices, including our Board, clients, staff, and community partners. The staff also defined a new set of guiding principles and core values that resonate deeply with each team member, already sparking meaningful conversations about how to align our daily work and bring our mission to life.
Through this process of examining our strengths and opportunities, analyzing data and trends, clarifying misconceptions, and tackling challenges, we have crafted a plan that reflects the collective spirit of our city.
This three-year Strategic Plan is bold and dynamic. We’re committed to being a collaborative force in marketing our city to attract visitors and top-tier events, showcasing its people and places, and celebrating the diverse offerings that make it special. Our goal is to drive economic growth and contribute to this vibrant, thriving city as we invite the world to check it out and join us in falling in love with Saint Paul.
Much gratitude goes to all who have helped inform this plan, and the Visit Saint Paul team is enthusiastically ready to put it into action.
Onward!
Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson, President & CEO, Visit Saint Paul
WHAT WE DO
Visit Saint Paul is the city’s official Convention and Visitors Bureau, dedicated to attracting visitors and events that generate interest and revenue to positively impact the community.
Funded by a portion of hotel occupancy taxes, we market the RiverCentre campus, Saint Paul, and the region as top destinations for conventions and tourism. As the city’s hype squad, we celebrate Saint Paul’s rich history, diverse cultures, and the variety of places to eat, play, and stay in Minnesota’s capital.
Through a contract with the City of Saint Paul, Visit Saint Paul is retained to provide these specific services:
► Equip, maintain, manage, and operate the Saint Paul RiverCentre
► Market and promote Saint Paul as a convention and tourism destination, generating hotel room stays, restaurants, entertainment, and retail businesses, and accompanying revenues to benefit the city and the persons and businesses located in Saint Paul.
• To include: preparing and distributing marketing and promotional materials, providing hospitality services for attendees of meetings, conventions, and tradeshows, and collecting and evaluating tourism research that directly benefits the city.
WHO WE ARE
Visit Saint Paul is made up of a passionate and spirited group of advocates, marketers, and promoters of the city of Saint Paul.
Visit Saint Paul is supported by a full-time staff of 13 and directed by a board of 19 civic and business leaders. The organization is comprised of three teams: Convention Sales and Services, Marketing and Partnership, and Administration and Finance.
OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE
Visit Saint Paul is a 501(c)6 membership-based organization contracted and charged by the City of Saint Paul to market and promote Saint Paul as a convention and tourism destination, generating hotel room stays, restaurant, entertainment, and retail business, and accompanying revenues to benefit the city and the persons and businesses located in Saint Paul.
CITY OF SAINT PAUL
Owns facilities:
► Saint Paul RiverCentre
► Roy Wilkins Auditorium
► RiverCentre Ramp
► Xcel Energy Center
VISIT SAINT PAUL
► Destination Marketing/ Management for City of Saint Paul
► Contract management of the city-owned facilities
SAINT PAUL ARENA COMPANY
► Manages Saint Paul RiverCentre, Roy Wilkins Auditorium & RiverCentre Parking Ramp for Visit Saint Paul
► Manages Xcel Energy Center for MN Wild
BUDGET & FUNDING
Visit Saint has an annual operating budget of $3.5 million with a majority of revenue coming from public funding from the hotel lodging tax in Saint Paul and a small amount of private revenue through partner dues, advertising, and sponsorship.
GOALS & STRATEGIES
#1
Drive tourism and events to Saint Paul
Market and promote Saint Paul to attract visitors, conventions, and events to the city.
Approved by board of directors on November 7, 2024
1. Target key markets for conventions and events
Attract conventions and events to the Saint Paul RiverCentre by targeting high-potential markets and optimal times.
2. Attract diverse events
Attract new types of events that align with Saint Paul’s venues and assets, including defining the necessary resources.
3. Promote local attractions and experiences and provide centralized visitor info
Leverage content and social media to highlight restaurants, attractions, festivals, and neighborhoods to attract local and regional visitors and drive traffic to our website as a comprehensive resource for planning a visit.
4. Support event partners
Serve as a resource to event producers and organizations bringing large-scale events to Saint Paul, for maximum impact, positive experience, and repeat bookings.
Success Metrics: Events booked, Room Nights booked, Economic Impact reports, Hotel performance reports, Tax Revenue, Social Media metrics, Website traffic
#2 Connect the industry to deliver on our brand promise
Engage businesses and organizations to collaborate on driving demand for the city through brand, marketing, promotions, and messages.
1. Establish an equitable partnership program
Develop a tiered partnership program to engage businesses and organizations, helping them align with and promote the city’s brand promise.
2. Implement a centralized brand strategy
Create and distribute a cohesive brand and messaging strategy for partners to amplify key messages and drive excitement and repeat visits.
3. Showcase diverse city offerings
Use marketing assets to promote a wide range of people, places, and neighborhoods, highlighting the city's diverse attractions to target audiences.
4. Provide access to data and insights
Offer partners access to data and business intelligence through the Tourism Economics Symphony platform to support strategic decisions.
Success Metrics: Partner engagement, Breakdown of Partner business ownership (self-selected by the business), Partner satisfaction, Inventory of businesses/neighborhood inclusion, Partner event attendance, Creation of brand toolkit for partner use, Utilization of toolkit, Develop training for toolkit, Participation in training, Business referrals
#3
Boldly share Saint Paul’s story
Create the most effective, compelling brand message strategy based on market research and data.
#4
Strengthen Visit Saint Paul to maximize the positive impacts for the city
Ensure Visit Saint Paul is a thriving, competitive, sustainable organization to maximize the value delivered to the community.
#5 Collaborate with key support organizations to build a stronger Saint Paul Partner with key support organizations to advocate for improvements to Saint Paul’s assets, experiences, and other destination development priorities in the city and region
1. Amplify the tourism brand to showcase the city’s assets through multiple channels
Deliver a compelling brand message that resonates with target audiences through digital and print media, highlighting the city's unique features and attractions.
2. Develop targeted seasonal campaigns
Execute seasonal marketing campaigns tailored to specific personas to attract and engage key audiences. Utilize insights from Tourism Economics to enhance and measure the effectiveness of targeting strategies.
3. Enhance PR and Media Outreach
Increase media coverage and public relations efforts to amplify Saint Paul as a desirable destination.
Success Metrics: Campaign metrics, Earned Media, Travel Journalists assisted, Visitor Guide distribution
1. Enhance funding and resource allocation
Assess and optimize the funding model to ensure Visit Saint Paul has the resources needed to effectively achieve its goals and remain a competitive Destination Marketing Organization.
2. Increase visibility and clarify VSP’s role
Improve awareness of Visit Saint Paul’s role, structure, and impact, including serving as the spokesperson on visitor, event, and tourism topics. Develop a priority matrix to guide budgeting, staffing, and ROI (Return on Investment) decisions in alignment with the organization’s mission and values.
3. Foster a collaborative and transparent culture
Build a culture of innovation and transparency to attract and retain employees who align with core values. Define the Visit Saint Paul Foundation's role and explore opportunities to engage supporters and enhance visibility.
Success Metrics: Funding growth, Development of VSP Roadshow, Number of speaking engagements, Employee satisfaction, Mission/Vision/Goals development for Foundation
1. Strengthen Partnerships with Key Organizations
In partnership with the Saint Paul Arena Company, collaborate with entities such as the City, County, Chamber, Port Authority, Downtown Alliance, and others, to align missions, define leadership roles, and support collective efforts.
2. Enhance Communication and Data Sharing
Establish ongoing channels for communication with partners to share data and coordinate support for destination development.
3. Advocate for Investments and Community Involvement
Promote local and regional investments in destination development and critical improvements to the physical assets of the RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Center campus and related areas, focus on legislative advocacy, and expand staff involvement in key community boards and committees.
Success Metrics: Development of organizational matrix, Evaluation of data-sharing opportunities, Number of new investments in the city, Success of legislative efforts, Involvement of staff in community organizations
GOALS & STRATEGIES OVERVIEW
#1 Drive tourism and events to Saint Paul
#2 Connect the industry to deliver on our brand promise
#3 Boldly share Saint Paul’s story
#4 Strengthen Visit Saint Paul to maximize the positive impacts for the city
#5 Collaborate with key support organizations to build a stronger Saint Paul
LEADERSHIP & STRATEGIC PLANNING TASK FORCE
Staff Leadership
Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson
Strategic Planning Task Force Members
June Berkowitz* .....................................................................................................................................
Anika Bowie*
Emma Burns* .........................................................................................................................
Rob Clapp Can Can Wonderland / STP
Mimi Daly Larson* (Chair) ................................................................................................
Nicolle Goodman
Mitra Jalali* .....................................................................................................................................
Monique Linder* ..............................................................................................................................
Christine Noonan
Dobby O’Donnell ................................................................................................................................................
Mary Quinn McCallum
Kate Setley ......................................................................................................................................
Salomie Veeramallay
*also Board Members