FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minneapolis Convention Center capital improvements to enhance the relationship building

MINNEAPOLIS, June 24, 2014 - The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) announces today they are spending nearly $14.5 million on improvements to the facility to enhance the relationship building for clients and to remain competitive by being more efficient, flexible and better able to respond to the needs of the customers. The enhancements will take place over a two year period while the MCC prepares for its busiest event schedule in a decade.

The Visitor Information Center located in the main lobby is being completely renovated and moved closer to the facilitys main entrance on Second Avenue South to be more visible, accessible and helpful to guests. A mezzanine level is being added that will add flexible space, which can be used to hold events and includes seating and a lounge area for additional networking and meeting space. A bar will be added in the future. The stairs that used to be located in the main lobby are being replaced with an elevator to add accessibility to the front of the facility.

Beyond those more visible changes, further improvements in 2014 include:

• Carpet replacement on second floor meeting spaces and lobbies
• New energy-efficient escalators for the lobbies of Halls C, D, and E (Skyway escalators on either end of the MCC were completed earlier in 2014)
• Color changing LED lights for the exhibit hall interior domes will provide more options for meeting planners to enhance the exhibit hall decor
• Artwork will be added throughout the building from Corporate Art Force

The MCC is working with Corporate Art Force to provide art from local artists that will be displayed on a six-month rotation. We are using this art to highlight the creative community of Minneapolis to our hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, said Jeff Johnson, MCC executive director. And doing so will also add some texture and interest to our 1.6 million square feet of space.

These changes will not only make the convention center more welcoming and convenient for visitors, but also more environmentally friendly. The MCC is committed to sustainability and recently achieved level one certification to the ASTM standard pertaining to the evaluation and selection of venues for environmentally sustainable meetings, events, trade shows and conferences.

ABOUT MINNEAPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER

The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) is the largest indoor, contiguous, convention center in the Upper Midwest with over 1.5 million visitors annually, including 250,000 during the summer months. The MCC is more than a meeting place. It's more than a show space. It's a building all about building something elserelationships. A blend of form and function, the MCC provides aesthetically pleasing and innovative solutions for a variety of conferences, trade shows and events. With nearly 480,000 square feet of trade show space, 87 column-free conference meeting rooms, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, and an auditorium with superb production and flexible technology options, the facility can handle any event from a small meeting to a large convention or trade show.

ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS

Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes and sells the Minneapolis area as a destination for conventions and meetings, works to maximize the visitor experience and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to maximize the economic benefit of the greater Minneapolis area.

Meet Minneapolis is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of the Destination Marketing Association International.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Kristen Montag, media & communication manager, 612.767.8038, kristenm@minneapolis.org, Minneapolis_PR on Twitter.

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