Minneapolis (Jan. 30, 2024) – Riding a wave of increased convention activity and marquee events throughout the city in 2023, Meet Minneapolis announces that city hotels recorded their strongest year since 2019. Demand for hotel rooms increased more than 15% year-over-year. That translated into nearly two million hotel room night stays, which generated an estimated $10.5 million in lodging taxes for the year. In addition, Minneapolis hotel occupancy improved more than 9% year-over-year in 2023, despite a nearly 6% increase in room supply.

“Our city’s tourism and hospitality businesses experienced an outstanding year in 2023, a testament to the vitality of Minneapolis along with the resilience and dedication of our industry and its workers,” said Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant. “Together, we are changing perceptions, creating memorable experiences for our visitors and making a positive economic impact in our city.”

The city’s largest event venue – the Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) – played a significant role in the performance of the city’s hotels in 2023. Nearly 713,000 people attended 205 conventions, trade shows and sporting events throughout the year at the MCC.

The award-winning venue hosted a wide range of groups, headlined by more than 100,000 attendees at major volleyball tournaments, the return of the Twin Cities Auto Show to downtown Minneapolis, and record-breaking registered attendance at several major conventions, including the National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic and Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis.

“The Minneapolis Convention Center plays a pivotal role as the cornerstone of the tourism and hospitality industry in our city,” said MCC Executive Director Jeff Johnson. “We are proud to serve as a dynamic venue where ideas converge, innovations are showcased and relationships are built. The MCC continues to provide jobs, generate tax revenue and play a significant role in increasing visitor spending within our community.”

Minneapolis Tourism and Hospitality – by the numbers*:

• 2023 Hotel Room Demand = More than 1,918,000 total rooms sold, an increase of more than 15% compared to 2022
• 2023 Hotel Occupancy = 51.1%, which was a 9% increase over 2022
• Minneapolis Convention Center
  • 2023 Events = 205
  • 2023 Total attendees = Nearly 713,000; an increase of more than 48% compared to 2022

In 2024, Minneapolis will host a wide variety of events throughout the year:

• Public consumer shows at the Minneapolis Convention Center such as The Ultimate RV Show (Feb. 1-4), the Minnesota Golf Show (Feb. 9-11), the Minneapolis Home & Garden Show (Feb. 21-25), the Northwest Sportshow (March 14-17) and the Twin Cities Auto Show (March 30-April 7).
• Major conventions including the American Physical Society March Meeting (March 3-8), the Herbalife North American Extravaganza (July 19-21), the Jack and Jill of America National Convention (July 22-27) and the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo (Nov. 12-15), among many others.
• Significant sporting events, including the Loppet Cup (Feb. 17-19), the Women’s and Men’s Big Ten Basketball Tournaments (March 6-10 & 13-17), the Northern Lights Qualifier (March 22-24), the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics and USA Gymnastics Championships (June 22-30), and the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Swimming (June 27-29).
• Large concert events including seven at U.S. Bank Stadium and three at Target Field.
• Exciting festivals such as The Great Northern (ongoing through Feb. 4), Art-a-Whirl (May 19-21), the Stone Arch Bridge Festival (June 15-16), the Twin Cities Pride Festival (June 29-30), Aquatennial (July 19-22) and the Uptown Art Fair (Aug. 4-6).
  

“Driven by leisure tourism, conventions and events of all kinds, we are looking forward to an exciting year that will showcase the spirit of Minneapolis,” Tennant said. “Our city will once again be a hub of activity which will provide a continued boost to our tourism and hospitality industry and create lasting memories for everyone who visits."

For the latest from Meet Minneapolis, go here and here, or follow us on social media.

* Hotel data according to hospitality industry data provider Smith Travel Research (STR)

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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 positively impact the economic and social prosperity of the Minneapolis community. Meet Minneapolis is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of Destinations International.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Kevin Kurtt, PR Manager, (o) 612-767-8118, (c) 952-288-9319, kevink@minneapolis.org
Kathy McCarthy, Senior PR Director, (o) 612-767-8048, (c) 612-508-9720, kathym@minneapolis.org