Event Snapshots

Live and Let Die

MNM+E’s annual readers’ choice awards brought 305 meeting and event professionals to the Minneapolis Institute of Art on April 5 to honor the Best of 2018 award winners and Hall of Famers. Back by popular demand, Discover St. Louis Park sponsored puppies from Secondhand Hounds, which greeted guests at registration. Mall of America and Bloomington CVB were the Gift Bag Sponsors, Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge was the Valet Sponsor and Roseville Visitors Association was the Entertainment Sponsor.

At Hilton Minneapolis this past November, the NACE Minneapolis/ St. Paul Chapter held its educational conference entitled Minnesota Made: Midwest Moments of Wow. The aesthetic featured plenty of plaid, as the theme was “luxury lumberjack.”

ILEA MSP’S September Program

On May 10, the MPI Minnesota chapter celebrated its members and the successes of its 2016-17 year at Union Depot in St. Paul. The theme was “Soirée: An Evening in Paris,” and attendees dined on French-inspired food from Crave. The 2017-18 Board of Directors and incoming president, Jen Ruthig, CMP, were welcomed, and EMPI awards and scholarship recipients were announced.

MNM+E’s 15th annual Best of Minnesota brought 260 meeting and event professionals to Solar Arts by Chowgirls on April 6 to honor award winners and Hall of Famers. Guests indulged in fantastic food from Chowgirls Killer Catering, themed sweets from Mintahoe Catering & Events, and beer from Indeed Brewery Company. Event Lab decked out the venue with its elegant décor, which comple - mented the industrial-chic space.

Associations North, the association for associations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, infused excitement, creativity and innovation into its one-day Meeting Planners Symposium on Nov. 9 at Hyatt Regency Minneapolis with its open layout, new room sets, quick 30-minute sessions, hub groups and more. Keynote speaker Tamara G. Kleinberg disrupted the status quo with her “Think Sideways” presentation that introduced new tools to and generate inventive ideas.

May has been FOOD BOWL month in Los Angeles, a 31-day festival of curated events produced by the Los Angeles Times to celebrate the city’s dynamic and diverse culinary scene and bring awareness to food waste and hunger through programs with chefs and food-justice activists. The charity partners include No Kid Hungry, PATH & Food Forward.

Have you ever met someone who doesn’t like brunch? Me neither—and I doubt I ever will. It’s hard not to love a two-meals-for-one situation, especially one that incorporates the best meal (breakfast, of course), and the most important one, as we all learned growing up. Throw in a late-morning reverie and some heartier lunchtime fare, and you’ve got a recipe for human comfort.

International Live Events Association (ILEA-MSP) met at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept. 29 for networking, lunch, a tour of the stadium and an address from Maureen Bausch, CEO of the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee. Attendees learned about the different ways to get involved in the 10-day Bold North Festival that will lead up to Super Bowl LII.