Trade Show News

Meet Minneapolis reported that the Minneapolis Convention Center welcomed nearly 660,000 people and the city filled over two million hotel rooms for the second consecutive year, underscoring tourism's role as a significant economic driver for the region.

A new report highlights the broad impact of federal immigration enforcement on Minneapolis's hospitality industry. Meet Minneapolis pivoted to a "Minneapolis for Minneapolis" campaign to support local businesses affected by the situation.

Hospitality leaders in Minneapolis, including Meet Minneapolis, responded to 'Operation Metro Surge' by shifting marketing efforts to 'Minneapolis for Minneapolis' to encourage local support for affected businesses. Despite the disruptions, the city's meetings economy has remained stable overall, with the Public Library Association reaffirming its 2026 annual meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Meet Minneapolis reported that the Minneapolis Convention Center welcomed nearly 660,000 people and filled over two million hotel rooms for the second consecutive year. Melvin Tennant, President and CEO of Meet Minneapolis, highlighted tourism as a vital economic engine for the city, sustaining jobs, local businesses, and generating tax revenue. This success is attributed to strong collaboration across the tourism and hospitality community.

A Convene report from March 26, 2026, highlights how federal immigration raids in Minneapolis impacted frontline hospitality workers and the city's meetings economy. Despite disruptions, Meet Minneapolis CEO Melvin Tennant noted the community's resilience, with the Public Library Association proceeding with its 2026 annual meeting.

The Virtual Wild has launched 'WildView,' a new AI-driven analytics platform designed to provide unprecedented accuracy in measuring real-world engagement at live events. Debuting at ExhibitorLive, WildView uses advanced computer vision to understand attendee attention and interaction, offering detailed insights into trade show performance.

At the 2026 Meet Minneapolis Annual Meeting on February 25 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Mayor Jacob Frey addressed 700 members of the city's hospitality, meetings, and events community. He emphasized Minneapolis's resilience and its commitment to supporting its neighbors, acknowledging the city's recent national spotlight. The meeting served as a platform to discuss the nature of Minneapolis and its hospitality sector.

The 2026 Meet Minneapolis Annual Meeting, held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on February 25, gathered around 700 members of the city's hospitality, meetings, and events community.

Outdoor Retailer announced an exclusive partnership with Popfly to launch the Wild Reach Initiative, bringing 150 creators to its Minneapolis show floor from August 19-21, 2026. This initiative aims to connect brands and creators for content engagement and community building before, during, and after the event. Popfly will manage recruitment, coordination, and performance tracking for participating creators.

Connect Meetings has expanded its partnership with MatchPoint, offering exhibitors AI-powered lead matching and year-round company visibility within the MatchPoint Vendor Marketplace. This collaboration aims to transform event participation into an 'always-on growth engine' by extending networking opportunities beyond the show floor.

Anime Detour 2026 is returning as one of the largest conventions in the region, occupying multiple floors of the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis from March 27-29, 2026. The event features continuous programming, gaming spaces, and vendor halls.

StormCon 2026, the stormwater industry's premier event, is scheduled to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from August 25-27, 2026. The conference and expo will connect stormwater managers, erosion control specialists, and engineers from across North America for idea-sharing, information exchange, and networking opportunities.

The Minneapolis Convention Center has released its Q2 2026 event calendar, featuring several public events. These include the GeekCraft Expo, Twin Cities Home Expo, Oddities & Curiosities Expo, IMPORTEXPO, EXXXOTICA Expo, and the Time Travelers Vintage Expo.

The Minneapolis Convention Center announced a busy second quarter for 2026, featuring a range of meetings, conventions, trade shows, and sporting events. Public events include the GeekCraft Expo, Twin Cities Home Expo, Oddities & Curiosities Expo, IMPORTEXPO, EXXXOTICA Expo, and the Time Travelers Vintage Expo. Other notable events are the ASLRRA Annual Conference & Exhibition, PEAK 2026, Minnesota Cannabis Convention, Open Source Summit, and The Co+nnect Conference.

The NACAC Conference 2026, hosted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, is scheduled to take place from October 8-10, 2026, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This major educational conference was announced on March 26, 2026.

The City of Minneapolis posted bid tabulations for Event 3988, related to the Minneapolis Convention Center Public Space Carpet Replacement project, indicating ongoing maintenance and upgrades at the venue.

The City of Minneapolis has announced future opportunities for projects at the Minneapolis Convention Center, including the remodel of Concession Stands 132-138-140, Hall E Floor Box replacement, and Freight Elevator Modernization. These projects are listed as upcoming calls for bids.

A bid tabulation for the Minneapolis Convention Center Public Space Carpet Replacement (Event 3988) was released, indicating a contract award for this renovation project. This contributes to the ongoing improvements at the convention center.

A bid tabulation for Event 3988, concerning the Minneapolis Convention Center Public Space Carpet Replacement, was released. This indicates an upcoming or ongoing project to refresh the public areas of the convention center.

The City of Minneapolis issued calls for bids for several Minneapolis Convention Center projects, including the remodel of Concession Stands 132-138-140 and the replacement of Hall E floor boxes, as part of ongoing facility improvements.