MSP 2008 HOST COMMITTEE ALIGNS WITH MONSTER TO LAUNCH VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT SITE FOR REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
Volunteer Program Launched in Conjunction with National Volunteer Week
ST. PAUL, MINN. (April 29, 2008) – The Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee, which is planning the 2008 Republican National Convention, announced today it has selected Monster, the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc., to create and power the official online volunteer recruitment portion of the Web site. The streamlined application process will now be available at www.msp2008.com for volunteers and will feature tools designed to help the Host Committee place the nearly 10,000 volunteers needed to help in various positions during the Convention. The Convention will be held September 1 - 4 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.
“Volunteers will be extremely instrumental in helping us run a smooth and successful Convention,” said Jeff Larson, CEO of the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee. “We’ve already received more than 3,000 volunteer inquiries, and knowing how much Minnesotans like to pitch in and help, we expect to receive thousands of more applications, so Monster is the ideal partner to get this job done.”
Starting on April 29, 2008, in conjunction with National Volunteer Week, prospective volunteers will be able to apply online at www.msp2008.com for volunteer positions that will be needed throughout the Convention – including positions at Convention-related events and locations other than the Xcel Energy Center. Volunteers will perform key duties in the areas of transportation, information services, hospitality and special events before, during and after the Convention. Prospective volunteers will complete a secure, online application consisting of personal information and a summary of their skills and experience.
All applicants must be 18 years of age or older and must be willing to undergo a security background check as well as attend orientation and training sessions conducted by Convention organizers.
“The convention is certain to be a seminal event for the Minneapolis Saint Paul region and we are honored to have been chosen by the Host Committee to assemble a qualified team of volunteers for the event,” said Sal Iannuzzi, chairman and CEO, Monster.
“All eyes will be on Minnesota and this Convention come September, making it the perfect opportunity to celebrate and showcase our state’s wonderful hospitality,” said Larson. “It’s a time for Minnesotans to pull together – no matter their political party – and work hard to make this event a big success for the state and Convention-goers.”
MSP 2008 HOST COMMITTEE LAUNCHES NEW WEB SITE FOR REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
SAINT PAUL, MINN. (April 16, 2008) – The Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee, which is planning the 2008 Republican National Convention, today launched its new Web site featuring Who Knew? Minnesota Trivia, an online store that will include convention-related items and a wealth of information for the tens of thousands of visitors who will be attending the 2008 Republican National Convention, to be held Sept. 1-4 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.
“In addition to communicating important convention-related information, we thought the Host Committee Web site should also offer visitors a glimpse of the many things they can do in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and the surrounding area,” said Jeff Larson, CEO of Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee. “Research has shown that people who have never been to Minnesota, don’t know what to expect. The Who Knew? Minnesota Trivia is a great way to showcase the amazing attributes of our area to visitors who have never been here before.”
The new site, www.msp2008.com, features a Who Knew? Minnesota Trivia splash page that offers fun facts on several topics including: Convention Facts; History and Education; Dining and Shopping; Arts and Entertainment; Parks and Recreation; and Business and Technology.
Once people enter the Host Site, they will be able to access information that includes: how to volunteer; a Media Room and Convention Store (which will be launched in the next month); a newsletter sign-up option; event calendar listings; and frequently asked questions. In addition, information also is available about the “More to Minnesota GOParty Card” – which is a discount program offering Convention attendees significant discounts on merchandise and services at participating businesses.
“The site will be expanded over the next month and will also link visitors to additional sites such as the State of Minnesota, the cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Bloomington, and Mall of America, to assist with planning activities before and during their stay,” Larson said.
M Design Interactive of Bloomington, Minn., designed the site for the 2008 Minneapolis Saint Paul Host Committee. The company also designed www.civicfest.org for the Host Committee, which is the Web site for CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration. CivicFest is a family-friendly, once-in-a-lifetime interactive and multimedia experience featuring more than 35 educational and entertaining exhibits, historic memorabilia and artifacts celebrating Minnesota and American history, democracy and the U.S. presidency. The festival will take place at the Minneapolis Convention Center from Friday, August 29 through Thursday, September 4, 2008.
The Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee Announces CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration.
CivicFest to Showcase Minnesota and American History. Democracy, and the U.S. Presidency.
St. Paul, Minnesota (April 14, 2008) - The Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee along with U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead announced today that CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration will be held in conjunction with the 2008 Republican National Convention. CivicFest, which will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center from August 29 to September 4, 2008, will be a nearly 300,000 square foot event celebrating Minnesota and American history, democracy and the U.S. presidency that will be open to the general public.
With more than 35 exhibits celebrating the history of our nation as well as our state, CivicFest provides an amazing opportunity for Minnesotans and visitors to the Republican National Convention to not only learn about democracy and our state, but to experience it, said Cynthia Lesher, President of the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee. It has been more than 116 years since a national political convention has been held in Minnesota and while not everyone will be able to experience the convention floor, anyone can tour through CivicFest to learn about past presidents, our founding fathers and more.
Visitors to CivicFest will learn about the U.S. Presidency and have the unique opportunity to sit at a replica of the Presidents desk in the White House Oval Office and sign a bill into law. In addition, a 20-foot by 60-foot meticulously detailed model of the White House and its contents previously exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution and Presidential Libraries will be on display.
CivicFest also will celebrate Minnesota business, technology and invention as well as the states fascinating history and natural resources. In addition, each visitor will receive a Convention-style commemorative CivicFest credential.
Tickets for CivicFest are available online at www.civicfest.org. Participants will select a specific time to tour the exhibit. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for children, students and seniors. CivicFest is free for children under 8.
CivicFests Executive Producer is Gerard McTernan, who has previously produced events in conjunction with the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics, All-Star Fan Fest for Major League Baseball and Super Bowl XXX. Many of his events have garnered national and international media coverage because of their size, scale and subject matter.
CivicFest provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people of all ages to experience an amazing array of political memorabilia and exhibits all in once place, McTernan said. Local residents as well as visitors to the Convention are invited to attend CivicFest and to participate in this remarkable show.
More than 150,000 people are expected to attend CivicFest.
The logo for CivicFest was developed by Padilla Speer Beardsley, a Minneapolis-based public relations and marketing firm that donated its time and creative talent to the project.
About CivicFest
CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration is a family-friendly, once-in-a-lifetime interactive and multimedia experience, featuring more than 35 educational and entertaining exhibits, historic memorabilia and artifacts celebrating Minnesota and American history, democracy and the U.S. presidency. CivicFest is being produced by Maxene Fernstrom for the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee. For more information, visit www.civicfest.org.
GOP, DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS FACE OFF AS NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE’S STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS BEGIN
Convention Leaders Make Friendly Wager on Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche Series
(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) – The National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Playoffs commence this week, and the cities hosting the 2008 Republican and Democratic National Conventions will be at the center of the action when the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche face off. Today, the two leaders planning the political conventions agreed to a friendly wager on the series.
Republican National Convention President and CEO Maria Cino and Democratic National Convention Committee (DCCC) CEO Leah Daughtry agreed to the stakes earlier today. The losing city’s convention team will send a “taste” of that city’s local delicacy for the winning city’s convention staff to enjoy. If the Wild win, the DNCC will send the Republican National Convention staff a selection of delectable Colorado-raised beef steaks. If the Avalanche win, the Republican team will send the DNCC staff an assortment of walleye from the lakes of Minnesota.
“Minnesota is the ‘State of Hockey,’ and I am proud that we have become part of the ‘Team of 18,000,” Cino said, using the term the Wild coined to describe its consistent sellout crowds. “It is only fitting that we stand with our new community in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and enter into this friendly wager with my friend in Denver, where she and her staff are working equally as hard.
“Our staff in Minneapolis-Saint Paul is pretty excited that the roads to the White House and the Stanley Cup Championship will both lead through the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul,” Cino added.
“To my friend Maria and her fine team in Minnesota: get ready to be buried by our Avalanche,” said Daughtry. “Denver has welcomed us with open arms, and I’m now proud to ante up on behalf of the hometown team. Fortunately for me, the Avs know what it takes to win a championship. Soon enough, the Pepsi Center will be home to the Stanley Cup once again. And just five months from now, it’ll play host to another winner – our nominee for President of the United States.”
The Northwest Division Champion Wild play at the Xcel Energy Center, which is also home of the 2008 Republican National Convention. The Avalanche makes its home at the Pepsi Center in Denver – site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held August 25-28.
About the 2008 Republican National Convention
The 2008 Republican National Convention will be held at Saint Paul’s Xcel Energy Center from September 1-4, 2008. Approximately 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the media and other guests are expected to attend the convention. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is expected to receive an estimated $150-$160 million positive economic boost from the four-day event. For more information about the 2008 Republican National Convention, please visit our website at www.GOPConvention2008.com.
About the DNCC:
The 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee is the official arm of the Democratic National Committee responsible for planning and organizing the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Minnesota - Hilton Garden Inn St. Paul City Center
Arizona - The Saint Paul Hotel
The Hyatt Regency Minneapolis will serve as the headquarters hotel for the Republican National Committee (RNC).
GOP Convention Names Party Headquarters, Delegation Hotels
Saint Paul's Hilton Garden Inn to Host Minnesota Delegation;
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis to Welcome Republican National Committee
(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) - With less than five months before the 2008 Republican National Convention gets underway at the Xcel Energy Center, the Committee of Arrangements (COA) today announced the host hotels for the 56 Republican delegations that will travel to Minneapolis-Saint Paul to formally nominate Sen. John McCain as the GOP's candidate for President of the United States. The GOP also announced the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis will serve as the headquarters hotel for the Republican National Committee (RNC).
As part of today's announcement, convention President and CEO Maria Cino joined MSP 2008 Host Committee CEO Jeff Larson and Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey at Saint Paul's Hilton Garden Inn to proclaim the hotel's selection as the official delegation hotel for the host Minnesota delegation.
"Today's announcement is an exciting and pivotal step in our preparations for the convention," Cino said. "Our partners in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul hotel community have worked diligently with our convention staff to secure accommodations for the thousands of guests who will be attending the convention, and we're grateful for their efforts.
"We want to congratulate the Hilton Garden Inn for being selected as the official hotel for the Minnesota delegation, and the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis for being selected as our Party's convention-week headquarters," Cino added. "We're confident the Hilton Garden Inn and the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, along with all the delegation hotels in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, will serve as outstanding hosts for our visitors from across the country."
"We're looking forward to establishing our headquarters at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, as well as an exciting and successful convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, where we will launch Sen. John McCain to the White House," said convention Chairman and RNC Co-Chairman Jo Ann Davidson.
The convention's Delegate Services staff has reserved more than 16,000 hotel rooms in 101 area hotels. Thirty-five hotels will serve as official delegation hotels for the 56 delegations representing states, territories, and the District of Columbia. The remaining hotels will host other visitors during the convention, including media and GOP officials.
"I am thrilled the Minnesota delegation will be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn during the Republican National Convention," Chairman Carey said. "As we nominate Senator McCain to be the next president of the United States, I look forward to showcasing our great state to the entire world. I am certain our delegation will have a world-class experience at the Hilton Garden Inn."
"We know that the hotel industry in the Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Bloomington area will do an amazing job hosting the delegations from around the country," said Jeff Larson, CEO of the Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Committee. "This is an excellent opportunity to roll out the red carpet and truly demonstrate what 'Minnesota Nice' is all about and we look forward to hosting the delegates, media and visitors who will be in for the convention."
Travel Technology Group, the convention's Official Housing Bureau, will assist convention guests with their travel plans. Travel Tech will manage the official convention hotel block and coordinate a paperless, online reservation system as part of the convention's effort to be more environmentally friendly.
The official delegation hotel assignments for the 2008 Republican National Convention are:
Alabama - The Marquette Hotel
Alaska - Ramada Mall of America
American Samoa - Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis
Arizona - The Saint Paul Hotel
Arkansas - Embassy Suites Minneapolis-Airport
California - Sheraton Bloomington Hotel Minneapolis South & Sofitel Minneapolis- Bloomington
Colorado - Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis
Connecticut - Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Maple Grove Northwest Minneapolis-Arbor Lakes
Delaware - Best Western Normandy Inn & Suites - Minneapolis
District of Columbia - DoubleTree Guest Suites Minneapolis
Florida - Minneapolis Airport Marriott
Georgia - DoubleTree Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place
Guam - DoubleTree Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place
Hawaii - Embassy Suites Bloomington
Idaho - Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Illinois - Millennium Hotel Minneapolis
Indiana - Embassy Suites Bloomington
Iowa - La Quinta Inn & Suites Minneapolis Bloomington West
Kansas - Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Bloomington at Mall of America
Kentucky - Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Louisiana - Crowne Plaza Minneapolis North
Maine - Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Maryland - Embassy Suites St. Paul-Downtown
Massachusetts - Crowne Plaza Bloomington
Michigan - The Northland Inn
Minnesota - Hilton Garden Inn St. Paul City Center
Mississippi - Embassy Suites Minneapolis-Airport
Missouri - Ramada Minneapolis Northwest & Water Park
Montana - Best Western Normandy Inn & Suites - Minneapolis
Nebraska - Best Western Normandy Inn & Suites - Minneapolis
Nevada - The Saint Paul Hotel
New Hampshire - Hilton Minneapolis
New Jersey - Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America
New Mexico - Holiday Inn Minneapolis Metrodome
New York - Minneapolis Marriott City Center
Northern Mariana Islands - Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Bloomington at Mall of America
North Carolina - Holiday Inn Minneapolis Metrodome
North Dakota - DoubleTree Guest Suites Minneapolis
Ohio - Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis & The Marquette Hotel
Oklahoma - Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis
Oregon - La Quinta Inn & Suites Minneapolis Bloomington West
Pennsylvania - Minneapolis Marriott Southwest
Puerto Rico - Courtyard Minneapolis Maple Grove/Arbor Lakes
Rhode Island - Hyatt Place Minneapolis Airport-South
South Carolina - Hilton Minneapolis
South Dakota - Courtyard Minneapolis Maple Grove/Arbor Lakes
Tennessee - Ramada Mall of America
Texas - Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Paul-Riverfront
US Virgin Islands - Radisson University Hotel-Minneapolis
Utah - Sofitel Minneapolis - Bloomington
Vermont - Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Virginia - Radisson University Hotel-Minneapolis
Washington - Crowne Plaza Northstar Minneapolis-Downtown
West Virginia - Crowne Plaza Bloomington
Wisconsin - Minneapolis Marriott City Center
Wyoming - Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis St. Paul-Shoreview
Minnesota Wild to play Colorado Avalanche in Conference Quarterfinals
SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild will face Northwest Division rival Colorado in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, after the Avalanche defeated the Wild 4-3 in a shootout at Pepsi Center Sunday afternoon.
The Wild will host Game 1 Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center.
The Xcel Energy Center will host the 2008 Republican National Convention from September 1-4, 2008. The Pepsi Center hosts the 2008 Democratic National Convention from August 25-28, 2008.
