American Idol contestants are interviewed by producers for the show before judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick, Jr. and Keith Urban arrive at the Minneapolis Convention Center to judge the local American Idol auditions in September. LEILA NAVIDI / leila.navidi@startribune.com
Minneapolis filled more hotel rooms and snagged more big events in 2014 than in any other previous year, according to the organization that handles the city's convention and tourism business.
Meet Minneapolis said this week that it hit record levels in four areas: the number of hotel room nights booked for future events, room nights booked for leisure, revenue from sponsorships and revenue from the Minneapolis Convention Center. The facility took in $16.6 million in revenue as the city hosted a record 534 meetings and conventions.
Much of the good news is tied to hotel bookings for future events, including more than 71,000 room nights that have already been booked for the 2018 Super Bowl and more than 52,000 bookings for the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament in 2019.
Melvin Tennant, the president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis, said in a statement that Minneapolis' 72 percent annual hotel occupancy rate stands out among other cities. Maintaining a rate of 70 percent, he said, is considered "nationally enviable."
The organization also noted that Minneapolis' Target Center was ranked No. 6 among all U.S. arenas based on event tickets sold in 2014, according to the agency Pollstar. It ranked No. 17 in the world.
Events scheduled for 2015 include the National Senior Games in July, which is expected to draw 35,000 people to Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington.
"We certainly hope to replicate the past year's successes in the future," Tennant said.
