Bloomington Minnesota Travel & Tourism

From visitor spending to community visibility, the impact of major sporting events is significant! We’re proud to support efforts that bring visitors to our region and contribute to strong outcomes for local businesses and communities.

Hockey’s Highest Honor the Hobey Baker Award was just announced for 2026, and while the ceremony may travel, the heart of this trophy will always have a home in Bloomington, Minnesota. For those who may not know, the "Heisman of Hockey" was born right here. The award was originally commissioned and established by the Decathlon Athletic Club in Bloomington in 1981. Why Bloomington Matters to the Hobey: The Decathlon Club was the award's home for its first few decades, cementing Bloomington as the epicenter of collegiate hockey excellence. Now as the City of Hospitality, we have many hockey teams that stay with us and skate on some of the fastest ice in the country! Hockey remains the gold standard in Bloomington. This year’s winner, Max Plante from University of Minnesota Duluth, continues the incredible legacy of Minnesota-based winners. With his win, UMD now holds the record for the most Hobey Baker winners in history (7)! Congratulations to Max Plante on joining the ranks of the greats from all of us at Bloomington Minnesota Travel and Tourism. 🏆 #HobeyBaker #CollegeHockey #BloomingtonMN #UMDBulldogs #NCAAHockey #MinnesotaHockey #HockeyHistory Photo Credit: Jim Rosvold

As the hospitality hub for sports and mega-events, Bloomington plays a key role in welcoming visitors to Minnesota. The potential to host the NFL Draft would be incredibly exciting for our hotels, Mall of America, and the broader tourism community. Events like this drive significant visitation and economic impact across the region. Known as the city of Hospitality, Bloomington's proximity to our international airport, and downtown Minneapolis makes us a perfect partner to host NFL fans from around the globe.

We’re looking forward to the 2026 Bloomington State of the City on Thursday, March 12, where City of Bloomington, MN Mayor, Tim Busse, will highlight accomplishments from the past year and share what’s ahead for our community. The event takes place from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel. We would like to recognize and thank our sponsors who help make this event possible: Presenting Sponsors: H+U Construction and Mall of America Supporting Sponsors: Comcast, MY CREDIT UNION, and Xcel Energy Contributing Sponsor: Normandale Community College Host Hotel: The Sheraton Bloomington Hotel   Thank you to everyone involved in bringing the Bloomington community together for this important annual event.   Learn more here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gAq64xAe 

You're invited! Come experience Mall of America's new attraction Super Neon at their Concierge Event on Tuesday, December 2nd from 3-5pm. Light appetizers and drinks will be served. All who attend will receive comped entry to Super Neon and a chance to visit SEA LIFE at Mall of America as well! RSVP to Alexander Pyritz at alexander.pyritz@merlinentertainment.biz by Friday, November 28th. Learn more about Super Neon: https://lnkd.in/eGnUZj2z

Next week Bloomington Minnesota Travel & Tourism will head to IMEX America, North America’s premier trade show for the global meetings and events industry. Our sales team will join forces with Meet Minneapolis and Visit Saint Paul at the “Meet Minnesota” booth to showcase the venues, attractions, and collaborative power of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area. The Bloomington team is excited to connect with top planners from around the world and highlight why Minnesota is the perfect host for major meetings and events.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport has done it again🏆 ✈️Congratulations on winning this well-deserved award for the second year in a row!

We’re excited to share that our summer intern, Keya Kittridge, was awarded the Leadership in Action Award at the Bloom in Bloomington End-of-Year Intern Graduation last week! This award recognizes an intern who consistently demonstrates strong leadership qualities, initiative, and serves as a positive ambassador for Bloomington. Keya’s positive energy, dedication, and willingness to jump into new challenges made her an incredible asset to our team this summer. Her work ethic and leadership skills shined in everything she took on, and this recognition is so well deserved. We are grateful for all that she brought to Bloomington Minnesota Travel & Tourism during her internship and know her bright future will be filled with continued success. Congratulations, Keya - and thank you for being part of our story this summer! City of Bloomington, MN