You are on page 1of 2

April 19, 2019

TO: Itasca participants

FROM: Brad Hewitt, Itasca Project chair

CC: Jim Dwyer, Itasca Events and Sports task team chair

SUBJECT: Summary of Itasca Project’s Events and Sports task team

Hello Itasca participants –

You may have read recent media coverage1 about an effort to advocate for funding for a regional events catalyst
group, which references a report the Itasca Project released last November. We spoke about the report at our two
most recent quarterly meetings in December and March. What follows is further background and next steps for the
task team.

Origins of Events and Sports task team


Over the past ten years, the Twin Cities has hosted high-profile sporting events, including the MLB All-star game,
Ryder Cup, the Super Bowl, as well as the recent NCAA Final Four. Many of Itasca’s participants played integral
roles in bidding for and hosting these events.

At one of our 2017 meetings, Itasca participants asked to better understand the impact of these events and to identify
best practices from other regions. In June of that year, Itasca held a large forum with panelists Kate Mortenson, CEO
of the Final Four Local Organizing Committee; Tom McGinnis, Senior Associate Athletic Director of the University
of Minnesota; and Melvin Tennant, CEO of Meet Minneapolis.

In February 2018, a formal task team convened to answer the question: “What could the potential impact be from
developing a sustainable events and sports economy for our region and state, and what infrastructure would be
required to realize that opportunity?” The 13-member task team was led by Jim Dwyer. It included private sector
CEOs and executives, former public sector leaders, board members from among our region’s 15 convention and
visitor bureaus, presidents of local foundations and higher education institutions. The task team took a broad
approach its evaluation to include all events that could benefit the region economically, civically and reputationally
in keeping with Itasca’s mission, including arts, music, and cultural events.

Approach
The Events and Sports task team developed recommendations based on research, including analysis of public
literature and data, performance studies of over 50 individual events, and benchmarking other regions. The 60-plus
subject-matter experts interviewed, including business leaders, event and sports owners and organizers, local
convention and visitor bureau leaders, community leaders, academic experts, and policymakers. The task team held
five meetings from February to July 2018 to review insights and develop recommendations.

Findings
Based on the task team’s work, two opportunities were identified:

 Incubate home-grown events that when developed have significant economic impact of $50-100M,
operate on a consistent schedule, and provide national or international visibility for the region. Examples
from other regions include South by Southwest and the Tribeca Film Festival

1 Editorial Board, “After hosting the Final Four, what’s next for Minnesota?”, Star Tribune, April 5, 2019;
Rochelle Olson, “Kate Mortenson seeks up to $2 million to turn Minnesota Sports Corp. into ‘regional events catalyst’”, Star
Tribune, April 12, 2019
 Maximize large-rotating events by taking a strategic, regional, and planful approach to bid for the
opportunity to host major events such as the Ryder Cup or Super Bowl in order to optimize their long-term
impact for our region and communities

While the Twin Cities region has significant assets such as venues, infrastructure, arts and music communities, and
corporate sector, to realize the potential for our region, the task team identified a gap in regional coordination,
sustainable support and long-term commitment to both economic and social-civic benefits from developing an
events sector. In response, the team developed a framework for a Regional Events Catalyst (REC). Alongside the
REC would be two funds – a seed fund to invest in home-grown events and a major events fund to support the
hosting of large-rotating events. The REC and funds would have a mission to support events that meet a triple aim of
delivering economic, reputational, and civic impact. The full report details can be found here.

Over the course of November 2018 through January 2019, members of the task team socialized the report findings
and recommendations among many potential partners, sponsors and stakeholders. Response to the report and
discussion around the recommendations has been positive and robust – generating thoughtful, fact-based discussions
about moving our region forward.

Next steps for the task team


The task team is moving forward with phase two, which would define how a REC could be funded, staffed and
operate. Phase two could be accomplished through the task team or through a different “phase two” task force.

Current effort at the capitol


In the lead up to the Final Four, Kate Mortenson and the board of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) have been
working to determine what comes next for their four-year operation, after a very successful Final Four in April.
They are reviewing three possibilities:
 Continue operations with a core team, the functions of which are consistent with the Itasca REC
recommendations
 Meld the entity with another organization
 Close down operations while maintaining Final Four Local Organization Committee filings as a shell
organization for future use

In assessing options, the LOC board has expressed an emphasis on retaining the intellectual capital built over recent
years, since, with no action, the LOC will unwind completely in June. Members of the LOC have been in contact
with state legislators and the governor about the potential to fund the REC, with its continuation formally identified
as a regional events catalyst group along the lines of the Itasca Events and Sports task team’s recommendation. Key
attributes of the LOC include its highly diverse team, positive impact in local communities and diverse business
engagement.

Although the effort at the capitol described in option one is not an Itasca push, a group of Itasca participants, along
with other regional leaders, are citing our research and report in conversation with state and local leaders. We stand
by our research and conclusions, and welcome those who advocate on behalf of those conclusions, but as an
organization, we are not part of the legislative contact effort.

Itasca’s mission is to increase economic competitiveness of our entire region and raise prosperity for all. We operate
based on facts first and without bias as best as possible. I want to thank Jim Dwyer, who led the Sports and Events
task team for the past two years, and the entire task team. Their work, outreach to subject-matter experts, and
subsequent report is comprehensive, and worth continued conversation with an even broader group of organizations
that can come together to support its mission.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. I will keep you apprised of further developments and
appreciate your support.

Thank you,

Brad Hewitt

You might also like