The
Southwest Airlines corporate team in Dallas reports $.5 billion in 3Q
profits, showing the mighty airline isn’t slowing down anytime
soon. Southwest is king of the airport in the City of Lights. The
city’s busiest commercial carrier brings record numbers of
pleasure-seeking leisure travelers and executive
teams to Las Vegas for team building, meetings, corporate training,
trade shows and fun.
Southwest’s
new international building at Houston’s Hobby airport opened in
October, with daily service to Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica. Plans
for the $146 million, five-gate terminal call for adding news
destinations in 2016, including Cuba, although Kelly would not
specify.
Houston
was the likely site to establish an international gateway. An
original hub for Southwest during its humble beginnings, Houston now
serves Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, Cancun, Belize
City, Montego Bay, Nassau, San Juan, Punta Cana; and Liberia and San
Jose, Costa Rica.
While
Southwest is saving on fuel, it’s also offering customers lower
fares. Jet fuel prices decreased $300 million for the third quarter,
saving Southwest $1.3 billion on fuel alone this year, according to a
recent
article in the Las Vegas Business Journal. Southwest shares more
of the love with customers as it plans to build new larger and
lighter-weight seats for passenger comfort and fuel economy.
Recently, a middle-sized
company in Atlanta hired Venture Up for a corporate training program
for 125 managers seeking to foster employee engagement. The good news
is that the managers were a diverse group, knew each other well, and
got along, so the team building portion of the training was easy.
The tough part was how the
managers differed in style and approach when we discussed how to
engage the employees they lead, who were not present at the event.
Some mentioned weekly pizza parties, another suggested getting them
involved with the company’s social media, others suggested a team building event.
These are fine ideas, although
not specific. What information do they have about how their employees
think and feel? What do they really know about each individual on the
team? What are their core needs? They knew what we were getting at.
They needed to come up with a survey – the kind people are actually
willing to take.
Discussing their differences
and the pros and cons of certain approaches, the managers agreed with
a series of questions to be considered for a survey to give the
employees. It may sound obvious, but it is critically important that
managers understand that how an employee acts does not show what he
or she is feeling inside.
That is why, to this day,
Venture Up encourages the use of the old-fashioned suggestion box,
where hard copy anonymous surveys or comments about life at work can
be submitted without the fear of being tracked. While this method may
not be favored by larger techie firms who avoid pens, mid-range and
small businesses can benefit from this personalized method for
feedback.
We also prodded the managers
so they would include an area for comments. One of the main reasons
people fail to fill our surveys or do so half-heartedly is because
they feel like a number; that their opinion doesn’t matter. By
eliciting written comments management shows employees that the
individual message matters and will be taken into consideration.
The managers came up with the
following list, which may help other managers design their own
surveys to stimulate employee engagement.
Are you enthusiastic about your job?
Are your manager’s
instructions clear?
Is your work interesting?
What motivates you?
Do you feel you are productive?
What could management do to make you work
more productively?
Are you given due credit for your work?
Do you prefer
working solo?
Would you rather
work as a team?
Do you feel your
role supports the department and the company’s mission? Please
explain why or why not.
Do you feel you are
recognized and rewarded for your work?
Do you feel you can
meet your career goals with the company?
Do you believe the
company has a strong corporate culture?
What would you do to
improve the corporate culture?
Do
you believe your team needs more training?
Would
you support a mentoring program if initiated in the company?
Would
you support cross-training or job sharing?
Would you recommend this
company as a good place to work?
Reading
surveys, especially the written comments, can be an eye-opener. The
next step is to type up the individual comments, with management’s
response.
Comments
give the core message vs. a simple yes or no answer. That is where
the passion and emotion lie that can motivate employee engagement in
the long run.
Once the
process is complete, the team managers can design a meeting involving
all who took the survey and discuss the results. Managers must also
have an action plan, which, if successful, will foster employee
engagement.
Whether gathering at poolside, meeting new staff at cocktail hour, or engaged in training sessions, meeting attendees often look forward to breaking free for outdoorteam building activities in San Diego. Many meeting planners consider interactive team building events the highlight of their conference, and sunny destinations help make it a success.
Or maybe
they just want to golf. Either way, good weather brightens moods and
cultivates receptivity better than a tornado in Waco or a snowstorm
in Duluth.
Language
can be clumsy when it comes to defining the reality of life. The
Oxford Dictionary is no different when defining team building as:
“The
action or process of causing a group of people to work together
effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events
designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.”
That’s
a mouthful, and the definition is open to anyone’s interpretation.
Without getting the lawyers involved, let’s say team building
simply means building
relationships.
Since
1983, Venture Up has been providing indoor and outdoor team
activities in San Diego, from the harbor, to the grassy parks
at Mission Bay,
to the shores of Del
Mar.
World class hotels are standard fare in San Diego, and the convention
center and visitors bureau is
second to none.
Team
relationships often evolve serendipitously long before teams arrive
in San Diego. At the mere mention of San Diego as the next conference
destination, teams engage early on with colleagues at their location
and remote offices. Team synergy naturally develops for the big event
ahead.
Arriving
in San Diego visitors easily mesh with the casual beach town vibe.
Corporate meetings are easier when minds are nourished and receptive
to new ideas and creating solutions.
Venture
Up plays its part by injecting the fun into corporate training
sessions, or creating events to drive home meeting objectives. The
activities are non-threatening and involve everyone’s brainpower,
whether or not staff are able or willing to participate physically.
While
Venture Up facilitators often cite research and anecdotes
from Harvard
Business Review, MITand Stanford,
we emphasize the value of spontaneous creativity in teamwork and
problem solving.
Venture
Up clients staying in the eclectic Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego often
choose Strategic Games or the Amazing
Race team building experience.
Several versions of the race are available, taking in the historic
seafaring history of the region, and including company-specific
elements. Other teams take to grassy Mission Bay grounds, with
affordable conference hotels nearby, while others indulge in luxury
golf resorts in North County.
The list
below gives a quick look at some of the popular hotels and resorts
catering to conferences involved in corporate training and team
building events:
Nestled
in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, the Fairmont Grand del Mar
offers a taste of Tuscan luxury on the north San Diego coast. A
palatial marble lobby welcomes guests to this grand estate hotel, 20
miles north of the airport. The world class enclave is known for its
spacious rooms, a sprawling 21,000 square-foot health spa, four
swimming pools, and the Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Even the
locals gather here to relax and take in fine dining by the sea.
The
lofty Lodge at Torrey Pines offers jaw-dropping views of the
Cliffside coast and lush park surroundings. A woodsy, rustic
ambiance sets it apart from other Tuscan inspired resorts that share
world class status in San Diego. Spacious rooms with hard wood
furnishings and luxury amenities indulge guests. Many rooms have
sweeping views of the beach or Torrey Pines Golf Course. Crackling
fireplaces bring warmth to the resort’s common areas. Fitness
amenities include an outdoor pool and hot tub as well as full service
fitness center, with all it takes for a homey beach getaway -- a
library, pool table, big screen television, and old-fashioned board
games.
L'Auberge
Del Mar is the centerpiece of this north shore village, offering
a world of luxury steps from the beach, on the historic grounds where
old-time celebrities found solace. Lucy and Desi Arnez, Bing Crosby,
and Clark Gable graced the 5.2-acre grounds of the original hotel,
which was later torn down and replaced with a 120-room beach
landmark. L’Auberge recently underwent a $26 million renovation and
offers guests luxury and comfort in Hollywood Regency style.
Conference planners favor this hotel for impeccable service and
intimate meeting space.
Looming
above La Jolla Cove over the vast Pacific, La Valencia Hotel is the
“Pink Lady of La Jolla”, named for its rose-colored stucco
exterior. The Mediterranean-style hotel has 112 guest rooms, each
decorated in its own style. All rooms have high tech amenities
for
The
Grande Colonial was built in 1913 and its historic charm brings
guests back year after year. The oldest hotel in La Jolla, the Grande
is a luxury property with down bedding, an outdoor pool, and the
on-site restaurant with award-winning farm-to-table cuisine.
Hotel
Solamar in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter attracts business travelers
with its style and location, just three blocks from the convention
center and a block from Petco Park. Guest rooms at Hotel Solamar
include dark mahogany furnishings, plush bedding, Gilchrist &
Soames bath products. All are fully-equipped for tech business
and entertainment needs. Pet guests have their own luxury bedding.
A sun deck and pool offer a welcome break from meetings, and the best
beaches are a short drive away.
A $500
million renovation restored the US Grant to its Old World splendor.
The son of General Ulysses S. Grant opened the hotel in 1910 when it
catered to socialites. Today it bridges Old World charm with modern
necessities, including high tech needs for business and
entertainment, a fitness center and California cuisine. Some of the
city’s main attractions are nearby, but the beach requires a 15
minute drive. The hotel’s elegance and seclusion make it a good
choice for corporate leaders planning training meetings and getting
down to business before breaking out for a day in the sun.
The Hard
Rock Hotel is king of the Gaslamp
Quarter,
overlooking the dazzling San Diego Bay, and across the street from
PetCo Park. It’s easy to feel uncool around the hip rock ‘n’
roll set, but staff is welcoming to everyone, even if you’re over
age 30, which most guests are. Rooms have excellent stereo systems
(Quelle surprise!), with great sound in the bathroom so there’s no
need to sing in the shower. The halo-illumination beds are
befitting a rock star. The hotel is dark, with a sprawling bottom
floor that is more like a rock ‘n’ roll museum. Visitors who take
a day in the sun, return for their brand of relaxation – a night in
the club where locals and visitors mix beyond the midnight hour.
Orlando
and Las Vegas have long been rivals for attracting corporate business
meetings. The cities hold the top two slots in North America for
having the most hotel rooms. Orlando has 145,000 rooms compared to
150,000 in Vegas.
Both cities have mild weather on their side, a big
selling point. But if meeting planners are seeking a large outdoor
team building programs, Orlando
wins over the Vegas Strip. Orlando is more spread out, with open
space, and theme parks relatively free of congestion.
Venture
Up has been running programs in Orlando and Las Vegas for three
decades. Most of our Vegas clients stay at hotels on the Strip and we
host their corporate team events in ballrooms. Corporate meetings in
Vegas are not all about fun and games.
These
days, most of our team events involve social responsibility, for
example a bike-building event to benefit the Boys & Girls Club,
or large check donations for a social service organization.
Other
corporate groups spend grueling days in training sessions, leaving
the nights free for the casino and shows. “When Venture Up arrives
on site to break up a daytime classroom meetings, the executives
couldn’t be happier,” says Mike Donnelly, a Venture Up team
leader for more than 25 years.
When it
comes to outdoor team building in Las
Vegas, the Amazing Race
gets high marks. Its fast, fun, competitive and chaotic, usually held
on the flashiest street in America, the Strip. Other outdoor events
take place at sprawling resorts beyond the Neon city.
Orlando
is no slouch when it comes to fun events. It tops the scales with its
theme parks, and a big one is coming soon. Disney just announced a
project to build a Star Wars Theme Park in Orlando and Anaheim. Each
will span a 14-acre spread and have two signature attractions.
Visitors can take to the controls of the Millennium Falcon on a
custom secret mission. The Star Warsadventure ride will propel guests
in the center of a galactic battle.
“We
are creating a jaw-dropping new world,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger in
a recent USA
Today article.
“We’re bringing Star Wars to life in a big way … These new
lands … will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet.”
No time frame was given for the completion of the parks.
Employee
teams in the hospitality industry are experts in providing
exceptional service catering to the whims of leisure travelers and
corporate business executives. But do they take time for themselves?
Hospitality
teams in Miami and elsewhere need a vacation from the intense
routine to build their inner resources and nourish their personal
lives. The Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association is
gearing up to make vacations happen in Southern Florida, in
cooperation with local hotels and the industry’s human resources
group.
Wendy
Kallergis, CEO of the GMBHA, is one of many industry leaders across
the nation taking part in Project
Time Off, a U.S. Travel Association initiative to encourage
workers to take a break. “Project:
Time Off aims to shift culture so that using personal time off is not
considered frivolous, but essential to strengthening families and
improving personal health, a business investment with proven returns,
and an economic necessity,” according to the project’s website.
In
2014, 41 percent of American workers let paid vacation days go to
waste, a US
Travel Association study shows. An industry that goes 24/7 is a
natural setting for a compulsive work ethic to thrive, but it comes
at a steep price. Failure to meet a healthy work and life balance
ultimate affects employee performance and retention.
Kallergis
considers her own industry “probably a major offender because of
the nonstop nature of hotels and restaurants.” Kallergis joined
forces with the South Florida Hospitality Human Resources Association
and launched a summer
wellness programfor
industry employees beginning in 2015.
The
programs gives industry professionals a chance to relax before the
big season hits, with discounts at the following participating
hotels:
Nestle
is the backbone of the Near
Southside Neighborhood Coalition, a group of social services
agencies, schools and churches involved in facilitating jobs,
training and education in St Louis.
Nestle
does not toot its horn when it comes to serving community, locally or
globally. It also does not promote itself on the coalition’s
website. The company hires Venture Up regularly for team building
events, including bike
building for kids at the Kingdom House and Boys & Girls Club
in St. Louis. Never has Nestle invited the press to their team
building activities with Venture Up.
Social
responsibility has long been a part of Nestle, and is at the core of
the company’s corporate culture. Research shows employee
retention is higher with companies with strong CSR programs.
Nestle has no trouble gaining and retaining top talent. So, it is no
surprise that Nestle Purina Petcare consistently ranks among the best
places to work, including on Glassdoor.com’s 2015 list where it
ranks third in the nation.
Nestle
Purina Healthcare focuses on Creating
Shared Value,
an approach to business where value can best be created for both
society and shareholders. Nestle is on the forefront of this
approach, also embraced by GE, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson &
Johnson, Unilever and Wal-Mart.
A
Harvard Business Review article titled, Creating Shared Value, by
Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, states that businesses acting
as businesses, not as charitable donors, are a powerful force.
“Capitalism is an unparalleled vehicle for meeting human needs,
improving efficiency, creating jobs and building wealth.”
Even
Nestle’s annual PetCare Pride Day, held at its facilities across
the globe, is not just about pets. It’s a day of community service
for humans too. In St. Louis, corporate team members logged 3,000
volunteer hours for social service groups. Recent Pride Day
volunteers worked at the following organizations:
Second
Harvest Food Bank
– St. Louis PetCare teams sorted food in the warehouse, planted
seeds in the onsite garden, and collected items for food drive.
St.
Louis Children’s Hospitals–
Corporate teams in St. Louis created 150
Fleece Blankets to donate to the area’s children’s hospitals.
St.
Louis Homeless Shelters–
St. Louis staff prepared 6,000 meals and 1,000 toiletry items; and
helped renovate the men’s homeless shelter.
When
the weather brightens, Minnesota companies are ready to take on team
building activities in Minneapolis . National Geographic has
voted the city into the World’s Top 10 Summer Destinations, so
it’s no wonder that Minneapolis companies stay home for summer
meetings, and Midwest firms take the short trip to their sister state
to convene. Summer and early fall in Minneapolis are jam-packed with
festivities celebrating arts, culture and fun. Corporate teams unite
in supporting the community, either directly or indirectly, enriching
family and community culture.
Minneapolis
is home to 18 Fortune 500 corporations, and many are generous
sponsors for seasonal events and ongoing venues. Some of the top
donors for summer happenings include United Healthcare, Target, 3M,
US Bank Corp, Cargill, General Mils, Medtronic, Nortech, Ecolab, Xcel
Energy, Merrill Corp, Pinnacle Living, Unison Elanco, and G&K
Services, all of whom are on Venture Up’s client list.
Corporate
meeting planners often hire Venture Up to align their team building
activities in Minneapolis with a summer community event. The list
below shows a good example of prime time events through summer and
early fall.
Walker Art Center
began in 1879 when lumber baron T.B. Walker built a room on his home
to house his favorite paintings. He invited the public in for
viewings, a humble start for a museum that is now one of the top five
most-visited contemporary art museums in the U.S. The adjacent
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Museum attract 700,000 visitors
annually.
The
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Department is hosting 200 summer
concerts and a selection of family friendly movies under the stars.
Visitors and locals alike can enjoy the films and concerts spanning a
range of musical traditions -- Jazz, Latin, Swing, Folk, Rock,
Bluegrass and Classical.
The
Mill City Market overlooks the Stone Arch Bridge Crossing and the
mighty Mississippi River. Nestled between the Spoonriver Restaurant
and the Guthrie Theatre, the market features colorful artisan works
and organic foods from local farmers and merchants.
Join
the space team of explorers at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Wannabe astronauts can now go beyond the museum’s Out-of-Gravity
Experience and into a Journey to Space, a world premier film at the
Omnitheatre. The 45-minute film shows NASA’s storied past, the
evolution of the shuttle program and insights into how American
discoveries in space have shaped the strategy of future exploration,
including the study of Mars.
The
Willow Tree Winery offers a park-like setting for wine tasting, on a
family-owned farm about 20 miles from the Twin Cities. Wines are made
from cold-climate grapes and locally grown fruit. The web has next to
nothing about this hidden gem. The internet shows 5 star ratings from
visitors, and nearly 600 people ‘like’ its Facebook
page. Maybe the Minneapolis
Business Journal will write a story? This place won’t be a
secret for long.
Extraordinarily
diverse collections from around the world are right at home in the
Minneapolis Institute of Art. A free, non-profit entity, the museum
offers one of the finest art collections in America; paintings from
Monet to Matisse; collections from Asia to Africa, and artifacts from
around the globe spanning 40,000 years.
Summer Exhibitions:
Mark
Mothersbaugh: Myopia
June
18 - August 30, 2015
Leonardo
da Vinci, the Codex Leicester, and the Creative Mind
Northeast
Minneapolis is the hot spot for art. Visual artists working in the
storied Northrup King Building host weekly open-studio events every
Thursday. But the big event
is the annual Art-A-Whirl, an open-studio tour with more than 250
visual artists. Art-A-Whirl has a 20-year history and is now one of
the largest art tours in the nation. Visitors have a chance to meet
with painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, ceramists,
textile and fiber artists, and jewelers and tour furniture galleries.
The Northrup King Building is in the heart of the Arts District in
Northeast Minneapolis.
An
epic tale of a Dublin family’s survival following the Irish Civil
War, Juno and the Paycock is one of the greatest plays of the 20th
century.
Director
Joe Dowling first opened the play in 1988 to rave reviews by the New
York Times: “Dowling’s Juno is alive at every level – as a
boisterous comedy, as wrenching tragedy, as blistering social
commentary.” Dowling will also be directing the play at the
historic Guthrie Theatre.
Parades
of lighted bicyclists and pedestrians lit in neon line the streets
and walkways of the Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza, marking the
annual nocturnal Northern Spark Arts Festival. Celebrating five
years, the event promises to surprise, provoke and inspire visitors
in 2015. Event sponsors expect to draw 50,000 to the carnival of
performers, musicians, and artists. Visitors can expect to see
gigantic art, light projections on buildings, and interactive,
technology-focused, site-specific art found only in Minneapolis.
The
Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts is the Twin Cities’
newest arts center and the flagship for dance in Minnesota. Thanks to
sponsor US Bank, the summer is full of a wide range of performances
to suit tastes of the young and old. See the detailed List
on the center’s website
for non-stop fun events through summer and beyond.
Rock
the Garden is a festive musical event on the sprawling manicured
grounds outside Walker Art Center. The 2015 lineup features 10 bands,
including Dan Deacon, Low, Bob Mould Band, Silversun Pickups and
Metric. Entertainment spans the range of punk, Afrobeat and good ole
rock n’ roll.
The
Tri-Loppet Off-Road Triathlon is a point-to-point race along the
chain of lakes trails in Theodore Wirth Park. Teams willing to take
on the big challenge will run 5k, paddle 7k and mountain bike 13k,
all in the heart of the city. If you win, you could be $1,700
richer.
Celebrating
5 years, the Twin Cities Half Marathon is gearing up for July 4,
2015. The Red, White and Boom event is limited to 3,200 runners. The
route covers Saint Anthony Falls and Father Hennepin Bluffs Park,
along the riverbank near the Mississippi National River and
Recreation Area. A series of parks stretch 70 miles by the river,
allowing ample room for spectators and patriotic revelers.
The
Basilica Block Party is a corporate-sponsored event that got its
roots in 1995 when it was a fundraiser for the restoration of The
Basilica of Saint Mary. Great food, fun and music still highlight the
event, which still benefits the landmark, which is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. A portion of the proceeds also
benefit St. Vincent de Paul outreach program.
Mystic
Lake is festive any time of year, but when Grammy award-winning
Doobie Brothers or Beach Boys come to town things really get rocking.
The Beach Boys play July 4, and the Doobie Brothers arrive July 16. A
blend of rhythm and blues, country, bluegrass and rock n’ roll,
Doobie music is fun for all generations. Tickets are also available
for: Melissa Etheridge (June 25), Golden Boys – Frankie Avalon,
Fabian and Bobby Rydell (May 29), Patti LaBelle (June 6).
July
is a non-stop party vacation in Minneapolis, with much of the fun at
the Minneapolis Aquatennial. Teams of revelers take to the sun and
the Mississippi waterway to celebrate the city’s 75-year history,
and enjoy more than 75 events ranging from cardboard
boat races , the Torchlight Parade and the Amazing
Race .
A
day of community team building, this team building event empowers
area residents to be active – both mentally and physically.
Activities span the range – from yoga to electric hopscotch, speed
chess, to dueling banjos, DIY activities and square dancing. Fun for
spectators and participants alike, the annual play day brings the
community together in more ways than fun.
In
Minneapolis, family is everything. She has 10 Sister Cities around
the globe, and everyone has a chance to celebrate each one of them at
the annual Sister Cities Day Celebration & Ice Cream Social. A
talented list of entertainers highlight the event. Performers include
a multicultural child-adult choir, the famous Ballet Folklorico -
Mexico Azteca, and professional martial artists. The event, including
the ice cream social, is free for all.
Car
fanatics and bike enthusiasts get artsy and competitive when it comes
to the annual ArtCar and ArtBike Parade. The event draws hundreds of
spectators and creative teams who dress their wheels for show and
performance. Lake Harriet has never been lovelier with the bevy or
beauties on wheels lining the roadway to the finish line at the Rose
Garden. The following schedule is from the ArtCar and ArtBike
website.
It’s
free, it’s fun, and there’s food! The Annual Dakota Jazz ClubStreet Festival is gearing up for the July 27 event held from
noon to midnight on the Nicollet Mall. Music dominates the scene,
with four music stages and fun activities for all ages. Stilt
walkers, fire dancers, and other festive performers liven the event.
The food isn’t free, but the variety will suit anyone from anywhere
in the world -- bratwurst, chicks on a stick, blue cheese fondue, and
veggie links are just a few in a long list of tasty treats that will
leave you and your team dancing in the streets.
Minnesota
meets Russia in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota is rich in Russian
culture, as visitors to The Museum of Russian Art know well. Plans
call for a new exhibit this summer, Russian Samovars, a delightful
collection of those metal urns used to make Russian tea. The samovar,
or “self boiler,” uses wood chips or dry pinecones lighted to
burn water quickly and inexpensively. The collection is on loan from
a Russian collector currently living in Florida.
The
world’s largest flour mill sits in majestic ruins on the
Mississippi Riverfront, creating a dramatic backdrop for live
concerts in Minneapolis. The nearby Mill City Museum hosts the
events. Minneapolis bands dominate the lineup, with folksy music from
five decades. The museum also shows the city’s roots in the flour
industry, with exhibits depicting the ingenuity of settlers and
pioneers, and the power of the mighty Mississippi River that sparked
the evolution for what is Minneapolis today.
Now
in its 22nd season, the Minnesota Fringe Festival is an
adventure in theatre. The 11-day festival is an interactive
experience that showcases performers of many genres and encourages
audience interaction, with performers engaged and remaining in
character. Shows last no longer than one hour. Venues in 2015 may
include Minneapolis Theatre Garage, HUGE Improv Theater, Mixed Blood
Theatre main stage, Theatre de la Jeune Lune's side stage, and the
four stages at the University of Minnesota's Rarig Center for
Performing Arts.
The
Uptown Art Fair features more than 350 artists from around the world.
The collections represent 12 media, including sculpture, painting,
jewelry, ceramics, wood, and mixed media. The fair is one of the
largest juried fine arts fairs in the nation, and is the second
largest event in Minnesota, second to the State Fair. The event also
includes a youth art fair, music performances, kid activities, wine
tasting and culinary competitions. More than 20 vendors are slated to
provide crafts and festive food.
More
than 140 artists working in a variety of media convene at the Loring
Park Art Festival in Minneapolis as part of a robust summer program
involving the community and visitors with local artists. The artists
work in a variety of media, including painting, photography,
printmaking, handmade paper, wood, jewelry, clay, sculpture, fiber,
mixed media and glass. Musical events are scheduled on stage, and
strolling musicians entertain visitors walking, dining and engaging
in fun activities.
The
Powderhorn Art Fair in downtown Minneapolis is one of the finest
juried regional art fairs in the country. Set in a pastoral 66-acre
city park, Powderhorn Art Fair features 184 regional and national
artists of varied disciplines, as well as a community showcase and
group exhibitors from Minneapolis. Proceeds from the fair benefit
park programs including the theatre, computer lab, teen center, music
recording studio and pottery studio.
Step
back into the rollicking medieval days, where you can toss your cares
to the wind, and speak your mind, fearing not the threat of the
guillotine because it’s still illegal in Minnesota. The Renaissance
Festival is where food and fun are a way of life. Costumed actors
stroll the grounds, playing lutes and engaging visitors in fun, fresh
and sometimes testy ways. Join in a meal and rip meat from the bone,
muscle your way to the front of a jousting match and take on an
ax-throwing competition, if you dare. Be sure to behave when the
royal family appears, lest they cast their soldiers upon you and keep
you from frolicking about.
The
granddaddy of them all, the Minnesota State Fair gets better every
year. Attendance has climbed steadily over the years, to a
record-breaking high of 1.824 million in 2014. Great entertainment
and food are two big draws. The 2015 entertainment lineup includes
Lynyrd Skynyrd and Patti LaBelle, and a string of popular performers,
some of whom perform on stages throughout the 350-acre grounds.
Hearty American food and ethnic delights are on the menu, with 450
food items at 300 food concessions. Visitors can also enjoy the
state’s best agriculture competition, “infomercial” and home
exhibits, and kiddie attractions, such as the Mighty Midway &
Kidway, and the Haunted House. The fair has been held in Minneapolis
since 1859. It’s come a long way, baby.
