Saint Paul CVB.

The City That's Connected

Saint Paul is a fresh, new convention destination that offers meeting planners a high-quality convention package with many value-added enhancements. The city has experienced a tremendous renaissance during the past few years, investing more than a half billion dollars in convention and tourism facilities.

Minnesota's capital city has all the amenities of a large metropolitan area in a charming, historic setting. Saint Paul's RiverCentre, ideally located downtown on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, includes Touchstone Energy Place convention center, Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and the 19,000-seat Xcel Energy Center, home to the Minnesota Wild hockey team. This recent $65 million expansion added a two-story, 72,505-square-foot exhibit hall to RiverCentre, bringing total exhibit space to 160,000 square feet of new ballroom space and 15 new meeting rooms, for a total of 26.

By late summer of 2002, convention delegates, hockey fans, and visitors will be able to access the downtown skyway system from RiverCentre via a climate-controlled Connection that will stretch from the Rice Park entrance of RiverCentre to the downtown core.

Contractors began fencing off the construction area in May 2001 and moving in heavy equipment for the start of construction of the $10.77 million skyway-tunnel pedestrian Connection between RiverCentre and Saint Paul's downtown skyway system. Construction will move from east to west along Fourth Street and is expected to be completed by July 2002.

When complete, the Connection will move thousands of pedestrians each day to and from the growing entertainment and convention facilities of RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Arena and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The underground walkway and aboveground skyway will link parking ramps, hotels, restaurants, retail, museums, banks, service businesses, and office buildings directly to Saint Paul's major convention and arena facility as well.

"We are thrilled that construction is underway on this vital link between our convention facility and our downtown core area," says Thomas Getzke, president and CEO of the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The Connection will give us the four-season competitive edge we need to attract many new conventions and trade shows to our convention center. We already have confirmed a number of major conventions that specifically booked Saint Paul because of the ease and convenience of the new Connection for conventioneers walking between the hotels and the convention center," adds Getzke. The bureau has booked $13.5 million worth of business specifically resulting from the announcement of the Connection.

The Connection will be approximately one-and-a half blocks in length and will run from the Landmark Tower building across Fourth Street via a new skyway bridge. At that point, pedestrians will move vertically up or down to the tunnel portion of the Connection, which will run under Fourth Street directly in front of the public library.

The walkway will feature two stairways located on either end of the library block. The stairways will allow natural light to filter down into the Connection. Pedestrians will move vertically up or down again at the Rice Park entrance of RiverCentre where plans call for an expanded lobby of glass and brick.

The main walkway portion of the Connection will feature bright lighting and colorful public art. It will be approximately as wide and as tall as the other skyways located throughout downtown Saint Paul. Elevators will accommodate requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act and stairways will help to move maximum amounts of pedestrians up and down at key points.

Downtown hotels are within short walking distance of RiverCentre and many are connected to the city's climate-controlled skyway system. In preparation for convention-goers, hotels have invested millions of dollars in their properties.

The Radisson Riverfront Hotel Saint Paul, the city's largest convention hotel, has just completed a $10 million renovation of all 475 guest rooms and the spacious lobby, which features marble floors. A new adjoining bar area offers cocktails and light meals from lunchtime through evening hours.

The Holiday Inn RiverCentre, formerly the site of the Days Inn directly across from Xcel Energy Center and RiverCentre complex, just completed a $10 million renovation as well. This full-service property offers 197 guest rooms, six meeting rooms, and a business center.

Saint Paul's renaissance and new Connection gives planners another reason to commit to Minnesota's capital city on the Mississippi.