 Lakeland Currents, your public affairs program for North Central Minnesota, produced by Lakeland PBS with host Bethany Wesley. Production funding for Lakeland Currents is made possible by Bemidji Regional Airport, serving the region with daily flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport for information available at BemidjiAirport.org. Closed captioning for Lakeland Currents is sponsored by Niswa Tax Service, tax preparation for businesses and individuals, online at NiswaTax.com. And welcome to Lakeland Currents. I'm Bethany Wesley. Many, if not most, of us who live in and around Bemidji recognize the beauty and charm of the area in which we live. But did you know that Bemidji is the best Minnesota town? The city of Bemidji recently was named the inaugural winner of a contest naming the best town in our state. By winning, the allure of Bemidji will be showcased, not just to residents, but to would-be tourists throughout Minnesota. Tonight, I welcome to the program Susan Gouge, the executive director of Visit Bemidji and David Bergman, regional representative from Explorer, Minnesota. Together, we will discuss not only the contest, but also the impact and importance of tourism to the Bemidji economy. Welcome. Thank you so very much. Thanks for coming. So as we get started, let's kind of talk just generally so people can know what we're talking about, what it is we do and who you represent. So Susan, what is Visit Bemidji? How do you define it and what's your mission? Visit Bemidji is a visitor and tourism bureau, and it was actually born out of an initiative of the Bemidji Innkeepers Association way back in the year 1987, when they approached the city of Bemidji and asked if the city would enact the Minnesota State Lodging Tax Program, and that consists of a 3% lodging tax that is charged to guests on the gross receipts from hotel, motel, and resort stays. This city agreed, and from that moment we were up and running. So Dave, tell me a little bit about what your role is with Explorer Minnesota and what do you do? I'm a regional staff person, officially a travel and tourism representative. I cover the northwest corner of the state, so 16 counties up here, and work with DMOs, destination marketing organizations like Visit Bemidji, and also different community organizations and individual businesses even, were the liaison with the industry in the state of Minnesota. Okay, so your relationship is more cooperative than competitive, you don't compete against Explorer Minnesota, advice for some. Exactly, I should maybe just backtrack real quick here because organizations like Visit Bemidji have several different names. I called it Visitor and Convention Bureau, Dave called it the destination marketing organization, and it's also called the Convention and Visitors Bureau, but regardless they are all the same type of an organization. It's a non-profit that is working to drive tourism to a particular area. Okay, all right. So first we're gonna start talking about this contest and kind of how it came to be, and then later we're gonna kind of transition to a broader conversation about tourism and economies. Okay, so first let's talk, Susan, when did you first hear about this contest and were you immediately interested in signing up? That's an interesting story. I was actually on vacation visiting my son in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I checked an email, and that's how I heard of the announcement, and so I quickly flipped from vacation mode into work mode and called into my office and we really got up and rolling. Everyone was really in it immediately. There was no question that we wanted to participate in it. Okay, did you see it as a way to celebrate the town and what we have to offer or drive tourism? Are they intertwined? Actually, we saw it for both of those reasons. I mean, what a great opportunity to brag and boast about Bemidji and everything that we have to offer at the same time that that would be stimulating new tourists to the community. So it was a win-win no matter which way you looked at it. Okay, so what was the nomination? Do you nominate yourselves? Did you have to wait for somebody to nominate you? We actually filled out a application process and it was a joint effort between Visit Bemidji, Greater Bemidji, and the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce and it was a very in-depth essay application that was across multiple different divisions and by the time everything was set and done and it was compiled, it was a hefty 12-page document. Was it interesting to kind of take that and look at Bemidji and what it all had in that document? It really was, it was just amazing. I thought it was kind of cool to package together and just see it all. Yes, yes, it was a high. It was the beginning of the contest though. So initial hopes, did you want to crack like the top 10? Did you really think you had a chance of winning this thing? Well, actually, you know, we were so focused from the very beginning to be intently and passionately driving this message that we really didn't take time to do much thinking. We were just in it and it was a race that we were giving everything that we had to. Oh, interesting. So if I recall right, the first step was that there was online voting. Is that kind of how they started to determine the top few? Well, it actually began with several different phases. The first one was, of course, your submittal of the application. Round two was, Minnesota Monthly had a panel of judges and those judges reviewed and analyzed all of the applications and they chose the top 10 towns. Bemidji made the cut and from that point it went into the third phase which was a popular online voting process that was only amongst the top 10 that ran for a three week period of time. And I have to tell you, that's when the heat was really on. I mean, we were running fierce and fast and we were really getting a lot of supporters behind us. It was quite fun. Well, because if I remember right, it was not only a one time vote. You could vote every day if I remember right. And so it was not just people voting but you had to keep them enthusiastic day after day. Exactly. The rules were that you could vote 10 times per day per email. And it was amazing that there were a lot of different community people that were voting across six, seven, eight, nine, 10 emails, 10 emails per day. And so we also got wind that some of the local businesses were encouraging their employees to kick off the start of the day by voting for Bemidji. So we really did rally with a lot of different supporters. Did you worry at all about Bemidji's ability to compete against larger towns? Yeah, we really did. I mean, that was quite a factor because the population, I mean, they just ranged so greatly from one community to another. So we read the fine print in the Minnesota Monthly Rules and Regulations and we found out that they actually had developed a scoring formula to offset that that was based upon each towns per capita. So with that being said, it was totally an even playing field for all towns regardless of their population. Could you watch the voting from where you were sitting to see whether Bemidji was up or down for day to day? Oh, seriously, we just couldn't do that enough. I mean, it was like every day it was like a roller coaster ride. You know, were we up, were we down, were the tides moving in, were the tides moving out? But we honestly had to stay so focused that we couldn't get too distracted by that. But yeah, we just kept checking all the time. So once the voting kind of concluded, then it was time to go down and find out who actually won, correct? Yeah, exactly. And you brought quite a big contingent, if I recall. It was, you had a good number of people. We really did. And a lot of people asked like, did you know that you were going to win? I mean, look at how organized you were. We didn't have a clue. But win or lose, we wanted to make absolutely certain that we showed the true spirit of Bemidji. So we rallied together an entire busload of Bemidji, plaid supporters. We grabbed Paul Bunyan himself when we all headed down to Minneapolis. And I have to tell you, it was a showstopper when we entered into that building. I mean, people were amazed. They were running over to us and saying, oh, you're Bemidji. We know Bemidji. We love Bemidji. We hope you win. Best of luck. It was just an awesome experience. What was it like when they finally announced that Bemidji had won? I think, myself, I was screaming. I mean, seriously, everybody was just awestruck. They were incredibly happy and amazed. And there were a couple of really good pictures that were taken that captured the emotions of everyone. We were really on cloud nine. I mean, what could be better than winning after all that hard work and effort? And it was a win for everybody, for everyone that supported Bemidji. Did you hear from other cities after you had won that they're probably a little disappointed on their own part that they hadn't, but they were happy for you? The wonderful world of hospitality is really just remarkable when it comes to camaraderie and goodwill for others. It's like nothing else I've ever seen in my career of working. And so even during the fierce competition, I mean, we were always kind and thoughtful and caring to each other. And when Bemidji was announced as the winner, we were surrounded by colleagues wishing us congratulations, especially our very good neighbors in Walker, who were also in that top 10. Oh, cool. Yeah. Did you hear specifically from judges what it was that they liked about Bemidji? I did. And actually I wrote that down and I'm going to share it with you from my notes because I don't want to miss a beat and I want to make certain that all of the viewers that are listening to this know the high points that were mentioned about Bemidji. So Bemidji represents a shared vision for the future as a healthy community, a vibrant economic center, a social, cultural, recreational and educational magnet, a people commitment, prosperity and stewardship. The town spirit of cooperation has resulted in planting of over 100,000 trees over the last decade. The creation of students first high school program where every student has a success plan and an adult mentor. An investment of nearly 15 million in city parks and trails. Lastly, Bemidji had the ability of transforming itself from a lumberjack town into a high speed regional center of enterprise without sacrificing its roots or its character. And that's Bemidji. It had to make you smile. I mean, just to know that they recognize what you've been working on or the community as a general. The community as a whole. We have so much to be thankful for here in Bemidji. We are second to none, best Minnesota town. So what did you win? It wasn't just the announcement. It wasn't just that you get this label of best Minnesota town. What does it come with? We actually were given a $50,000 media package by Minnesota Monthly that is used for a one year period across their print magazine, across their digital programs, across their social media and we have been actually running a monthly campaign. It's called 12 Chances to Win. And it is a contest where people can actually enter to win a great getaway package to Bemidji, best Minnesota town. So if any of the viewers are interested in that, you can go to visitbemidji.com and on the homepage, you can actually click on 12 Chances to Win and it will bring up this month's package and we change that month after month. So we are truly capitalizing on our title. Oh, cool. And now you get a chance to come together and celebrate, right? That is another component of the win. Exactly. We've got the enormous party that we're looking at just around the corner and we've invited a lot of different guests that are going to be coming, whether they're state guests or local city guests. We have John Edmond from Explore Minnesota Tourism. We have Dave of course and Nicole as well and the entire Heartland Tourism Association. We've got tons of Bemidji residents and residents from surrounding towns and it is going to be just an incredible event in the park. It's at Palbonian Park by the Paul and Babe statues and Mississippi Music has arranged for bands and every band performing has strong roots in the community. We are also going to have a large vendor show. There will be retailers with selling products and there will also be organizations featuring the services that they provide in our community. We've got a ton of different water events that are going to be both on the water and off the water. And there is going to be a live remote early in the afternoon that we'll have a chance to interview many of the people that are involved in the event, kind of like a sneak peek at behind the scenes. Oh, cool. So your event's going to be outside. Yes. With art music, you've got businesses and vendors. You know, it kind of screams Bemidji. Was it important to have it not just celebrate Bemidji, but also reflect Bemidji? Absolutely. From the beginning, the whole foundation was built on the best of Bemidji. And I should also mention that we do have short programs that are going to be taking place. The main program will be at seven o'clock in the tent, but there's also a program at five, six and at eight. So I'm hoping that everyone is going to come to the best Minnesota town party. And it's wide open, free, open to anyone who loves Bemidji basically. Exactly. Everyone who loves Bemidji is invited. We have these fabulous new products that are just hot off the press. We have this adorable plaid, buffalo plaid cap. And we have t-shirts for men, women, and children. And it's just going to be a rain or shine. Rain or shine. So once-in-lifetime event for Bemidji. So please come down, everyone. Awesome. So we're going to start to pivot now. Sure. So we're going to start to talk about tourism in general. So to kind of get us there, Dave, to contests like this help drive tourism, is there a connection? Oh, no doubt about it. It's always better to have someone else say something good about you. And this is a certified program that's allowing that to happen. OK. So how important is tourism to the Bemidji or the Beltrami County or Minnesota economy? Is it a big chunk of the economy? It's a huge industry. It's a $15 billion industry in the state of Minnesota. Very, very significant. Looking at a little bit deeper, if we drill down the numbers that I have for Hubbard County, and we do it on a county basis, would be over $98 million in tourism expenditure. And that's actually just slight. That's actually for Beltrami County, right? We're talking Beltrami County. Yes. OK, so $98 million. Yes. You're talking about $6 million in sales hacks generated and over 2,200 jobs. One of the things that I always, when I go to communities, talk about is the significance. What would you do for a business entity that brought 2,200 jobs to your community or county? It's big business. It's something that's very important to Bemidji. It helps diversify their economy. It draws new residents in. One of the things that I feel very strongly about is to come to a community, you have to visit it. And when you're visiting it, if you're seeing the amenities that are attractive to you, things like restaurants, shopping opportunities, activities, and attractions, all of those help draw those people for a more permanent stay. Oh, so they might come as a visitor and then choose to come back and live if they can find 4 jobs a day? Almost always have to come as a visitor to start with. Take a look at the community, see what they like. And by having that product offering, Bemidji has a very strong product. It's a draw for people to come and stay here. So it's multifaceted. You've got an economic driver. You also have a reason for people to come. And then the other one that I always say is the memory factor. It might be the first time that somebody came and saw the iconic Paul Bunyan statue. It might be the first time someone walked across the Mississippi River at Atasca State Park. It could be the first time that they ran down the dock at a local resort and had a smore campfire someplace. All of those are priceless in terms of Minnesota product. And in fact, one that I experienced today before filming, sitting in the parking lot was watching a deer stroll across the parking lot in downtown Bemidji, basically. 2200 jobs. You see that number and it really hits home. It's a big employer. There's a lot more jobs here for tourists in the hospitality than I think a lot of people realize. True. I mean, do you think sometimes people miss that? I think they miss it. They may overlook it, but it is significant, very significant to this community. It's part of the fabric of who they are. The fact that you have all those lakes, a lake and many lakes outside of the individual community are very important to you. The resorts, the attractions, things to do, state parks. I mean, what a nice product offering this community has. I was thinking about it, even just this past weekend was Loop the Lake and you could see, I think it bloomed just like more than 1,000 people this past weekend and it's just, a lot of people come from out of town. It's not just the residents that are now doing this. It's starting to kind of have its niche. Events are very big in Minnesota. We've put an emphasis on them. We're seeing things as big as Super Bowls and Ryder Cups, but also community festivals that help draw people in and it really provides the flavor for what a community is. Okay. How healthy is the tourist economy or hospitality economy? Is it growing? Is it declining? Is it pretty stable? It is growing. I went back and looked at a couple different metrics, one of them being the county numbers and saw significant growth for the last several years. I've also looked at lodging tax, which is a more finite and a little more trackable within a community, seeing some good things in that regard. And then some of it's even visual. I've been coming to Bemidji for 40 years, roughly, and seeing the changes and the things, the positives that are happening, very visual and easy to see. Okay. When you look at tourists and bringing people into Beltrami County or Bemidji specifically, do you look from within the state? Do you look at it regionally because we're close to North Dakota? Or do you look at it nationally? Where do most of our visitors come from? I think you have a mix of several of those locations. In Minnesota, probably very strong. Okay. You do have some Canadian traffic. They use Highway 2 to travel cross-country even. They like the amenities, the services that we have here. Winnipeg is a big feeder and a big population base that is very willing to come down. And our friends in North Dakota not only come, but come frequently, several trips in the course of a year. They're close enough to get over it and they really enjoy the product offerings that we have. Okay. One of the things that I'm very proud that Visit Bemidji is doing is a study, an annual study. They receive funding from the Northwest Minnesota Sustainable Partnership and the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. And that's gonna give them sort of a blueprint for tightening up their marketing efforts and having a better read on what's happening. Okay. So this study allows you to look at what then? It looks at where people are coming from and... This study actually we strive to do for several years because it is very expensive to do and it's being done by the University of Minnesota Tourism Center. And it's a 12 month study that goes across all four seasons. So we just completed our winter survey and from that we pretty much held true to some of the Experimental Minnesota stats of 80% of our travelers are from within the state. But it is very wonderful to actually know what interest brings people to our town and how many are in their party and what their spending trends are and where they're staying and lodging and what prompted them to come to begin with. Instead of just thinking that we know our visitor, we are now truly confident that we are learning about our visitor and so this is really the beginning of just much, much more good things to happen. We're into the summer phase now and they do different interceptor surveys at sites all across the Greater Bemidji area. Okay. And that is a big thing for us. Thank you for mentioning that, Dave. Interesting. So when you think of tourism in Bemidji, obviously something that first comes to mind are your family vacations, right? The people who come up for a resort or a camping trip. Is that pretty typical throughout this art region, Northwest Minnesota? It is typical amongst the region. Resorts are located throughout Northwest Minnesota and that's a typical Minnesota experience. The nice part about Bemidji is you have that experience but you also have fantastic lodging opportunities, motels, BNBs, campgrounds, all of that kind of activity. And then the different segments by activity, I mean, the Sanford Center, Sanford Medical Facilities, youth sports. I mean, you have so many different options to market. Susan mentioned the biking trails. You've been blessed in this community to hook up with a Paul Bunyan. And that has connections to other trails. So you've really become a biking hub, a trailhead and that's a benefit to the community. So when you, Susan, go about marketing Bemidji, what is it that you focus on? What makes us unique? Well, Dave has already mentioned that we are so blessed because we have this wide variety of product. That's what it's actually called. We are in very close proximity to several state parks, state forests. We have close to a 2,000 mile trail system that begins here around the lake, the 16 mile paved trail that was used for the Loop the Lake event. We are recognized as a regional center for whether it's health or whether it's shopping and we have the State of the Art Regional Events Center, which is just in your backyard here that hosts a lot of conferences and conventions, as well as having some big ticket concerts. We just had Brad Paisley not too long ago. That was a sold out event. But we also have just a real vibrant artisan community. We have all these beautiful sculptures that are through the downtown corridor. There are so many reasons to bring people into Bemidji and to market for Bemidji. I mean, we're also a bird designated city. And so that's something that we've been working on this year too. At the end of the month, there's going to be a Purple Martin Bird Festival, which is one of the required elements for us to maintain ourselves as a bird city. The list just goes on and on and on. But the one thing that I have seen and we all know is once somebody comes to Bemidji, they come back because they fall in love with it. How many times have you heard someone come to Bemidji and say to you they had no idea what was all here? Almost always. Almost, yeah, almost always. So when you look at marketing and bringing people in for tourism, do you find that Bemidji has to compete against park rapids? Do you have to compete against Walker? Do you find that these communities have to compete to bring tourists or is it cooperative or how does? Well, first of all, I think it's a worldwide draw. I mean, everyone is competing with everyone. There's fantastic opportunities all over the globe and throughout the state. They do compete locally, but they also cooperate very heavily. I mentioned the Paul Bunyan Trail. That is a tool or vehicle to bring people in that many communities participate in. And they do so collectively. People don't want to just stay in one community if they're biking, they'll go between different segments. So they can draw each other and cooperate in terms of pulling people in. Okay, so then how do you guys work together on these marketing initiatives? So what is it that you communicate with Dave about and vice versa as you start to market our area? Well, Explore Minnesota Tourism is the largest tourism bureau in the state of Minnesota. And so they really are the parent company to all of the smaller agencies throughout the state. And like a parent, they provide good funding for us, whether it's through the annual grant program or through different cooperative advertising campaigns. They house all of our real estate, which would be our individual websites on their national website, which really gives us much, much more visibility and strength and recognition. They also are constantly showing us wisdom and support with new technology and their photo galleries. But I wanted to quick go back to a question that you just asked Dave about, how do we all distinguish ourselves? Because we kind of have similar type of product line. And what I have found over time is the best approaches for each city to identify what their own distinctive DNA is. And DNA is what sets you apart from every other community in the whole entire country. And no one can take away your DNA. And so here in Bemidji, ours is number one, first city on the Mississippi and number two, home of Paul and Babe. So those two are really playing heavily in a lot of the different outreach marketing programs that we're doing because that is our call to action. People travel to Bemidji from China, from Germany, from France. EMT is always helping us set up these tours that are coming, these international tours or national tours, because we have something special. Again, that is our own distinctive DNA. Is that what you found then in communities? Is that what people really do have to do to get attention? DNA, I call it flavor. It's what really brings or resonates about a community. In just touching base in our relationship, I mean, we view visit Bemidji as a stakeholder, as a colleague, as a partner. We receive input from them. I think Susan may get tired of me calling, looking for story ideas within the community, but trying to find different ways to promote them and make them more visible. Great. Well, I wanna thank you both for joining us. Thank you. I appreciate all the information, the stats. Looking forward to the party next week. Susan's gonna be great. June 27th, five to nine, Paul Bunyan Park. If you'd like to learn more or want to find out more information about Visit Bemidji and the contest they've been having, the websites here on the bottom of your screen will take you to Visit Bemidji and also explore Minnesota. Thank you for joining me today. Please join me next time.