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Meet Minneapolis Announces 2010 Annual Meeting Award Winners

03 March 2010

annual meeting Meet Minneapolis Dave Mona University of Minnnesota Downtown Improvement District Lions Clubs International awards

Dave Mona honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

(MINNEAPOLIS)—March 3, 2010—Meet Minneapolis, Official Convention + Visitors Association, proudly announces the winners of its 2010 Annual Meeting awards, given out at the Feb. 25, 2010, meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Winners include Dave Mona, Lions Clubs International 2009 Host Committee, University of Minnesota and Downtown Improvement District.

The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Dave Mona. Currently chairman of Weber Shandwick, he has served on Meet Minneapolis’ Board of Directors for 12 years and as chair in 2006 and 2007. He was instrumental in bringing the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four basketball tournament to Minnesota in 1992. He was on the executive committee for both efforts, and he was the Minnesota state chairman of the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. In 2005, he received both the Associated Press and Edward R. Murrow Awards for his work as color analyst on WCCO Radio broadcasts of University of Minnesota football games.

Past recipients of the Meet Minneapolis Lifetime Achievement award include Tom Chase and Marilyn Carlson Nelson.

The Coppertop award was presented to the 2009 Host Committee of the 92nd Annual Convention of Lions Clubs International. The award traditionally honors an individual, institution or organization whose efforts have resulted in a major convention coming to Minneapolis. With members from 121 countries, 15,000 attendees spent the week of July 6 – 10, 2009, in Minneapolis. The convention was a resounding success, for the group and the city, with the Lions spending more than $17 million in the city’s hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, retail stores and the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The O.D. Gay award was presented to the University of Minnesota for TCF Bank Stadium and accepted by Athletics Director Joel Maturi. It honors an individual or organization that contributes significantly to the infrastructure of “Product Minneapolis.” Originally called the Builders award, The O. D. Gay award was renamed to honor the first director of the Minneapolis Downtown Council who was instrumental in the development of so many innovations, including Nicollet Mall and the skyway system.

The stadium is the first LEED-certified collegiate football facility in the country. LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. This signature venue adds significantly to our list of destination assets as a tremendous draw for bringing visitors to Minneapolis.

The Hospitality Hero award was presented to Downtown Improvement District (DID) and accepted by Sarah Harris, chief operating officer. It honors an individual or company who has contributed significantly to the public image of Minneapolis through outstanding hospitality and service. The Downtown Improvement District is a nonprofit entity that provides services to make downtown cleaner, safer and greener to achieve a more vital and vibrant downtown.

In only six months, the Hospitality Heroes have helped 40,880 pedestrians and saved more than 10 lives. Visitors and citizens are very impressed with these ambassadors and they’re a valuable asset to sell to groups who are visiting the city by improving safety and cleanliness throughout the downtown area.