Making the Case for Minnesota as a Place to Work and Play

When Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appointed Lauren Bennett McGinty to lead Explore Minnesota—the North Star state's visitor bureau—in November 2021, she had her work cut out for her. Bringing Minnesota’s tourism industry, a $16 billion business in 2019, out of its pandemic slump would take all of her experience as a marketer and a former lobbyist. Broaden your mind Like many aspiring marketers, McGinty got her bachelor’s degree in communications. But to move up at Scientific Societies, an association management nonprofit, she went back to get a master's in project management rather than a traditional MBA. “I'm really thankful for it, because it helps me better lead a strategic vision and manage really small teams and move things forward in a way that's much more nimble,” she said. The skills she honed there also led to McGinty building her role at the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild into the first salaried woman at the organization, bringing marketing and event planning in-house for its 160 member breweries. During Covid, McGinty pivoted to lobbying for the state’s hospitality industry. “My role really shifted from promotion externally to promotion internally: How do we ensure that these folks have what they need to survive?” she recalled, encompassing all the businesses that serve her breweries’ products. “Some days were more contentious than others.” When the executive director post at Explore Minnesota became available in 2021, it was that experience that set her apart. “I know how to market the whole state and all of the different businesses in the state and be a champion for them,” she said. Speak their language In her four years with the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, McGinty attained her certification as a Cicerone (craft beer expert)—and learned a few things about marketing to a sometimes less-than-receptive audience. Minnesota was the home state of Rep. Andrew Volstead, the Republican behind the National Prohibition Act of 1919, and its alcohol laws remain some of the strictest in the country. When seeking to grow Explore Minnesota’s budget, McGinty had to overcome a different kind of resistance. “Minnesotans, because we're all so nice, we’re really bad at bragging about ourselves,” she said. While legislators understand that tourism supports local businesses, which then create jobs, contribute taxes, and put money back into the community, it took her expertise to connect the dots for them. “I did my research. 'If you're from this county, here are the things that I see as tourism destinations,’ and that would trigger in their mind, ‘Oh, yeah, that place needs more funding, or we need to attract more people here because of this event.’” All that work paid off when the legislature passed a $25 million boost to Explore Minnesota’s budget in 2023. The real customer lifecycle While working to boost Explore Minnesota's budget, McGinty worked extensively with the state’s Department of Employment and Economic Development. To win their support, she and her team had to figure out a way to promote Minnesota as not just a place to visit, but also as an attractive place to work and build a business. “We focused on the halo effect,” which says that people who travel somewhere and have a positive experience are more likely to see themselves going to school, working, or retiring there, too. So earlier this year, Explore Minnesota launched a dual-purpose campaign called “Star of the North” to help visitors see themselves there for longer than a vacation. Explore Minnesota invited influencers to experience iconic (Mall of America) and lesser-known (the harbor village of Grand Marais) attractions for the first time. But to tell the story of living there, McGinty and her team knew they had to find real people to talk about opportunities in Minnesota. To find new-to-Minnesota professionals, they first reached out to HR departments at various companies. That was largely unsuccessful, so McGinty turned to the social network of the moment. “I literally just put out a message on LinkedIn and said, ‘Has anyone moved here in the last five years who is willing to tell why and what they like about Minnesota?’” she said. “And it kind of took off.” Work Bio: Lauren Bennett McGinty is a nonprofit executive with more than 10 years of experience working in communications, operations, finance, hospitality, education, and advocacy at Minnesota-based nonprofits. Before Explore Minnesota, she served as executive director of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild, overseeing strategy, event planning, and marketing, and was involved with the Master Brewers Association and the American Society of Brewing Chemists. She has been working or volunteering in the brewing industry since 2010 and is a Level 1 Certified Cicerone. Correction: This story originally mischaracterized McGinty's work in boosting the budget for Explore Minnesota. She was only a lobbyist with the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild.

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Making the Case for Minnesota as a Place to Work and Play

Lauren Bennett McGinty is taking the Star of the North to new heights

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Eva Kis

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