Duluth’s Tourism Marketing Working Group will hold listening sessions in May

DULUTH, Minn. – The future of Duluth’s multimillion-dollar tourism marketing contract is being led by a working group at the request of Mayor Roger Reinert. And later in May there will be opportunities for businesses and the public to have their say.

This comes after Reinert’s announcement in March that he believes next year’s marketing contract should be awarded to local talent.

In 2021, former Mayor Emily Larson chose Twin Cities-based Bellmont Partners to market Duluth for $1.8 million, meaning Visit Duluth was no longer operating as the city’s sole marketing agency after 85 years.

Visit Duluth would be downsized to what it is today: a visitors center with an emphasis on attracting conferences. Visit Duluth’s $650,000 per year contract expires at the end of December and will be considered through the RFP process.

Speaking about the upcoming listening sessions, Karen Pionk, Chair of the Tourism Marketing Working Group, said: “These listening sessions will be invaluable for us to connect with our community and gain valuable insights into how we can improve our tourism marketing. We look forward to working with industry partners and passionate individuals to ensure our efforts meet the needs and desires of our community and industry.”

The following dates have been set for in-person listening sessions and one virtual one:

Date: May 14, 1:00 PM

Location: Lake Superior Zoo, 7210 Freemont Street, Duluth, MN

Date: May 15, 8 a.m

Location: Lake Superior Railroad Museum, 506 W Michigan Street, Duluth, MN

Date: May 16, 4:00 PM

Location: Glensheen Mansion, 3300 London Road, Duluth, MN

In addition, for those unable to attend in person, a virtual listening session will take place at:

Date: May 20, 12:00 PM

Virtual platform: Microsoft Teams

Participation link: click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 268 324 755 621

Access code: 8r77hQ