A City Where People PLAY

Capital City Partnership is a strong partner with the Arts & Culture Partnership of Saint Paul, developed to position St. Paul as the region's leading center for arts, culture, and entertainment. Th e Arts Partnership helps strengthen arts and cultural organizations through collaborative marketing of the city's cultural resources, and helps to secure public and private funding of cultural organizations.

Arts and culture is a driving force in St. Paul's economy, and enhances the region's quality of life. A recent study indicates that the arts and culture industry generates an estimated $310 million in local economic activity, supports 8,025 full-time jobs, generates $242.7 million in household income to local residents, and delivers $35 million in local and state government revenue.

St. Paul's rich history of arts, culture, and entertainment adds to the quality of life in the Capital City. St. Paul's unique attractions differentiate the city as the cultural capital of Minnesota as evidenced by the Twin Cities having more live theater seats per capita than any U.S. city except New York City.

St. Paul proudly serves as home to more than 200 arts and cultural organizations, ranging from small, neighborhood-based collectives to world-class museums and performance centers including the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the Xcel Energy Center, Park Square Th eatre, Fitzgerald Th eater (home of Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion), the History Theatre, and the Minnesota Centennial Showboat. St. Paul is also home to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and world-class museums including the Science Museum of Minnesota, Minnesota Children's Museum, Minnesota History Center, Landmark Center, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.

Thriving cities support their arts and cultural assets. Capital City Partnership and its members provided financial resources to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, to allow the Ordway to partner with the Wang Theater in Boston to become co-producers of Irving Berlin's White Christmas musical. The Minnesota State Legislature also invested in St. Paul's crown jewel by providing bonding for building renovations. This recognition reaffirms Ordway Center as a keystone of our community's cultural and economic quality of life.

Capital City Partnership, along with other downtown organizations, supported funding the development of the Science Museum of Minnesota's new, state-of-the-art museum. The $100 million facility is a regional asset, and one of downtown St. Paul's main attractions. Capital City Partnership also funded, and led the successful effort to lure an NHL expansion franchise to the city in 2000. Today the NHL's Minnesota Wild, and the NLL's Minnesota Swarm call the first-class Xcel Energy Center their home. The Xcel Energy Center is the epicenter of the State of Hockey and serves as a multi-purpose entertainment venue, hosting over 160 events annually.

The Xcel Energy Center serves as an overall economic driver in our economy. A recent study revealed that 83 percent of all Xcel patrons come from outside of St. Paul, and spend an estimated $23 million annually. Th e arena has boosted St. Paul's economy by $100 million per year, and the Twin Cities economy by $250 million. In addition, St. Paul is home to the MLB's Saint Paul Saints who play at Midway Stadium, and the USL's Minnesota Thunder, who call Griffin Stadium home.

Visitor Destinations Attendance

Visitor Profile

Downtown St. Paul generates approximately 6.5 million visitors per year.

• 6.5 million visitors in 2005 to downtown St. Paul
• 4.6 million leisure travelers
• 776,900 business travelers
• 111,000 international travelers

Downtown Visitor Profile

The downtown St. Paul visitor:

• Has an average age of 42.1 years
• Has an Estimated Median Income of $68,400
• 56% are Female, 44% are Male.
• The average travel party size is 2.6 people
• 12% of visitors are of racial or ethnic minority
• 27% of St. Paul visitors travel with children

Why they come here:

• 77% of St. Paul visitors spend the night, with an average length of overnight stay of 4.3 nights
• 67% for vacation or short pleasure trip
• 13% for personal reasons
• 14% for a convention or conference
• 9% for business or work

Leisure travelers:

• 34% of leisure travelers to downtown St. Paul are residents of the State

Top non-resident travelers visit from: Wisconsin 8%, Iowa 3%, North Dakota 2%, Illinois 5%, California 3%, Michigan 3%, South Dakota 3%, and Texas 3%.

Festival/Event Visitor Profile

• Approximately 75% of visitors come from within 50 miles of downtown St. Paul.
• Over 90% of visitors to St. Paul festivals and events attend with family and/or friends that include 2-3 adults.
  - Nearly half are adult groups only
  - Over 30% of groups include children 12 and under
  - Approximately 15% of groups include adolescents 13 - 17
  
• More than 40% of visitors will visit more than one attraction within downtown St. Paul (based on attraction proximity to event).
• Visitors spend an average of $65.00 on food, souvenirs, and parking.
• Visitors spend an estimated three hours per visit in St. Paul.
• Over 90% of festival/event visitors are repeat visitors.

Downtown Hotel Profile

• St. Paul is home to 1,596 hotel rooms, 81% are located in downtown St. Paul, and generated 79% of the 2005 lodging tax revenue for the City of St. Paul.
• The 2005 Average Daily Rate of downtown St. Paul hotel rooms was $79.17, a 4% increase from 2004.
• The 2005 Occupancy Rate of downtown St. Paul hotels was 63.1%, a 5% increase from 2004.
• There were 1,057,934 St. Paul hotel room guests in 2005.

St. Paul Convention Activity

• In 2005, nearly 535,000 people attended conventions in St. Paul with an estimated economic impact of $72.9 million.
• Convention bookings through 2010 are estimated to bring an additional 1.14 million visitors to downtown St. Paul and generate more than $160 million in economic impact.
• St. Paul has been chosen to host the 2008 Republican National Convention, which is estimated to boost the Twin Cities economy by about $150 million.
• St. Paul has been chosen to host the USA Figure Skating Championships in January, 2008, which is expected to generate more than $2 million in economic impact.

St. Paul/Minneapolis ranks 12th in the metro-area tourism Gross Municipal Product by the International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

Source: St. Paul RiverCentre & Visitors Authority (RCVA)

A wealth of events at Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul RiverCentre, and the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium draw nearly 2 million visitors to downtown St. Paul each year.

Downtown attractions and events lure more than 6 million visitors each year. Favorites include:
1) the Science Museum of Minnesota;
2) Padelford Packet riverboat cruises;
3) Minnesota History Center;
4) Minnesota Children's Museum; and
5) Harriet Island festivals.

Both leisure and business visitors to St. Paul enjoy the energy and beauty of downtown.
6) Th e West 7th neighborhood has seen tremendous investment in the last ten years and is becoming a destinations itself.
7) Th e Xcel Energy Center draws Minnesota Wild fans.
8) Th e St. Paul RiverCentre and downtown hotels attract conventions from across the nation.