MANKATO, Minn.— February 21, 2025.  Visit Mankato is celebrating a major win following the 2025 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference, which took place February 18 and 19 in Minneapolis. The organization took home the coveted Outstanding Marketing Campaign Award for its successful summer/warm season 2024 campaign and was also recognized as a finalist for the Social Media Excellence Award.

The Outstanding Marketing Campaign Award recognizes an innovative marketing campaign that has demonstrated exceptional creativity, innovation, and effectiveness. Visit Mankato’s summer/warm season marketing campaign earned the Outstanding Marketing Campaign Award for its innovative and effective multi-channel approach. Focusing on themes like outdoor recreation, Minneopa State Park, wineries and breweries, and family fun, the campaign leveraged paid and organic social media, YouTube, CTV, digital and print advertising, mobile billboards, and content marketing to drive tourism to the region.

Visit Mankato’s nomination for the Social Media Excellence Award recognizes its impactful and engaging presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Through high-quality content and creative campaigns like the “3 Places to Visit in Mankato This Weekend” Reels series, which involves actively engaging with the local community to capture compelling footage, the organization effectively promotes those businesses and showcases the region’s diverse offerings for visitors and locals alike.

“Receiving the Outstanding Marketing Campaign Award is a tremendous honor,” said Ashlee White, Director of Visit Mankato. “This achievement is a true reflection of our team’s passion for Greater Mankato and the incredible spirit of collaboration we share with our local businesses, attractions, events, and community partners. We’re grateful to Explore Minnesota Tourism for this recognition and excited to continue developing innovative ways to showcase the unique charm and vibrancy of our region.”

“Visit Mankato’s selection by Explore Minnesota for this award reflects the hard work and commitment of our Visit Mankato team. This recognition is a direct result of their efforts, and I am proud of their dedication to the tourism industry and to the promotion of this great region.” Stated GMG President and CEO Della Schmidt. “We look forward to Visit Mankato continuing its work in promoting tourism and building on this success for the future benefit of Greater Mankato.”

The Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference, the state’s annual event designed specifically for the Minnesota tourism industry, brings together professionals to celebrate innovation and excellence. The event attracted more than 500 hospitality and tourism professionals from around the state and region, providing a platform to network, learn, and celebrate achievements. The conference also addressed key trends and challenges facing the tourism industry, emphasizing the importance of sustainable and responsible tourism practices.

Visit Mankato extends their gratitude to Explore Minnesota Tourism for this recognition and to all the partners and community members who contributed to their success.

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About Visit Mankato:
Visit Mankato, the local destination management organization, is a business unit of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. (GMG), which also includes the regional Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization, Greater Mankato Growth, the downtown development organization, City Center Partnership, and GreenSeam, which utilizes agriculture to build on the region’s extensive agribusiness assets to develop the ag economy. Visit Mankato leads the development of the visitor economy in Greater Mankato by actively promoting Greater Mankato as a premier destination for conventions, tournaments and tourism. These activities bring a steady flow of visitors and business activity to Greater Mankato that benefits local residents and future visitors. The work of Visit Mankato helps strengthen the hospitality industry which provides jobs, a diverse tax base and amenities for everyone to enjoy.