Made in Minnesota Expo Draws a Large Crowd

The second annual Made in Minnesota Expo took place November 21 at the River’s Edge Convention Center.

More than 100 Minnesota-based businesses had stands set up during the event, which lasted from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The expo focuses on businesses that produce their products based out of the Land of 10,000 Lakes and allows them face-to-face interaction with customers to pitch their products.

Admission was free, courtesy of St. Cloud Red Wing Shoe Store. A large crowd of more than 1,000 came out to partake in free samples, games and giveaways and also got the chance to speak with local business owners.

It was also a good chance for the public to get some Christmas shopping done with a lot of products being on sale during the event.

The crowd was able to sample hot dish, nachos, granola, chocolate — among other things — during the expo.

The crowd could also register for a $500 stay at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd. The public could also explore a luxury ice house and the comforts that come with it in the west corner of the room.

A large contingent also gathered to take part in a session with the Trivia Ninjas. There was a bounce house on hand for the youngsters to burn off some energy while their parents did some exploring.

In addition, free massages were available from HealthSource Chiropractic.

The expo was presented by Smude Sunflower Oil and Townsquare Media.

Some events happening in January at the River’s Edge include the Pleasureland Scratch and Dent Show on New Year’s Day, the St. Cloud Wedding Expo on January 10, the St. Cloud Craft Beer Tour on January 16 and Catholic Charities’ Mardi Gras on January 23.

MADE IN MINNESOTA EXPO PREVIEW

The Made in Minnesota Expo returns to the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center this Saturday, November 21st. The expo, presented by Smude Sunflower Oil and Townsquare Media, runs from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free, courtesy of St. Cloud Red Wing Shoe Store. The expo focuses on businesses that are based out of Minnesota or produce their products in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Looking to start your holiday shopping? You’ll find something special, unique, and made in Minnesota, as most of the retailers will have items for sale. 

Last Year's Expo was the first year for the event, and it drew quite a crowd. So if you’re looking for a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, stop by the River’s Edge Convention Center this Saturday for the 2015 Made in Minnesota Expo!

While you learn more about some local companies, test out some free hot dish samples (what’s more Minnesotan than hot dish?) and register to win a $500 stay at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd. You can also test your brain power by playing trivia with local trivia masters, the Trivia Ninjas. For the youngsters, there will be a bounce house to help them burn off some energy.

The expo allows businesses face-to-face interaction with customers and allows them to pitch their products from all over the state. With a cold weekend anticipated, come inside to the River’s Edge Convention Center and see what products our great state has to offer! 

This year's vendors include:

Fall Fun Fest 2015 at River’s Edge Convention Center

The Joy Christian Center’s Fall Fun Fest drew a packed crowd to the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center this Halloween.

The event (which went from 1-5 p.m.) was free and open to the public and collected donations for area food shelves.

Originally held in a shed, the event started in 1998 and only drew in about 100 people. Seventeen Halloweens later, the Fall Fun Fest was held in the River’s Edge Convention Center and was expected to host around 5,000 - a successful improvement.

Kids that came to event played games and left the River’s Edge with their trick or treat bags filled with candy. Most of the parents and kids in attendance were decked out in their best costumes.

There were more than 100 games to play and a puppet show was also performed. Kids could also have their faces painted, burn off some energy in bouncing castles, and have their pictures taken in front of Halloween backgrounds.

Was your halloween just as successful? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!

2015 Toward Zero Deaths Conference

More than 900 traffic safety advocates came together in St. Cloud Oct. 29-30 at the River’s Edge Convention Center for the annual Toward Zero Deaths Conference.

New York Times reporter and best-selling author Matt Richtel, the author of Confessions of a Phone Addict: Distracted Driving and the Brain was the headline speaker to open the conference on Thursday.

Richtel provided a presentation describing the relationship between our brains and our smartphones and other gadgets. He broke down why they are so alluring to use while driving, even at high speeds and in bad weather.

Richtel also talked about why phones are so compelling to use while driving even though we know the great risk that goes with it. He tried to provide changes and solutions that the people in attendance could use for distracted driving.

Bethany Olson spoke at the conference on Oct. 30. She shared her story about how her children survived a car crash after she made life-saving adjustments to their cart seats at a car clinic just days before the crash.

The conference was attended by law enforcement officers, emergency medical and trauma service providers, engineers, public health officials and educators from around the state.

The goal of the annual conference is to always share best practices, identify ongoing and new traffic challenges and share new approaches to reduce traffic deaths and injuries.

In a survey in 2012, 86 percent of those polled admitted that texting while driving was a bad idea. However, 40 percent of those people also admitted they still did it. The goal of TZD is to try and minimize bad driving habits as much as possible.

Toward Zero Deaths started in 2003. Since that time, the number of traffic deaths has declined 45 percent, from 655 in 2003 to 361 in 2014 - the lowest number of road fatalities in Minnesota since World War II.

The 2015 Kid’s and Parent’s Expo

The annual Kids and Parents’ Expo sponsored by McKay’s took place October 10 at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud.There were 44 vendors on hand for the annual event, which brought in kids and parents of all ages. Kids 12 and under were admitted free to the event.

The event was sponsored by Once Upon A Child, Geyer Rentals, Savers, Little Saints Academy, Robinson’s Fruit Shoot and Royal Tire.

Kids were able to take their pictures with Elsa from “Frozen” and Spider-Man during the day. Elsa also sang songs and read Usborne Books throughout the day. Spider-Man didn’t want to reveal his secret identity, so he kept quiet.

Kids were also able to look at a St. Cloud Fire Department fire truck up close and hop on inflatables in the “Bouncing Kidz Zone.” People seemed to enjoy the bouncing castle the most, which featured a long slide.

Kids were also able to pet animals at the Expo and try on Halloween costumes.

The River’s Edge Convention Center can easily accommodate all events from concerts, weddings and socials, trade and consumer shows, conventions and conferences for a wide array of businesses and group sizes.

The River’s Edge Convention Center includes 150,000 square feet of space, 19 meeting rooms, 60,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 16,000 square foot ballroom and flexible square configurations available for all types of events.For more information, contact us online or by phone at 1-800-450-7272.

The River’s Edge Convention Center Has A New Website!

Planning your wedding, coordinating your next businesses meeting or figuring out how you’re going to spend your next night out in St. Cloud became a whole lot easier with the launch of the River’s Edge Convention Center’s new website! The new website was built with you in mind -- the people who plan and attend events in St. Cloud’s 180,000 square foot premier destination. The website is clean, easy to navigate and all the resources you need are readily available.

The main tabs across the top of the screen direct you to the pages you need when you’re planning an event at River’s Edge Convention Center. Click on the tab you need (Weddings/Socials, Conferences, Meetings, Entertainment, Consumer/Trade Shows) and you’ll be directed to all the information and resources needed to make your event a success. You’ll have access to our building layouts, catering information, internet service, room prices and more.

Not planning an event but are looking for something fun to do in the area? Scroll down our home page for our calendar of events, parking information and directions, or you can even sign up to receive notifications about River’s Edge Convention Center news and happenings. We want your experience at our facility to be the absolute best it can be, and we are very excited to provide you with all the resources you need to make that happen. You can also stay updated about events by getting social with us; click on the social media icons on the left side of the homepage.

We look forward to seeing you at the River’s Edge Convention Center! What do you like best about our new website? Your feedback is important to us! Let us know in the comments below:

Make Your Event A Success At River's Edge

Guest Blog: DAYTA Marketing

When looking for a home for DAYTA U St. Cloud 2015, all of us at DAYTA Marketing knew we needed to go BIG. After the past couple years, our one-day social media marketing seminar for local business owners and marketers has risen dramatically in popularity, and we expected attendance to double or triple. When looking for a venue, we wanted a space that could fit everyone attending and we also needed the right equipment and technology. We went to River’s Edge Convention Center and found everything we were looking for!

The staff at River's Edge worked with us on planning the event from the time we booked until the last box was packed up at the end of the day. Their assistance made everything less stressful and made the days and weeks leading up to the big day go more smoothly. Our Director of Marketing, Ellie Backes, was able to do walkthroughs and the Convention Center's team provided great insights and tips for room layouts.

“They made themselves available the day of and checked in consistently throughout the day,” said Ellie. “I've had events where our event coordinator is nowhere to be found the day of. This definitely gave us peace of mind that if anything came up we'd have support to get it handled.”

The night before DAYTA U, we were able to go to River’s Edge Convention Center and start setting up some of our supplies and to get a feel for the rooms. We realized we needed to make some last-minute adjustments to the room layouts, and the convention center staff was there to help in an instant. We were incredibly impressed with the staff’s responsiveness and customer service.

The morning of our event we had some late registrations, which wasn’t a problem. The staff was there to add some chairs to rooms to accommodate our new students. They also helped us make extra copies of print materials. Our attendees gave us feedback about how smoothly the whole day went and how impressed they were.

During the day of a big event, small things can really create a big dent, but we had peace of mind the whole day. River’s Edge Convention Center truly is the premier destination for the best events in Central Minnesota!

Make Your Dream Wedding Come True at River's Edge Convention Center

Create a truly remarkable wedding at River's Edge Convention Center in the heart of historic downtown St. Cloud, MN. With our wide variety of rooms and spaces, you can accommodate weddings as small as 50 guests or as large as over 1,000. Our space provides you limitless options for customization to fit your theme as well as giving you breathtaking views of the mighty Mississippi River.

Find inspiration from the photos of past weddings held at our venue and start your planning today!

Drapery and lighting transformed this room into a bright and beautiful reception.

Natural light coming in from the large windows facing the river brighten up this simple and gorgeous reception.

Guests can enjoy the gorgeous view of the river from this room.

Need to accommodate a lot of guests? That's okay!

Personalize your wedding to fit your theme with decorations and colored linens.

Decorating your tables and chairs with bright colors makes the whole room POP!

The gorgeous lighting in this wedding transformed the whole room.

Our Glenn Carlson Room is perfect for accommodating a large number of guests.

There is no end to customization options with our rooms.

Imagine having your reception here and your name up in lights!

We provide you with a list of preferred decorators who have experience transforming our rooms.

Decoration options are endless.

There is no detail too small when it comes to planning a wedding!

There is no shortage of elegance at River's Edge Convention Center.

Now that you have some ideas, start planning your wedding and reviewing our preferred decorators' work! Congratulations on your engagement, and we hope to see you soon at River's Edge Convention Center!

Key Benefits of Off-site Meetings

When planning a meeting, there are many factors to think about. We look into a time that is available for everyone involved, the agenda and (if we’re lucky) perhaps plan for a sweet treat, but often the location itself gets overlooked. There are many reasons why the location can sometimes be as important a factor as all other considerations. Choosing an off-site location such as St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center can maximize meeting time and efficiency in many different ways.

Distance from the Desk
Leaving the office helps individuals step away and stop thinking about outside duties. It takes away the possibilities of being distracted when client comes in or sending unrelated emails during a meeting. A new location helps co-workers compartmentalize their time and focus on current topics, which allows for more quality participation.

Spark Creativity
Getting away from day-to-day operations can help open space for new and innovative ideas- people think out of the box when thrown into a new situation. Utilizing a different space may also allow a greater amount of people to gather from various locations and meet with new individuals for an outside perspective. Mentoring relationships bloom during these kinds of meetings.

Enhance Presentation Opportunity
A new location can give presenters more opportunity for the use of equipment that may not be supported in the office, which makes for a more effective presentation. The speaker can be better equipped to engage the audience with a larger screen or more easily manipulated tools. The more engaging a presentation is, the more the team will likely remember and take new skills to the office with them.

Boost Team Morale- There is something invigorating about breaking habit. With co-workers, it can be a great way to infuse a team building opportunity. An off-site meeting allows the opportunity for face-to-face interaction, which is too often lost in the use of technology. Being present allows one to view the body language and other social cues that otherwise are missed. Even the opportunity to eat a meal together affords co-workers to have more relaxed time with one another to build a relationship and understanding beyond usual business. Also, an off-site meeting makes teams feel like there was more care taken in preparing for the meeting,  making the team members feel more valued. Boosting the team’s feeling of importance can translate into more commitment and loyalty.

A meeting’s location is a large factor in its ability maximize the time co-workers have with one another.  An off-site meeting at River’s Edge Convention Center may re-energize and bring passion back to those you work with. Plan your next event at an off-site location, and see the difference it makes in your team.

Consumer Shows Bring Guests To The St. Cloud Area!

It’s that time of year again -- consumer show season! Here at the River’s Edge Convention Center, we proudly boast many large consumer shows every season. We host the Car, Home, Boat, RV, and Farm Show among many others!

These shows are held in our large exhibit halls. Our exhibit halls range in square footage from 8,000-26,000, allowing us to host events of many sizes. Our Terry Haws Center is our main consumer show room. The center is divided into three sections -- Terry Haws A is 16,000 square feet, B is 17,325 square feet, and C is 26,000 square feet. These rooms can be divided in half or joined together with other sections for an even larger space. In addition to exhibit space, we also offer many other services to make the shows go smoothly. Some of the services we offer are audio/visual equipment, basic housekeeping, electric and utilities, seating and staging, parking, and more. In addition to these services, we can also help staff events. Our staffing services include ticket takers, door guards, security, and piano tuners, among others.  

Every year, these consumer shows bring a large crowd to the St. Cloud area. Luckily, the St. Cloud area has many local attractions for our visitors to see after they attend a consumer show. In the downtown area surrounding the convention center alone, there are 41 unique dining options. Some of these dining options include Jules Bistro, Brother’s Bar and Grille, and The White Horse. To see the full list of dining options, please visit The St. Cloud Downtown’s website. The downtown area also offers an exciting nightlife scene. Some of the more popular bars include the Red Carpet, Cowboy Jacks, and the Press Bar. To view the full list of nightlife, click here. In between sessions at the consumer

shows, guests can go shopping at some unique boutiques and shops in the downtown area, including Accents, Fitzharris Ski and Sport, Rush Boutique, and more. When the night comes to an end, guests can rest their heads at one of St. Clouds luxurious hotels, such as the Le St. Germain Suite Hotel, and the Kelly Inn, among others.

Overall, the consumer show seasons offers an event for the whole family. With all of the attractions that the St. Cloud premiere area has to offer, this will be a trip worth taking! We hope to see you soon!