The Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association’s annual conference was held April 18-20 in Minneapolis and Barbara Young of Poplar Creek Guesthouse B&B on the Gunflint Trail chaired the event. Young is president of the state association.
The event was attended by bed and breakfast owners throughout Minnesota, and was highlighted with speakers from as far away as New Jersey, Washington and Texas, and as close as St. Paul.
According to Young, “The overall message of the gathering was that occupancy is improving and will continue to improve for the B & B industry and methods of social marketing (twitter, Facebook, blogs etc.) are necessary to keep ahead of the curve. The trend is that in a sluggish economy, vacationing close to home is popular, practical and safe. This certainly points to B & B opportunities.”
The conference featured workshops promoting packaging with trails and birding; methods of adding value to inns’ offerings and diversification of small business. Additional workshop leaders included a pastry chef; a photography business owner; a health department expert; an energy resource consultant;
marketing guru and a bird guide.
The Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association is a nonprofit organization whose aim is promoting the state’s Quality Assured member inns as well as offering support, networking and education for innkeepers. Organized in 1985 with 12 members, the association now has 115 members.
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