Minneapolis Community Connections Conference to be Held May 21

Article by Becky Fillinger

This year’s Minneapolis Community Connections Conference is scheduled for May 21 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It is an annual event connecting City government with community groups and residents. We talked to City Spokesperson Sarah McKenzie about how to participate and what to expect this year. 

Q:  Please tell us about the Community Connections Conference. Who may attend, exhibit?

A:  Everyone is welcome to attend. To reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, attendees will be required to follow any local public health mandates such as mask wearing and social distancing.

Exhibitors: To keep everyone safely distanced and lessen the risk of spreading COVID-19, we are limiting the number of exhibits in the exhibit hall. We will be prioritizing nonprofits, community partners, sponsors and government entities. Find out more about exhibiting and apply for one of the exhibit spaces on the Community Connections Conference exhibitor webpage.

Q:  What is the theme of this year's event?

A:  This year's conference theme is "forward together." This theme welcomes all communities to reconnect with the City and get involved in moving Minneapolis forward.

Q:  Does the City have goals for the conference? How will you know if it is a success?

A:  We host this conference so that:

• Residents, community groups, neighborhood organizations, City of Minneapolis departments and decision-makers can connect.
• All communities feel welcome to get involved in local decision-making.
• Residents learn about programs and policies that affect them.

There will be surveys about the conference experience collected at the end of the conference. We will know this conference is successful if residents, neighborhood organizations, City departments and decision-makers attend, connect, feel welcome, learn new things, and ultimately get involved in City engagement opportunities, programs, services and decision-making.

Q:  You mention that exhibit space is available. What groups, individuals or businesses will typically be present? How do I secure an exhibit space?

A: Typically, neighborhood organizations, City departments, local government and community groups are present in the exhibit hall. Conference sponsors are for-profit businesses that also receive space in the exhibit hall. The application for exhibit space can be found on our exhibitor webpage.

Q:  How may we follow news of the Neighborhood and Community Relations office?

A:  For conference updates, you can sign up for the Community Connections Conference email list or follow the conference Facebook event pages. We will also post updates to the conference webpage.

• Conference email updates sign-up.
• English: 2022 Community Connections Conference Facebook event page
• Spanish: Conferencia Comunitaria 2022: Juntos para adelante
• Somali: Shirka bulshada ee 2022: "Horay Baan Usoconaynaa"
• Hmong: Koomtes Mus Ua Ke: Community Connections Conference 2022

For general updates about the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department, you can sign up for our newsletter.