Thank you Minneapolis.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Minneapolis to attend the  At Edge Face to Face event.  As always, it was the perfect way to start a networking trip.  Susan Baraz, Elizabeth Owen, Claudia Coffman and of course Glen Serbin flawlessly hosted an event that connected photographers with the top level creative talent in the area.

After surviving the 50 story elevator ride (barely!) I was able to meet new photographers, present photography to art buyers and creative directors and catch up with old friends in the industry.  As usual the event did not let me down and it was well worth the trip from the west coast.  It was a perfect starting point for my portfolio road trip.

If you are interested in learning more about At Edge, link here to my previous blog post outlining why they are a “True Marketing Partner.”

As I am sure many of you know, Minneapolis is an amazing city for so many reasons.  One of which is the people – they are so very friendly.  I truly feel like I am visiting old friends.  Each appointment is more fun than the next.

On this particular trip I traveled with Ron Berg and Richard Schultz and I have to say I loved the company.  They were perfect companions and we made a great team.  Not to mention the help they gave me with the portfolios and the great photos they took.

This trip was not much different than the other trips I take but I thought it would be fun to share some photos and observations from my visit.

•  People who live and work in Minneapolis love it in Minneapolis.  Everyone knows each other and there is a great sense of community.  People who work there rarely leave there and if they do, they tend to come back.  Doreen Hoff and Christopher Grimes are perfect examples of people who just couldn’t stay away.  I was thrilled to see them both when I visited Olson.

•  Target is a big brand and a big client.  In Minneapolis you either work at Target, work on the Target account, know someone who works on Target or shop at Target.  There are zero degrees of separation between people from Minneapolis and Target.

•  Things must be going well in Minneapolis because most agencies we visited either just moved, just renovated or just hired more people.  Every agency was buzzing with great creative energy and every agency was excited for the future.  (Or, maybe it was spring fever!)

•  People in Minneapolis are just plain nice.  Even though there were a bunch of reps in town, most every agency show was well attended.  No one complained that I was the 5th agent that week showing off portfolios.  They came to the show, reviewed the work, met the photographers and genuinely were appreciative of our visit.

•  Minneapolis is a creative town. Every agency we visited showcased some very cool work on their walls.  You would think that would be a given seeing that this is the advertising business, but I travel to many agencies all over the country and that is not always the case.  From local brands to international brands, everything we got a sneak peek at was top notch.

All in all it was a really great trip filled with friendship and fun. I hardly feel like I am working when I travel to Minneapolis and always walk away so appreciative of the relationships I have made and friendships I have formed.  While I am of course happy to come home, I always leave there excited to come back the next year (but never in the winter – I made that mistake only once!).

Enjoy some photos of the trip.  Thank you Ron Berg for being our personal photographer.