Minnesota is both a natural meeting spot and an idyllic host for events, and its capital city embodies it all. “St. Paul is an accessible, easy-to-execute-an-event-in capital city that blends historic charm with modern meetings infrastructure,” says Amanda Friedrich, vice president of sales and service at Visit Saint Paul. “Set along the scenic Mississippi River, the city offers brick-lined streets; classic architecture; and warm Midwestern hospitality that gives events a distinctive, welcoming vibe.”
Attendees can get from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to downtown St. Paul with an easy 25-minute bus ride or a trip on the Metro Transit light-rail (35 minutes, one transfer). Depending on where they step off transit, meeting-goers might find themselves near the eateries around Rice Park; Grand Casino Arena; Ordway Center for the Performing Arts; or by some of downtown St. Paul’s best hotel, venue, and restaurant combinations.
One example of an all-in-one property is The Saint Paul Hotel, which includes 15 private event rooms for eight to 500; attendees might enjoy the hotel’s in-house catering or meals at The St. Paul Grill in the hotel, with semiprivate dining available for 16 to 80. InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront also features in-house catering, as well as the attached Citizen St. Paul restaurant with semiprivate dining for six to 80, and you can pick from 15 gathering spaces across 40,000 square feet. In addition, planners can easily accommodate technology needs via the hotel’s partnership with audiovisual and lighting specialists AVEX Minneapolis.
To help you find the best option for your event, services such as Visit Saint Paul’s complimentary event planning can help every step of the way. “No matter the size of your event, whether it’s 10 hotel rooms or thousands, we provide the same level of attention and service,” Friedrich says. Visit Saint Paul event planners know the city inside and out, but you can’t go wrong among the city’s arts and culture, sports, dining, and—of course—tried and true venues.
From Historic to Modern
St. Paul is full of timeless event venues. The clock-towered Landmark Center has spaces for 20 to 1,200 in the former federal courthouse and post office of the Upper Midwest. The charming Carondelet Event Center prioritizes a welcoming attitude and affordability, and your attendees will appreciate its beaux arts style, guest rooms, and adjacent forested grounds. And Union Depot’s history might just prompt you to reserve a walking tour of the building in addition to booking one of its seven reservable spots for parties from 20 to 3,000 attendees.
To go more modern, A’Bulae in downtown St. Paul features an elevated and chic ballroom for up to 465 people seated, a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck, and three smaller lounge spaces. At A’Bulae and at each of its sister venues, planners will work with a staffer who will guide them through all the decisions, from the many lighting and decor options to the menu. A’Bulae’s open space allows you to be versatile with your event flow. Recently, one event began with a 16-person executive lunch, and it flowed into a 45-person happy hour with breakout sessions.
“At A’Bulae, we have curtains we can [use to] close off certain areas of the event, and cocktail tables and round tables really fill the space,” explains Kim Bushard, who serves as general manager of A’Bulae and Le Veneré across the street, its intimate and decadent associated venue recommended for parties between 50 and 200.
Still, planners would be remiss not to look at the Saint Paul RiverCentre: the city’s hallmark convention center nestled along the Mississippi River. Its options include two exhibition halls that, combined, cover 68,000 contiguous square feet directly connected to a fully enclosed loading dock; a 27,000-square-foot grand ballroom that can be divided into eight sections; and more than a dozen meeting rooms of different sizes.
Connected to the Saint Paul RiverCentre for even more event possibilities is the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, a 5,500-seat auditorium with a concealable balcony level, its own exhibition hall that connects to the RiverCentre’s, and four dance studios that can be converted into conventional event spaces or kept as is to facilitate an engaging movement experience for planners and their attendees.
Uniquely St. Paul
If you’re bringing attendees to St. Paul, consider augmenting your itinerary with group experiences that are unique to the city—or, in the case of the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, unique to the “State of Hockey.” The Frost, who play at Grand Casino Arena, have won two out of two Walter Cup championships, and six Frost players took home U.S. gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Even with the championship mindset, the games provide a friendly atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.
“Photos on the ice, Zamboni rides, postgame autographs—those are for everyone,” says Joe Anderson, team director of business operations for the Minnesota Frost. “We want people to know we can take a group offering and tailor it to their personnel and give them [different] opportunities, too.” For example, when the Frost hosted a group of area Girl Scouts, in addition to working with restaurants to coordinate pregame socializing, they created custom patches for the troop.
If you seek a year-round experience, check out Wabasha Street Caves, Can Can Wonderland, or Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. Wabasha Street Caves, with a buyout capacity of up to 225, has a public swing-dance lesson and big band playing every Thursday, but you also can learn the secrets behind the purportedly gangster-haunted space by booking a cave tour beforehand. Can Can Wonderland, offering buyouts, also allows your attendees to have fun and mingle, but here they can do so in a saturated wonderland with an indoor mini golf course; arcade; stage entertainment; and cocktails. For a meeting with a hint of the wild, the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory’s Polar Bear Lodge venue offers an intimate setting with views of the “Polar Bear Odyssey” exhibit.
If you want a spot suitable for interactive fun and a reception dinner, head to the Science Museum of Minnesota. With its towering Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in the entryway and a 60-foot astronaut likeness hanging from the ceiling, the museum often intrigues attendees. Recently, a client booked a full museum rental featuring two large welcome receptions, multiple special menu requests, and an event layout that encouraged attendees to explore the space’s interactive exhibits that are fun for all adult attendees, too.
“We work with this client often, and we love to refresh the experiences for their attendees through our Science Live entertainment shows,” says Tara Uppman, the museum’s director of advancement services. Science Live is the Science Museum of Minnesota’s in-house theater company that combines science demonstrations, theater, and jovial entertainment, with themes such as “How to Train Your Dinosaur,” “Destination Outer Space,” and “Kitchen Chemistry.”
With these experiences and countless more, attendees will experience the unique combination of state-of-the-art facilities, historical beauty, and whimsy that make up the capital of the North Star State.
