ANNIVERSARY OF GEORGE FLOYD'S MURDER >> ERIC: WE START TONIGHT WITH BIG SPORTS AND TOURISM NEWS.

TWO MINNESOTA PRO SPORTS TEAMS HAVE PLAYOFF GAMES TONIGHT.

PWHL MINNESOTA IS HOSTING GAME THREE OF THE FINALS JUST ACROSS DOWNTOWN AT THE XCEL ENERGY CENTER.

BUT THE TEAM GARNERING THE MOST NATIONAL ATTENTION THIS WEEK IS THE TIMBERWOLVES.

THEY HOST GAME TWO OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS IN JUST ABOUT A HALF HOUR OVER IN MINNEAPOLIS.

IT'S NOT THEIR PLAY ON THE COURT THAT WENT VIRAL THIS WEEK, IT WAS A POST-GAME INTERVIEW BETWEEN CHARLES BARKLEY AND ANTHONY EDWARDS THAT LED EXPLORE MINNESOTA TO CREATE A NEW UNOFFICIAL SLOGAN.

HERE WITH MORE, LAUREN BENNETT MCGINTY, HEAD OF MINNESOTA'S DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM.

HOW HAS THIS MUSHROOMED INTO KIND OF A PHENOMENON AND HOW DO YOU CAPITALIZE ON THAT?

>> WELL, I THINK FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A STATE DEPARTMENT AND SO FOR US TO BE ABLE TO QUICKLY MOVE AND GET PERMISSION FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND THEIR TEAM TO BE REALLY SUPPORTIVE HAS BEEN AMAZING, AND MY TEAM HAS JUST BEEN O EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF IT, AND ALL THE BUZZ AND WORKING REALLY HARD BUT I THINK REALLY WHAT HAPPENED IS, ANT OPENED THE DOOR.

THAT COMMENT WAS ONE WAY TO SAY MINNESOTA IS GREAT AND WE WANT YOU HERE, WE WANT TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF T AND HE'S NOT HERE FROM HERE ORIGINALLY, AND WE LOVE THAT, WHERE HE LOVE TRANSPLANTS SO TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT MON IN A WAY WE DON'T NORMALLY DO AS MINNESOTANS.

>> Cathy: HOW HAS THIS TAKEN OFF FOR YOU GUYS?

>> IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A BIG DEAL.

SO WE HAVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE ON OUR WEBSITE TRAFFIC OVER 1 175% INCREASE ON USERS, OVER 75% OVER SEXES AND SOCIAL MEDIA IS WHERE WE REALLY TOOK OFF BUS WE HAD A 1,000 OW INCREASE AND OF COURSE THE GOVERNOR'S PROCLAMATION THE OTHER DAY PROBABLY CHOSER TO OVER 6 MILLION VIEWS NOW ON X.

SO ITS BINE INCREDIBLE.

T-SHIRTS, WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THAT, DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE POPPING UP.

WE SORT OF STARTED THE MEME TEMPLATE WHICH IS A VERY FUN PLACE TO BE AT THE BEGINNING OF A TREND AND WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF OTHER PLACES, THE STATE FAIR GO, OF COURSE THAT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ONES THAT POPPED UP BUT EVERYBODY IS KIND OF TAKING IT IN STRIDE.

>> Eric: WITH THIS NEW EXPOSURE, HOW DO YOU PREVENT THIS FROM BEING A FLASH IN THE PAN AND GIVE IT FORWARD MOMENTUM?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, WE CHANCE MUCHED OUR BRAND-NEW TOURISM CAMPAIGN AT EXPLORE MINNESOTA AND AS QUICKLY AS WE COULD WE FIGURED OUT IF WE USE THE STAR OF OUR NEW STAR OF THE NORTH CAMPAIGN WHICH IS ALSO THE SAME STAR ON THE NEW FLAG WE COULD SPIN IT INTO SOMETHING ELSE.

DALLAS HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF OUR NEW MARKETS THAT WE'RE MARKETING TO SO THAT WORKED OUT, AS WELL.

AND WE'RE REALLY JUST -- THE FACT THAT THE CONTENT IS DRIVING TO THE WEBSITE, WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY DRAFT PEOPLE INTO ALL OF OUR NEW CONTENT THAT WE JUST UT OUT THIS YEAR AND IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE.

>> Cathy: WHAT DOES IT DO FOR TOURISM TO HAVE BIG SPORTS EVENT?

NOT ONLY YOU HAVE THIS, YOU HAVE THE TEAMS IN REALTIME GOING THROUGH THEIR FINALS, THE PWHL AND THE WOLVES OF COURSE BUT OTHER BIG SPORTING EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD.

HOW DOES THAT PLAY OUT WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUAL VISITORS?

>> IT'S A REALLY GREAT DRIVER OF TOURISM AND ECONOMIC IMPACT.

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT IN MINNEAPOLIS, HOTEL ROOMS WILL BE SOLD OUT TONIGHT, THERE'S LOTS OF PEOPLE COMING WHO ARE MAYBE NOT FROM THE TWIN CITIES BUT ARE IN MINNESOTA SO THAT'S DRIVING FOR HOSPITALITY PURPOSES.

BUT ULTIMATELY, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE LONGER TERM TOURNAMENT, WE'VE HAVE THE GYMNASTIC TRIALS COMING UP IN A MONTH AND THOSE ARE MULTIPLE DAY STAYS SO IF YOU'RE SITTING AROUND AND YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF DAYS LIKE CHARLES BARKLEY APPARENTLY DID, YOU CAN DEALT OUT OF TOWN AND FIND OTHER OTHER THINGS.

>> Eric: WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS?

>> I THINK IT'S GREAT FOR DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS AND I KNOW THEY'RE EXCITED TO HAVE PEOPLE DOWN THERE.

THEY WERE ABLE TO REALLY QUICKLY THROW TOGETHER A PARTY FOR EVERYBODY TONIGHT, CHANGING OUT SIGNS, PUTTING GO WOLVES ON THE ROAD BUT I THINK IT'S JUST A WAY FOR THEM TO SHOW OFF THAT MINNEAPOLIS IS STILL A FANTASTIC PLACE TO VISIT.

THERE'S ALSO A TWINS GAME GOING ON SO THERE IS A LOT TO DO IN MINNEAPOLIS AND IT'S A WONDERFUL PLACE TO BRING FAMILY AND RIENDS.

>> Cathy: LAST TIME WELL TALKED TO YOU, IT WAS VIRTUALLY BECAUSE WE HAD COVID SO GREATER MINNESOTA DID PRETTY WELL IN TERMS OF PEOPLE GETTING OUT TO GO TO PLACES BUT I WONDER, AS THE WHOLE STATE RECOVERED FROM THE PANDEMIC WITH TOURISM?

>> YOU KNOW, WINTER WAS TOUGH, THIS PAST WINTER, THE LOSS OF SNOW IN MOST PLACES WAS REALLY HARD FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND SO THAT KIND OF SET US BACK A LITTLE BIT BUT I WOULD SAY, I FULLY EXPECT TO BE BACK TO 2019 NUMBERS THIS YEAR AND I KNOW, LIKE OUR RESORTS ARE DOING REALLY WELL AND EVEN NOW WITH THE TWIN CITIES KIND OF BOUNCING BACK IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA, IT'S GOING TO BE A FANTASTIC YEAR.

>> Eric: THANKS FOR COMING OV