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MPI Staff & Board Speakers
Bonnie Carlson, CDME
SPEAKING TOPICS:
- Industry Trends & Predictions
- My MPI Story
- Industry Advocacy
- Marketing
- Motivation
- Facilitation
- Depends on the event
For the past 35 years, Bonnie has held the position of President and CEO of the Bloomington, Minnesota Convention and Visitors Bureau. Her career covers 45 years in the travel industry.
Bonnie is very active nationally in the travel industry and is currently serving on the U.S. Travel Association Board of Directors and is also serving on Meeting Professionals International board of directors as the chair of the Finance Committee. She was the second female elected to serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors for 2001 & 2002 of the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, (IACVB) now known as Destinations International. She has also served on several industry foundation boards including DMAI Foundation Board, Meeting Professionals International Foundation Board, and U.S. Travel Association Foundation Board of Directors.
She is also active in Minnesota and is a past member of the Minnesota Lodging Association Board of Directors and served on the Explore MN Tourism Council for 11 years after being appointed by the Governor of Minnesota in 2004. She was also a member of the United States National Tourism Organization Board, which was created from the White House Conference on Tourism.
Bonnie maintains memberships and is active in several professional associations including American Society of Association Executives, U.S. Travel Association, Meeting Professionals International, Professional Convention Management Association and Destination Marketing Association International.
During her career she has been the recipient of many industry awards and was inducted into the Minnesota Meetings + Events Hall of Fame, honored with their Lifetime Achievement Award in April of 2015. She also received the Excellence of Tourism award from Explore Minnesota Tourism in Feb 2015 and was also inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Minnesota Lodging Association in December of 2014. In July of 2020 Bonnie was inducted in the Destinations International Hall of Fame.
Past awards also include being named one of 25 Women in Business Industry Leaders by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal and was recognized by Explore Minnesota Tourism with their prestigious Outstanding Individual in Tourism Award in 2008. She was also presented with the Spirit of Hospitality Award at the Bloomington Diamond Services Awards, the Woman of the Year Award from Sales and Marketing Executives Career Achievement Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Upper Midwest Convention and Visitors Bureaus.
Personally, Bonnie enjoys golf, walking, reading, and cooking.