TCSW Grows Its National Audience with Annual Fly-In Program
For the fourth year in a row, Twin Cities Startup Week is expanding its national reach through its Fly-In Program supported by Make It. MSP. — a strategic initiative of GreaterMSP. TCSW offers entrepreneurs and hard to find technical talent from around the country a $350 transportation voucher to attend Minnesota’s biggest startup conference, taking place October 9–16.
To court attendees, TCSW and Make It. MSP. coordinate a week of special events for participants meant to showcase the best of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul innovation and startup communities as well as our one-of-a-kind amenities.
Make It. MSP., the regional talent attraction and retention effort, is a collaborative organization consisting of hundreds of people from recruiters to human resource, business and community leaders and professional and community organizations, says Tiffany Orth, senior manager of Make It. MSP. This year, there are a number of other companies supporting the program, from Fortune 500 company C.H. Robinson to tech startup DailyPay.
“Every year it gets a little bigger and we get even better at engaging the visitors and getting them plugged into events & social activities all week long,” says Orth, mentioning that this year the program will fly in about 50 people.
Participants come from all over the U.S. and one as far as Australia, says Dalton Scott, director of the Fly-In Program. “We are really working on bringing people here who will add something to our community,” he says, mentioning that there will be a mix of entrepreneurs, people looking for new jobs, and those who are curious about the location.
“This year we think we did our best job yet — reaching hundreds of thousands of people and driving lots of new applications.” From the list of applicants, TCSW and Make It. MSP identify those who meet the selection criteria and express an interest in seeking employment in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
The initiative has been successful, with individuals and families moving to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region as a result of the Fly-In Program. From coast to coast, the program has seen people move to MSP from Boston and San Jose alike. Some are attracted to jobs at one of our many Fortune 500 companies but many are eager to join MSP’s fast growing startups.
“We think that seeing is believing when you’re considering moving to a new place,” says Orth. “It helps that these visitors land at MSP and have this nonstop week of activity where they get to see so much of our region. It’s a great way to dive right into so much of what we have to offer — including great job opportunities.”
Perks of the Fly-In Program will include exclusive meetups with sponsors, VIP tickets to TCSW, and an Ambassador Program, which Scott describes as a “concierge connecting service.”
Ambassadors, a small team of MSP residents eager to share their love for the region, act as connectors for all fly-in participants: if someone has a special interest in a specific company or person, ambassadors work to make that connection happen.
“It’s about that level of hands-on attention that they get when they’re here,” says Scott. “They get their flight reimbursed, they get VIP tickets, but what’s really cool is that they can get connected to anyone in the city that they want.”
TCSW is supported by corporations, nonprofits and city governments. These organizations are driven to nurture the next generation of leaders in Minnesota, to ensure the next great innovation happens in our own backyard.
