MADE FOR INSIDERS.
Champions Council is the only place in Minnesota where senior business, civic, and sports leadership converge around the moments that keep Minnesota a premier host city on the world stage. Through behind-the-scenes experiences, insider event access, and conversations you can't have anywhere else, members move from the audience to the room — and from the room to the table.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE INSIDE
FOUR WAYS THE ROOM SHOWS UP FOR YOU.
01
ACCESS
Behind-the-scenes experiences. Insider event access. Premium hospitality.
You can't get this anywhere else.
CONNECTION
02
Curated relationships with Minnesota's most influential leaders — across business, civic, sport, and culture.
The right people in the right room.
03
INFLUENCE
A seat in the conversations shaping the future of major events in Minnesota.
Be part of the conversations that matter.
LEGACY
04
A role in elevating Minnesota on the national and global stage.
You didn't just attend. You helped bring it here.
WHERE INSIDERS GO
a GLIMPSE OF THE YEAR INSIDE.
The events below are only the beginning. As a Champions Council member, you'll enjoy access to 20+ exclusive experiences throughout the year — from can't-miss moments to behind-the-scenes access you won't find anywhere else.
EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
premium access to mnse events
When Minnesota wins the bid, members are in the room. Champions Council members receive exclusive access to the mega-scale events that MNSE hosts as the Local Organizing Committee — including behind-the-scenes experiences and exclusive events in the lead-up.
PRO TEAM INSIDER ACCESS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS EXPERIENCES
Each year, members get premium, exclusive access to Vikings Training Camp and the Draft Party — including chalk talks with Vikings leadership and entry into premium hospitality areas not often accessible to the public.
PRO TEAM INSIDER ACCESS
MINNESOTA TWINS EXPERIENCE
An annual Twins experience that gives members access beyond the game. This spring, members heard from Owner Tom Pohlad in a small, intimate setting about the state of the organization and what they are doing to see success in the near future — plus on-field access to batting practice.
PRO TEAM INSIDER ACCESS
MINNESOTA WILD EXPERIENCE
An annual event at Grand Casino Arena that gives members the ability to hear from Wild leadership and insiders while experiencing premium hospitality. Last year's event included a panel conversation tied to the World Juniors, as guests got to hear from now Hobey Baker award winner Max Plante before watching the Wild play from a suite.
EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
SHERIFF IMMERSION DAY
New in the fall of 2026, Sheriff Witt and her Hennepin County Sheriff Department host the group for an inside-access into what all her department does in our community. From an immersive jail experience to the crime lab, members get a behind the scenes look into their work that is not available to the general public.
EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
annual holiday party
More than the traditional holiday party, each December, Champions Council members have access to our premier Holiday Party that features a lineup of special guests each year. In 2024, Jimmy Jam and his father Cornbread Harris performed on keyboards together for the group.
UMN INSIDER ACCESS
INSIDE GOPHER SPORTS
Multiple events are held each year in partnership with the University of Minnesota, giving members access to various sporting events while also hearing from athletic department leadership. Recent chalk talk features include Director of Athletics Mark Coyle and Women's Basketball Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
LEADERSHIP FORUM SERIES
BREAKING THE ICE
An evening of powerful, honest conversations where hockey legends open up about life beyond the rink. Together, they shared their personal experiences with adversity, mental health, and recovery, offering hope and perspective to all who attended.
LEADERSHIP FORUM SERIES
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS
Members have the chance to hear from leaders in positions that make us a premiere host city, such as: public safety, hospitality, tourism, and other key departments.
CHAMPIONS IN CONVERSATION
Inside our members' stories.
Once a month, we sit down with a Champions Council member to talk about the Minnesota moments that shaped them, the events on their radar, and what being in this room has meant.
​"I grew up in Minnesota and when I was in college the METRO Green Line was being built, which gave me the chance to include light rail in events I planned as a student. When I graduated, I continued my event planning career, and almost four years ago I found Metro Transit was hiring an event-focused marketing position — one that let me keep doing what I love while coordinating campaigns that impact the community in important ways."
ALICE JOHNSON
METRO TRANSIT
MARKET DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST | MARKETING
LEAD FROM INSIDE
MEMBERS TAKE THE LEAD.
Champions Council isn't a passive room. Members chair the committees that shape the events Minnesota lands and the impact that those events leave behind.
SIGNATURE EVENT
2026 WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Help bring the world's greatest youth hockey event to the State of Hockey.
SIGNATURE FUNDRAISER
2026 MNSE GOLF INVITATIONAL COMMITTEE
Be a part of the planning of MNSE's inaugural golf invitational on Monday, August 10th, 2026 at White Bear Yacht Club.
CIVIC IMPACT
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION COMMITTEE
Focused on MNSE's commitment to a legacy and culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion across every event that we host.
CIVIC IMPACT
COMMUNITY IMPACT COMMITTEE
Channel the energy of major events into measurable community outcomes: schools, youth sport, neighborhoods.