Wendy Williams Blackshaw has spent more than 20 years branding the Twin Cities as the ultimate landing spot for companies and events. From the Mall of America to the Super Bowl, Blackshaw has helped Minneapolis and St. Paul earn a spot as a top destination for tourism, sporting events, and more.

Blackshaw served as the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee in the leadup to the 2018 Super Bowl. This marked just the second time Minneapolis had played host to the biggest sporting event of the season, and the first time since 1992. She raised $52 million to fund the 10-day Bold North Festival that brought more than one million people to Minneapolis and highlighted the Twin Cities as an attractive place to live, work, and visit.

After hosting the Super Bowl, leaders from the hospitality, sports, and business communities in Minnesota joined together to form a more united approach to bidding for, securing, and hosting major sporting events. Minnesota Sports and Events was officially created in June 2020, and Blackshaw was named President and CEO.

The first major event for Blackshaw and MS&E was the 2022 NCAA Women’s Final Four - and it received rave reviews. She and her team then played host to both the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournaments. The 2024 tournament saw more than 129,000 fans in attendance - a new event record. That week, thanks to Blackshaw’s planning - and Caitlin Clark fever - Minneapolis hotel occupancy hit nearly 83 percent, its highest level since October 2019.

Blackshaw and her team were back in action in June, hosting the U.S. Olympics Gymnastics trials. The hosting cost for the trials was $6 million, however the four-day event brought in more than $74 million, including more than $26 million in labor income.

Not only do these events generate revenue for our region and state, they also help promote participation for local youth, and show young girls - and athletes of all ages and levels - that there are opportunities to compete at high levels right here in Minnesota.

Next up for Blackshaw and her team is the NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four in March 2025. Blackshaw also helped secure the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships, the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, the 2026 WWE SummerSlam, the first and second rounds of the 2027 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, and the 2028 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Blackshaw received several recent honors for her work in branding the Twin Cities as a top destination for key sporting events. She was named the 2023 Executive of the Year by WISE Women of Inspiration, and the 2024 Trailblazer of the Year by Taste of Twin Cities. She was also recently named an Alumni of Distinction by the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts, and a Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award winner.

Along with bringing events and revenue to the Twin Cities, Blackshaw is also an active participant in the local community. She has been involved in boards for Minneapolis Vision 2035, Special Olympics Minnesota, the Emily Program Foundation, and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.

Blackshaw has spent her career creating a vision for Minneapolis and St. Paul as legitimate contenders for large sporting events. These many highly successful events represent incredible milestones for the Twin Cities and all of Minnesota. Through her work with MS&E, she has elevated girls’ and women’s sports in the state and labeled Minnesota as a destination where all athletes are supported and deserve the highest level of quality event production, no matter what sport is on the schedule.