Host a Tour
It’s easy to be part of the Minnesota Statewide Tour of Manufacturing!
When can I host a tour?
Tours occur throughout October, but most tours happen during Minnesota Manufacturing Week, the first week of October.
Hosting and attending tours is FREE!
Be sure to register your tour for FREE
Why Host a Tour?
By opening your doors to the public, you can change their perception of what a manufacturing job is and start building the next generation of manufacturers! In 2018,
- 28.080 estimated individuals attended a tour.
- 10,521 K-12 students attended a tour.
- 209 manufacturers hosted a tour.
Tour attendees developed interest and awareness of manufacturing careers:
- 76% were interested in manufacturing careers.
- 88% were more aware of manufacturing careers.
- 85% were more interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
Tours Benefit Manufacturers
Manufacturers also found this to be a valuable activity:
- 88% thought hosting a tour was worthwhile.
- 88% felt their tours were successful.
- 85% thought the tour provided a valuable way to build interest in manufacturing.
We have resources to help you create a successful tour.
Toolkits & Tour Guides
Manufacturer Resources
This toolkit explains how to get started planning a tour or open house at your facility.
If you are organizing a tour in your community, this tool kit is for you.
If you are bringing students on a tour, this guide will help you and your students make the most of the tour.
If you’ve decided to host a tour, this guide outlines best practices and tips for a successful tour.
Some recommendations on how to host a virtual tour, this guide outlines information and tips for a virtual tour.
Help us to improve our tours by completing a Tour of Manufacturing Host Survey.
Virtual Tour Resources
Not sure why you would want to have a virtual tour? Are you looking to create your own virtual tour but don’t know where to begin? We have compiled some resources that may help. To start with, a virtual tour is a great way to get people interested in a career in manufacturing. You can show people what your company makes and what it is like to work there. Here are a few Minnesota-based companies.
Cardinal Consulting Solutions
A marketing agency with decades of experience creating video productions, including virtual tours and recruitment videos. EGM has partnered with Cardinal Consulting Solutions to combine areas of expertise and provides a suite of streamlined video production solutions, including virtual tours and recruitment videos.
Eggen group Marketing
Eggen Group Marketing, specializing in manufacturing, offers E-Z Virtual Tours as part of our offerings. We can help you create a low-cost, high-quality video of your manufacturing facility completely remote! We don’t need to step foot on your property. Contact video@eggengroup.com or (218) 770-9132 today to see examples and learn more!! Of course, if you prefer to have a videographer on-site, that is an option as well!
Lakes Area 360
Lakes Area 360 specializes in creating immersive 360° virtual tours of businesses and residences. Utilizing 360° panoramic still images, video, and text, we can help you share your story with customers, your community, and potential employees. See what we can do at www.lakesarea360tours.com! Contact or (218) 205-6037.
Promovideo Media
With over 20 years of shooting video in the area, Promovideo has built a video library of Red Wing community events and stories. Many of these old and new Red Wing videos are available at no cost online. Contact Tom Feehan: promovideomedia@gmail.com, (651) 983-1192, or visit www.promovideomedia.com.
There are also some online options that you can connect with. This is not a comprehensive list so feel free to research what would work best for your situation. If you wish to have your business listed please contact mnmfg@minnstate.edu.
Matterport
Whether you want to give buyers the feeling of being in a new home, help guests start picturing their stay, or showcase the wonders of your venue to event planners and patrons – Matterport 3D virtual tours can help you do more business, faster. Contact www.matterport.com or (888) 993-8990.
Virtually Anywhere
Virtually Anywhere is an immersive 360-degree imaging company. Since 1998, we have been pioneers in the 360 immersive content creation business, and remain so today. We take a different approach to creating 360-degree content for our clients vs our competition. As much as possible, we offer a first-person point of view to create an experience for the viewer as if they are there, no matter what device they are using. We approach each job with an eye toward true user engagement, a streamlined and natural user-friendly design, and most of all, a customer service model you will not find elsewhere. Contact: www.virtually-anywhere.com/, (512) 591-5500.
Concept3D
Let their journey begin. Step one for anybody interested in you is a visit to your website. Concept3D’s virtual tours inspire them to take the next steps on their journey to take a deeper look at your space, facility, venue, or campus. Integrated with your site, your virtual tours can be as broad or as detailed as you wish. Contact: inquiries@concept3D.com, (303) 569-4181.
CloudPano
CloudPano is the best software platform for publishing virtual tours. No coding required, keep your website domain, and even video chat live with clients. Instant support and a large community await. Contact: support@cloudpano.com, or (281) 410-8727.
KUULA
Our editor is simple but packed with powerful features. With the PRO plan, you can create unlimited tours, add labels, custom hotspots, nadir and zenith patches, background audio, interactive cards, and floor plans. Create beautiful 360 tours that your users won’t easily forget! Contact: contact@kuula.co.
“Opening our doors for tours has recently shown a return on that time and investment. We just hired a full-time person who participated in a tour a few years back. He has since graduated from a technical program and will soon be part of our team, all because of his experience touring our facility.”
“Partnering with Minnesota Manufactured is just one way we get involved to address the issues facing manufacturing today. We have seen the return on investment, as youth that once toured have pursued certifications and are now a part of our team.”