We are very excited to share that we are moving to the DoubleTree in Bloomington, MN for 2D Con Prime 2024 and future years. The dates will remain the same – August 23-25, 2024.

The DoubleTree has been home to many fan conventions in Minnesota, including Anime Detour, CONvergence, MiniCon and 2D Con. A fan favorite hotel due to many reasons but primarily because of its central location, free parking, a more community-friendly layout, and quiet neighborhood.

In 2019 most events moved from the DoubleTree to the Hyatt in Minneapolis due to various reasons involving policy changes and previous management. In 2020 the Doubletree was sold and is under new management.

In the last few years the hotel has undergone over $35 million in renovations to improve various infrastructure such as the HVAC and filtration system, accessibility and more. They even replaced the dreaded revolving doors with a doublewide sliding door and installed new elevators.

Our experience with the new management has been overly positive. This year we moved 2D Con: Unplugged to the DoubleTree and were met with accommodating friendly staff, and a great experience. We expect this to continue with 2D Con Prime.

So Why are We Moving?

The main reason is cost. There are many additional costs associated with being in a downtown hotel, from higher room rates, venue fees, parking fees, and even permits for truck parking. All of these add up. We put a heavy focus on being an accessible and inclusive event and affordability is a large, often overlooked part of them both.

Starting in 2025 our venue fees and room rates at the Hyatt were going to increase exponentially, This would have led to a very large increase in registration rates and the quality of 2D Con would have suffered. We have a firm belief that conventions should be affordable and that prices should remain low for attendees.

Another large reason is accommodations and safety. There are many affordable food options near the DoubleTree including Burger King, TGI Fridays, Dairy Queen, Taco Libre and Subway. All of these are located in or near the hotels parking lot.

Safety wise we have encountered numerous incidents involving non-convention goers creating an unsafe environment during our late night events. We take this very seriously and work hard to prevent these issues. At the DoubleTree we will be utilizing the entire venue and it’s secluded design will help prevent this type of issue.

Overlapping events is another issue that we have faced. There are a lot of events during the summer in Downtown Minneapolis. When large events overlap with 2D Con we have seen price increases on overflow hotels, parking rate increases and lack of free spots. We’ve seen parking as high as $65/day at neighboring lots.

Savings Breakdown

Hyatt

• Room Rate – $145/night ($169/night for 2025)
• Parking Fee – $35/day for attached ramp
• Airport Shuttle – None

DoubleTree

• Room Rate – $125/night ($135/night for 2025)
• Parking Fee – Free
• Airport Shuttle – Free

Renovations

It’s no secret that the DoubleTree had some accessibility issues for those who use mobility devices. During their recent renovation there were a lot of welcome upgrades the solve some of these issues.

• South Entrance has been upgraded to a ramp instead of a curbed sidewalk
• Main entrance has removed the rotating door and replaced it with a double-wide automatic door
• Elevators have been renovated with modern equipment
• New air filtration system installed

Reserve a Room

The DoubleTree rooms have sold out and we have added an additional room block at the neighboring Sheraton. View our Venue Page for more information.

Potential Roadblocks

With any event, getting there is a matter of resources and planning. To help you with your trip to 2D Con we have listed out some options.

We have confirmed with the DoubleTree that we will have overflow parking available at neighboring lots and street parking and have been working with various ride share companies on making the trip to 2D Con as affordable as possible.

Parking

The DoubleTree will have over 1000 on site parking spots for us to utilize as well as the parking lot at the Sheraton and various neighboring businesses. More details on recommended parking will be available as we get closer to the convention. With the increase in the use of rideshare services such as Uber, Lyft and MyWeels we expect that the lots will be less busy than previous years.

Rideshare

We have secured a partnership with a local Ride Share company called MyWeels. MyWeels is a new company that places the utmost priority on the well-being of both drivers and riders.

Getting to 2D Con with MyWeels is easy and the first ride is free, subsequent rides to and from the convention will be heavily discounted. Details on the discounted rates will be announced before the convention

Public Transportation

Public transportation is a pain point with the DoubleTree, but there are some options, including the airport shuttle. The hotel shuttle runs daily from 5:30AM-11:30PM and 6:00AM-12:00AM and picks up on the hour. The Metro Transit Trip Planner website is a great resource for public transportation planning.

The 540
The Metro Transit 540 bus runs daily from The Mall of America Transit Station and stops near the DoubleTree.

• Weekday: 5:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
• Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Questions, Concerns and Comments

We understand that this is a major change and that you may have feedback or concerns. We welcome you to ask questions on our Discord in the Ask the Staff channel.

This post was updated on July 9, 2024