SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE), the state’s regional sports commission and architects of some of the most memorable large-scale sports celebrations, today announced an innovative partnership with three premier Twin Cities agencies to create an unforgettable fan experience for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Following an extensive search that attracted more than 20 elite agencies, MNSE selected BeEvents, Street Factory Media, and One Simple Plan to form a "super agency" collaboration. This powerhouse team will transform the tournament's 50th anniversary celebration into a uniquely Minnesota experience, showcasing the State of Hockey’s passionate culture and legendary hospitality to fans from around the world when the tournament comes to Saint Paul and Minneapolis, December 26, 2025 - January 5, 2026.
"Minnesota has set the standard for creating extraordinary fan experiences around major sporting events, from Super Bowl LII to the recent U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials," said Wendy Williams Blackshaw, president & CEO of MNSE. "As we welcome the world's best young men’s hockey players to the State of Hockey, we're partnering with three exceptional Minnesota-based agencies that bring both local understanding and global event expertise to make this the most memorable World Juniors in history."
The selected agencies will work collaboratively with USA Hockey and MNSE's ancillary events team to create two major fan destinations:
- BeEvents will lead the design and production of the primary fan festival at Saint Paul RiverCentre, bringing their boundary-pushing approach to create an immersive celebration of hockey culture.
- Street Factory Media will transform the iconic Rice Park into a winter wonderland of hockey activities, leveraging their 21-year track record of creating unforgettable experiential installations.
- One Simple Plan will coordinate comprehensive security, compliance, and operations across all venues and events, ensuring a seamless experience for the expected thousands of local and international visitors.
"Each of these agencies brings unique strengths and a proven history of delivering large-scale national events," said Debbie Estes, MNSE's executive vice president of ancillary events. "Together, they'll create an experience that showcases Minnesota's passion for hockey while celebrating the international spirit of World Juniors."
"We're excited about delivering an unforgettable entertainment experience for fans throughout the historic 50th edition of the tournament," said Tony Driscoll, assistant executive director of marketing, communications, and events for USA Hockey. "With MNSE's leadership and this collective blend of creativity and experience, this will be a World Juniors like no other."
The 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship will feature 29 games played at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis. The tournament is a showcase of the best men's ice hockey players in the world under age 20, bringing together 10 nations competing for gold in one of international hockey's most prestigious events. Full details about fan entertainment programming will be announced in fall 2025.
Minnesota Sports and Events is proud to partner with USA Hockey to host the 50th edition of World Juniors in Minnesota along with host partners at the Minnesota Wild, Xcel Energy Center, University of Minnesota, Visit Saint Paul and Meet Minneapolis.
All-session ticket packages for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota are on sale now at 2026.worldjunior.hockey. For more information visit WorldJuniorsMN26.com or connect on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Kathy Ross Pavek, PR Consultant Minnesota Sports and Events kross@mnsportsandevents.org 612-805-6599
Jason Dorow, Senior Account Supervisor Tunheim jdorow@tunheim.com 952-923-4363
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About the IIHF World Junior Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship is international hockey’s premiere tournament where the world’s best men’s ice hockey players under 20 years of age compete for the gold medal. Hosted by Minnesota for the second time since 1982, the tournament will showcase hockey’s future stars from 10 nations in front of thousands of passionate hockey fans at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis from December 26 - January 5, 2026. For more information, visit WorldJuniorsMN26.com.
About Minnesota Sports and Events Minnesota Sports and Events is an independent 501c6 organization designed to bring significant economic, reputational, and social impact to the region through the attraction, promotion, and execution of world-class events. MNSE also advances community initiatives associated with each event with a focus on underserved communities and statewide engagement. For more information, visit www.mnsportsandevents.org.
About BeEvents BeEvents is an experiential design agency with an optimistic, boundary-pushing approach. We offer guest-centric solutions and make life easy for our clients. We believe it takes constant curiosity, the courage to try new things, and a dedication to excellence to continually deliver the experiences people love.
About Street Factory Media Street Factory Media is a fully integrated experiential marketing agency based in Minneapolis. For over 21 years, top brands and agencies have trusted Street Factory to craft immersive experiences, over-the-top stunts and creative out-of-home installations all across the country. The in-house multidisciplinary team of artists, fabricators, designers, strategists, planners, producers, and foot soldiers are united by a common goal: making big ideas come to life.
About One Simple Plan One Simple Plan (OSP) is a Minneapolis-based communications, content and brand engagement agency that helps businesses and organizations motivate, activate and dominate in their corners of the world. OSP takes pride in delivering meaningful results for its clients through a comprehensive wheelhouse of capabilities that includes expertise in media relations, social media, events and activations, motion content production and more — with each piece of work anchored in creativity and fresh thinking.
