ARLINGTON, Virginia—Knowland reported that Las Vegas, Nevada, took the lead in meeting volume growth with a solid 22.2 percent increase for June year-over-year (YOY). Ranked second, St. Louis, Missouri, saw a 12 percent increase in YOY growth.
There was an increase in total square footage used and group sizes for both the U.S. top 25 and secondary markets The average space used for meetings in the top 25 markets was 4,127 square feet, with average attendees at 141, while secondary markets came in strong using 4,085 square feet, averaging 132 attendees.
- Top five markets by YOY growth in event volume: Las Vegas was again a popular meeting spot in June as sports entertainment jumped into the top five industry segments, primarily as a result of meetings related to the National Hockey League (NHL) draft. Las Vegas ranked as the highest growth market in the top 25, averaging 8,297 square feet and 282 average attendees. Below is additional insight into the top industry drivers for these markets.
- Las Vegas, Nevada (up 22.2 percent): National association, sports entertainment, technology, training/education, and wedding.
- St. Louis, Missouri (up 12 percent): National association, wedding, social sports, financial/banking, and charity/non-profit/social services.
- Nashville, Tennessee (up 6.8 percent): Consulting, healthcare, manufacturing, national association, and technology.
- Orlando, Florida (up 2.8 percent): Technology, national association, state association, consulting, and charity/non-profit/social services.
- Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida (up 2.2 percent): Healthcare, wedding, national association, state association, and training/education.
- Top five secondary markets by YOY growth in event volume: Louisville, Kentucky, led in secondary markets, with event bookings increasing 72.73 percent and financial/banking meetings as the leading industry driver. The five high-growth secondary markets and top industries were:
- Louisville, Kentucky (72.73 percent): Financial/banking
- Madison, Wisconsin (63.23 percent): Financial/banking
- Sacramento, California (33.01 percent): Charity/non-profit/social services
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (29.23 percent): Manufacturing
- Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Virginia (23.7 percent): Charity/non-profit/social services
