ARLINGTON, Virginia—Knowland reported that the St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois market led the top 25 markets in March for meetings and events growth with 24.3 percent year-over-year growth. Las Vegas came in second with 20.9 percent growth. National associations and education groups led in four of the five top markets. This data is sourced from Knowland’s sales intelligence platform and designed to help hoteliers protect and grow their revenue base.
Overall year-over-year event volume growth for the industry was down 8.1 percent. The average space used for meetings in the Top 25 markets was 3,526 square feet, while secondary markets were slightly less at 3,181 square feet. Average attendees were 124 in the Top 25, while secondary markets averaged 119 attendees.
- Top five markets by YOY growth in event volume: Sports paid off for St. Louis in March as it ranked highest in the Top 25 U.S. markets with average space use of 3,979 square feet for 158 average attendees. Social/sports and national association events were key drivers, including events such as the Missouri Valley Conference for Men’s Basketball, the Mid-American Open Chess tournament, the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), and the Hockey National Championships.
- St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois (up 24.3 percent): Social-sports, national association, education, charity/non-profit/social services, healthcare.
- Las Vegas (up 20.9 percent): Education, technology, national association, wedding, training/education.
- Oahu Island, Hawaii (up 4.9 percent): Education, financial/banking, national association, travel, wedding.
- Nashville, Tennessee (up 3.4 percent): National association, technology, healthcare, financial/banking, manufacturing.
- Seattle, Washington (up 11.5 percent): National association, charity/non-profit/social services, education, technology, healthcare.
- Top five secondary markets by YOY growth in event volume: Associations and education were the leading industries. The five high-growth secondary markets and top industries were:
- Greensboro-Winston Salem, North Carolina (up 45.54 percent)—Consulting
- Colorado Springs, Colorado (up 37.29 percent)—Training/education
- Louisville, Kentucky (up 35.68 percent)—Charity/non-profit/social services
- Lexington, Kentucky (up 31.40 percent)—Construction
- Rhode Island (up 26.55 percent)—Charity/non-profit/social
