ARLINGTON, Virginia — Knowland, an AI-powered data provider for hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, conference centers, and other meeting venues released its monthly meetings and events data for March. The numbers show that the volume of U.S. group meetings in March 2021 increased 42.5 percent over last month.
While the corporate segment is the leader in U.S. group meetings, there were multiple large sports tournaments, home shows, bridal expos, and mid-size association events throughout the month. Data includes:
- The average number of attendees in March 2021 was 61, compared to 131 in March 2020.
- The average space used in March 2021 was 2,512 square-feet, while meetings in March 2020 averaged 2,104 square feet.
- The top five growth markets in March were Austin, Chicago, Nashville, San Antonio, and San Diego.
- Corporate meetings represent the largest market segment. Corporate meetings produced the most activity, accounting for 60.7 percent of total meetings for the month.
Kristi White, vice president of product management, Knowland, said, “March pace picked up dramatically and growth was realized across primary, secondary, and tertiary markets. The number of attendees increased this month—while still only about half the attendees compared to this time last year, it’s a significant increase over the past several months. Groups are still required to use more meeting space for fewer attendees, and this will likely continue for a while. But the good news is meetings are happening, and each month we continue to see additional growth.”
