Knowland has reported that Chicago experienced the highest volume for meetings and events in November, together with 8.6 percent year-over-year growth. Washington, D.C., and Phoenix were also top performers, with double-digit growth at 13.5 and 10.7 percent, respectively. Overall, the volume of U.S. meetings and events increased by a modest 5.6 percent, as expected, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Chicago took the lead in conventions and meetings volume during November, sustained by the national associations and educational as top industry drivers. The Chicago market’s average attendance was 106 and the average meeting space used was 2,642 square feet.
- Year-over-year comparison – November 2023 event volume showed 5.6 percent growth over November 2022.
- Top five markets (by event volume) – Chicago ranked highest in the top 25 U.S. markets with National association meetings, followed by education industry events. Washington D.C., Phoenix, Dallas and Orlando rounded out the top five volume markets. Below is additional insight into the top drivers for these markets.
- Chicago: National association, education, wedding, healthcare and technology
- Washington D.C.: National association, education, charity/non-profit, technology and travel
- Phoenix: National association, wedding, technology, charity/non-profit and financial/banking
- Dallas: Healthcare, technology, national associations, training/education and transportation
- Orlando: National association, technology, insurance, education, and training/education
- Top markets outside the top 25 (by event percentage growth) – Colorado Springs, CO; Memphis, TN; Lexington, KY; Sacramento, CA; and Maui, HI, were the top overall U.S. markets by year-over-year growth in meetings and events.
This data is provided to help hoteliers still building momentum gain insight into the top locations selected by today’s meeting planners. This information about the leading industry drivers provides a clear picture of those groups that are returning to the meeting and event space. Insights presented are a result of the analysis of meetings and events data acquired through Knowland data collection and aggregation methods, including field reporting and automated methods of customer and non-customer data collection in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets, as well as its large historical database.
For more information, visit www.knowland.com.
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