Knowland meeting trends June
LAS VEGAS LED meeting volume growth in June for the second consecutive month with a 22.2 percent year-over-year increase, according to Knowland. St. Louis ranked second with a 12 percent year-over-year growth and the U.S. top 25 and secondary markets saw increases in total square footage used and group sizes.
The average space used for meetings in the top 25 markets was 4,127 square feet with 141 attendees, while secondary markets averaged 4,085 square feet with 132 attendees, Knowland said.
Las Vegas also remained a popular meeting spot in June, with sports entertainment entering the top five industry segments due to NHL draft-related meetings, the report found. The city led the top 25 markets, averaging 8,297 square feet and 282 attendees.
Top industry drivers for the following markets are:
- Las Vegas (up 22.2 percent): National association, sports entertainment, technology, training/education, and wedding
- Louis (up 12 percent): National association, wedding, social sports, financial/banking, and charity/non-profit/social services
- Nashville (up 6.8 percent): Consulting, healthcare, manufacturing, national association, and technology
- Orlando (up 2.8 percent): Technology, national association, state association, consulting, and charity/non-profit/social services
- Tampa-St. Petersburg (up 2.2 percent): Healthcare, wedding, national association, state association, and training/education
Meanwhile, Louisville, Kentucky, led secondary markets with a 72.73 percent increase in event bookings, driven primarily by financial/banking meetings.
The five high-growth secondary markets and their top industries were:
- Louisville (72.73 percent): Financial/banking
- Madison, WI (63.23 percent): Financial/banking
- Sacramento (33.01 percent): Charity/non-profit/social services
- Pittsburgh (29.23 percent): Manufacturing
- Norfolk-Virginia Beach (23.7 percent): Charity/non-profit/social services
In May, Las Vegas saw an 18.5 percent year-over-year growth in group business, while Oahu Island, Hawaii, ranked second with a 17.9 percent increase, according to Knowland.
