• Tampa-St. Petersburg Florida Market Sees 20 Percent Year-over-Year Meeting and Events Growth in February   


National Associations and Technology groups lead in four out of five markets

Knowland reported the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. market led in meetings and events growth for top 25 markets in February with 20 percent year-over-year growth. Denver and Boston came in second and third, while National Associations and Technology 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 at 5.3 percent. The average space used for meetings in the Top 25 markets was 3,507 sq. ft., while secondary markets were slightly less at 2,890 sq. ft. Average attendees were 124 in the Top 25, while secondary markets averaged 118 attendees.

  • Top five markets by YOY growth in event volume – Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. ranked highest in the Top 25 U.S. markets, hosting National Associations and Healthcare. Below is additional insight into the top industry drivers for these markets.
    • Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. (+20 percent): National Association, HealthCare, Charity/Non-Profit/Social Services, Technology, and Wedding.
    • Denver (+16.7 percent): Technology, National Association, Education, HealthCare, Construction.
    • Boston (+15 percent): Education, HealthCare, Technology, Training/Education, Travel.
    • Nashville, Tenn. (+14.7 percent):  Technology, Manufacturing, National Association, HealthCare, Consulting.
    • Las Vegas (+11.5 percent): National Association, Technology, Sports Entertainment, Charity/Non-Profit/Social Services, Automotive.
  • 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:
    • Louisville, Ky. (+67.2 percent) – National Association and State Association
    • Colorado Springs, Colo. (+66.8 percent) – Education
    • Greensboro-Winston Salem, N.C. (+65.7 percent) – Education
    • Wisconsin South, Wis. (+48.2 percent) – State Association
    • Myrtle Beach, S.C. (+33.0 percent) – Religious

About the Data: 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.