Chicago led the U.S. meetings and events industry by volume for April, according to Knowland. Second place went to Los Angeles-Long Beach, with Washington, DC, in third.
The leading industry driver for meetings was national associations, placing either first or second across the top five markets.
Chicago averaged 162 attendees per meeting and 4,500 sq. ft. of space used, and an average of 16 bookings per property for the month. According to STR, Chicago was a top market for group rooms sold in April.
Year-over-year comparison: April 2023 event volume increased 73.2% over April 2022.
Top five markets (by event volume): Chicago was in the lead hosting national associations, followed by education and healthcare. The following four markets, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Dallas and Phoenix rounded out the top five. The top drivers for these markets were:
- Chicago: National associations, healthcare, education, manufacturing, pharmaceutical/biotechnology
- Los Angeles: Education, national associations, technology, training/education, charity/nonprofit/social services
- Washington, DC: Travel, National associations, charity/nonprofit/social services, education, training/education
- Dallas: Healthcare, National associations, education, technology, social–sports
- Phoenix: National associations, healthcare, wedding, education/banding, education
Top five markets (by percentage growth): The top five markets by year-over-year growth in meetings and events are Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Oahu Island, HI; Jacksonville, FL; and Harrisburg, PA.