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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY'S EVENT volume doubled to 94.9 percent year-over-year in July, according to Knowland. It is Louisville's fifth month in the top five secondary markets this year. Philadelphia led the top 25 markets with 27.7 percent growth, driven by a National Education Association event and several state-level education associations, according to Knowland. Louisville has become a key meetings hub in secondary markets, with an average of 4,935 square feet used and 119 attendees, while Philadelphia averaged 3,066 square feet and 117 attendees, the report said. Secondary markets grew by an average of 6.9 percent, compared to 3.6 percent for the top 25 markets.

LAS VEGAS SAW 18.5 percent year-over-year growth in group business this May, while Oahu Island, Hawaii, ranked second with a 17.9 percent year over year increase, according to Knowland. The average meeting space in the top 25 markets was 3,615 square feet, compared to 3,625 square feet in secondary markets. The top 25 markets averaged 128 attendees, while secondary markets had 127 attendees, Knowland said. Las Vegas led the top 25 U.S. markets in meeting growth in May, with an average space of 7,803 square feet and 287 attendees, the report said. Key drivers included technology events like the Electronic Distributor Show and national associations such as the International Council of Shopping Centers.

NASHVILLE RECORDED A 38 percent year-over-year increase in meetings and events in April, according to Knowland. Meanwhile, Las Vegas maintained a steady ascent with a 22.8 percent year-over-year growth. Overall, the industry saw a marginal 1.3 percent year-over-year increase in meeting volume. Among the top 25 markets, meetings averaged 3,768 square feet, compared to 3,684 square feet in secondary markets, the report said. Average attendance in the top 25 rose slightly to 133, while secondary markets saw an average of 127 attendees. Top five markets with highest YOY event volume growth Nashville stood out as a meeting destination in April, leading in growth among the top 25 U.S. markets, the report added. It recorded an average space use of 3,885 square feet with 131 average attendees, largely driven by national associations such as the Association of Physical Plant Administrators.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA led in meetings and events growth for the top 25 markets in February with a 20 percent year-over-year increase, according to Knowland. Denver and Boston came in second and third, respectively, while National Associations and Technology groups led in four of the top five markets. Overall, year-over-year event volume growth for the industry reached 5.3 percent, the report said. Meetings in the top 25 markets used an average space of 3,507 square feet, compared to 2,890 square feet in secondary markets. The top 25 markets had an average of 124 attendees, while secondary markets averaged 118 attendees. Additional insights into the key industry drivers for the top 25 markets with the highest meeting volumes include: Tampa-St. Petersburg (up 20 percent): national association, healthcare, charity/non-profit/social services, technology and wedding. Denver (up 7 percent): technology, national association, education, healthcare and construction. Boston (up 15 percent): education, healthcare, technology, training/education and travel.

BY THE FOURTH quarter of last year, group business in 10 of the top markets in the U.S. had recovered 110 percent compared to the same time in 2019, according to the Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index from Knowland and Amadeus. The top 20 markets have achieved 100 percent of 2019 levels of occupancy and ADR, with 10 surpassing 110 percent or more. Group business reached the 110 percent health index in the fourth quarter because it used 95.5 percent of the group rooms sold in 2019, coupled with a 14.8 percent increase in ADR, according to the index. Overall growth for the year 2023 stood at 103 percent, with 92.5 percent of group rooms sold in 2019 and an accompanying average rate increase of 11.7 percent. Meetings and event business rebounded to 91.9 percent in the fourth quarter compared to 2019, with an end-of-year recovery rate of 91.2 percent. The volume of smaller groups led to stability in the market, according to Knowland. Currently, 70 percent of events have 200 attendees or less and smaller meetings, those with less than 25 attendees, saw the most growth, experiencing a 19 percent increase since 2019.

PHOENIX RANKED FIRST among the top 25 markets with 19.7 percent year-over-year growth in October, according to Cendyn's Sales Intelligence platform, formerly Knowland. This was its first time at the top spot this year, driven by national associations, technology, healthcare and financial/banking events. Las Vegas followed closely with 17.7 percent growth, placing it in the top five for the 10th consecutive month, Cendyn said. South Michigan and Florida's Panhandle led secondary markets, while Kauai, Hawaii, saw significant year-over-year growth at 72 percent. Phoenix averaged 5,612 square feet and 174 attendees, primarily driven by national association events, which made up 8.6 percent of event volume, the report said. Las Vegas remained in the top five, ranking second, supported by national association events and weddings. Across the top 25 markets, average space usage rose to 3,902 square feet with an average of 132 attendees.

LAS VEGAS LED the top 25 markets in meetings and events growth for September, with a 34.2 percent year-over-year increase, according to Cendyn's Sales Intelligence platform, formerly Knowland. This marked its eighth consecutive month in the top five. Las Vegas meetings and events averaged 5,596 square feet with 209 attendees, driven by weddings, accounting for about 10 percent of event volume, and tech events like Oracle SuiteWorld, according to Cendyn. Anaheim ranked second, hosting education, national associations, and weddings. Across the top 25 markets, average space rose to 3,856 square feet with 130 attendees. The top five among the 25 leading markets were: Las Vegas (+34.2 percent): Weddings, technology, training/education, national associations and manufacturing. Anaheim-Santa Ana (+23.2 percent): Education, national associations, weddings, healthcare and consulting. Orlando (+22.9 percent): National associations, technology, healthcare, training/education and charity/non-profits/social services. New York (+21 percent): International government, finance/banking, charity/non-profits/social services, national associations and travel. Dallas (+18.6 percent): Healthcare, technology, consulting, finance/banking and education.

THE ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN area ranked first in the top 25 markets with 125.8 percent year-over-year meeting and events growth in December, followed by Nashville, Tennessee, with 28 percent growth, according to data from Knowland by Cendyn. Louisville, Kentucky, led secondary markets with 135.6 percent year-over-year growth, topping the list for the eighth time in 2024. No single event drove St. Louis's growth, the report said. The top four accounts-HavenHouse, Arcadian Infracom, Crisis Prevention Institute, and the Train Shed-contributed nearly 9 percent, while SMERF events accounted for almost 11 percent, surpassing corporate accounts. St. Louis averaged 2,112 square feet with a group size of 97, while the top 25 markets averaged 3,045 square feet with a group size of 121.

ANAHEIM-SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, ranked first among the top 25 markets in November with 17.5 percent year-over-year growth, followed by Atlanta at 13.7 percent, according to Cendyn's Sales Intelligence platform, formerly Knowland. This was Anaheim-Santa Ana's first time at the top this year, driven by healthcare groups contributing 7.1 percent, including events from Edwards LifeSciences LLC and Kaiser Permanente. Atlanta's growth was supported by events from national association and education groups, the report said. Chicago entered the top five for the first time, ranking third with 12.6 percent growth, largely driven by national association groups contributing 10.2 percent. Anaheim-Santa Ana averaged 4,555 total square feet with an estimated group size of 167. The top 25 markets averaged 3,764 total square feet with a group size of 131.

U.S. HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES reported a 108.2 percent year-over-year health metric for the fourth quarter of 2024, the highest in four quarters, according to the Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index by Cendyn and Amadeus. Tampa, Houston, and Miami led the top 10 cities in rankings. The index combines event data from Cendyn's Sales Intelligence platform, formerly Knowland, with hotel booking data from Amadeus' Demand360, covering group, corporate negotiated, global distribution system, and events performance, the companies said in a joint statement. Top 10 cities by index: Tampa - 121.4 percent Houston - 120.6 percent Miami - 116.8 percent New York City - 112.0 percent Chicago - 111.6 percent Phoenix - 110.4 percent Detroit - 109.8 percent Louis - 109.6 percent San Diego - 109.6 percent New Orleans - 108.3 percent