Dive Brief:
- The Los Angeles-Long Beach region took the lead spot in the U.S. for event volume in July, according to hospitality-focused meetings and events intelligence provider Knowland.
- This was the first time this year that Los Angeles has held the top spot for event volume. In July, the market surpassed the previous leader, Chicago, due to an increase in event volume of 67%.
- Month-to-month trends are seasonal, and Knowland is still seeing post-pandemic normalization across the U.S., according to CEO Jeff Bzdawka. Though as more markets normalize, he added, the group is “shifting away” from talking about recovery and will focus more on year-over-year growth beginning in the next quarter.
Dive Insight:
Overall U.S. meetings and events volume for July 2023 was up 22.1% year over year, and Los Angeles in particular had a strong month for events — despite the ongoing multihotel strike in the city.
Even as associations such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Japanese-American Citizens League canceled events in solidarity with striking workers, the city remained a stronghold for group performance overall, as the strike “produced more of an operational challenge than a loss of business,” according to Bzdawka.
“The strike disruption is likely to have more impact on transient business for the short term, as well as increase current costs as hoteliers operationalize around the strike-related activity designed to maintain safety for all and ensure guest service,” he added.
Going forward, Knowland expects seasonal trends will continue, with consistently popular fall conference season markets to see an uptick in coming months. Popular autumn meeting destinations such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., Orlando-Miami and Dallas will deliver strong group performance, Bzdawka said.
Event trends in Los Angeles were consistent with shifts in the industry overall related to smaller events, according to Knowland. In July, groups in Los Angeles numbering between 101 and 300 attendees were down 27%, while those numbering between 25 to 50 and 76 to 100 were up 16% and 10%, respectively.
Ranking second and third for meetings and events popularity in July were the Florida markets of Miami and Orlando, which saw increases in events volume by 62% and 28%, respectively.
The top markets by percentage year-over-year growth were Norfolk-Virginia Beach; Memphis and Chattanooga, Tennessee; Delaware; and Jacksonville, Florida.
