Cendyn reports that Las Vegas ranked first in the top 25 markets with 34.2 percent year-over-year growth, positioning it in the top five markets for eight consecutive months; however, Chattanooga, Tenn. ranked in the top five secondary markets for the first time, coming in second with 62.7 percent meeting volume growth. Louisville, Kentucky, headed up secondary markets with 80.4 percent year-over-year growth.
Cendyn’s sales intelligence platform, previously known as Knowland, shares its monthly data findings for hoteliers to gain insight into the top locations selected by today’s meeting planners.
Chattanooga specifically experienced a high increase by hosting medium-sized government events (including Tennessee Valley Authority and Southern States Energy), bringing it into the top five secondary markets for the first time this year behind Louisville.
Las Vegas topped the list with 34.2 percent event volume growth in September, averaging 5,596 square feet and 209 attendees, driven by weddings (10 percent of event volume) and Technology events such as Oracle SuiteWorld, the largest annual gathering of the Oracle NetSuite user community. Anaheim, Calif. came in second, hosting education, national associations, and weddings. For the top 25 markets, the average space used increased to 3,856, with an average attendee count of 130.
The top markets were:
- Las Vegas (+34.2 percent): Wedding, technology, training/education, national association, Manufacturing.
- Anaheim/Santa Ana, Calif. (+23.2 percent): Education, national association, wedding, healthcare, consulting.
- Orlando (+22.9 percent): National association, technology, healthcare, training/education, charity/nonprofit/social services.
- New York (+21 percent): International government, financial/banking, charity/nonprofit/social services, national association, travel.
- Dallas (+18.6 percent): HealthCare, technology, consulting, financial/banking, education.
Top five secondary markets by YoY growth in event volume – Louisville, Ky. led in secondary markets, with volume increasing 80.4 percent, featuring events such as the Danny Wimmer Presents music festival “Ultimate Fan” promotion and the University of Louisville's volleyball and football teams. Healthcare was the leading industry driver for secondary markets overall. Average space used was 3,850 square feet, and the average attendee count was 127.
The five high-growth secondary markets and top industries were:
- Louisville, Ky. (80.4 percent) – National association
- Chattanooga, Tenn. (62.7 percent) – State government
- Florida Panhandle (57.1 percent) – Charity/nonprofit/social services
- Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va. (55.2 percent) – Wedding
- Colorado Springs, Colo. (51.5 percent) – National association