Hospitality analytics firm Knowland has released its monthly meetings and events data for March.
Most notably, March U.S. group meetings volume increased 42.5 percent over last month.
While corporate continues to lead the way from a segmentation perspective, there were multiple large sports tournaments, home shows, bridal expos and mid-size association events throughout the month.
The average number of attendees in March was 61, compared to 131 in March 2020. Conversely, the average amount of space used in March 2021 was 2,512 square feet while meetings in March 2020 averaged 2,104 square feet.
The top five growth markets in March were Austin, Texas; Chicago; Nashville; San Antonio; and San Diego.
Corporate meetings represent the largest market segment, accounting for 60.7 percent of total meetings for the month.
“March pace picked up dramatically and growth was realized across primary, secondary and tertiary markets,” said Kristi White, VP of product management, Knowland. “The number of attendees increased this month—while still only about half the attendees compared to this time last year, it’s a significant increase over the past several months. Groups are still required to use more meeting space for fewer attendees, and this will likely continue for a while. But the good news is meetings are happening and each month we continue to see additional growth.”