According to Knowland's November U.S. monthly meetings and events data, the sector achieved 103.1 percent of November 2019 volume, exceeding monthly prepandemic levels for the first time. Volume for the month was up 122.5 percent over November 2021, and In line with native seasonality, was down 11 percent from October.
The average number of attendees per event for the month was 118, compared to 105 in November 2021 and 104 in November 2019 while the average space used per person in line with prior years. The average space used in November was 3,028 square feet. Meetings in November 2021 averaged 2,501 square feet and 3,009 square feet in 2019. Proportionally from a per-person perspective, the 2022 meeting space used an average of 26 square feet per person as opposed to 24 square feet per person in 2021 and 29 square feet per person in 2019.
The top five growth markets for November (in order) compared to October were Las Vegas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Fort Myers, Fla.; Miami; and the Kauai Islands, Hawaii.
The corporate market segment represents 53.5 percent of the meetings and events business, with Healthcare taking the lead as the largest industry segment. From a recovery standpoint compared to November 2019 levels, online retail, urban infrastructure, sports entertainment, construction and transportation were the segments at the highest level of recovery captured in November.
“November reached an important milestone in recovery as the first time we have surpassed 2019 numbers since the pandemic began," Knowland Chief Product Officer Kristi White said in a statement. "Recovery capture has been increasing since the beginning of the summer, but this is the first time we exceeded 2019 levels. While November did decline from October, this is normal seasonality and was less than we have historically seen month over month this time of year. The message is clear—recovery is here and most hotels should now be entering organic growth, strategically positioning themselves for an even better 2023.”