Back to school hampers our motivation to meet — but not for long
The number of U.S. meetings and events decreased 4.1% compared to the prior week. This is a minor week-over-week drop, but expected for late August. Compared to December and January, it is one of the slowest months of the year for meetings and events as kids across the U.S. go back to school!
The average number of attendees for the week was 76, while the average square footage used was 1,600 per event and square feet used per person was steady at 21.
The corporate market segment regained its dominant position with 60.1% of overall meetings business for the week. The the top five segments for the week were: National Association, Healthcare, Education, Technology, and Training/Education.
Markets with the highest week over week variance for number of meetings were Salt Lake City-Ogden, Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Chicago, Detroit, and the New Jersey Shore. For this week, the New Jersey breaks from the pack with the largest average group size and square feet of meeting space used. It also had the lowest average average square feet per person at 19 while Chicago had the highest square feet per person at only 24 this week.
| Market | Average Group Size | Average Sq Ft Used |
| Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT | 65 | 1,335 |
| Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 87 | 1,995 |
| Chicago, IL | 76 | 1,827 |
| Detroit, MI | 65 | 1,408 |
| New Jersey Shore | 179 | 3,402 |
These numbers and markets change weekly based on market dynamics and social trends.
Knowland tracks the weekly event activity across 113 markets globally and is expanding coverage regularly.