The Windy City is picking up the pace, leading meetings and events growth
The post-Labor Day lull is upon us, but the meetings and events industry continues to show resilience. While overall meeting growth was down compared to the previous week, several key markets are experiencing significant growth. Let’s dive into the data and explore the top 5 growth markets according to Knowland data for the week ending September 21st, 2024.
The U.S. meetings and events volume increased 11.5% compared to the previous week. Corporate events share volume was 62.9%, with National Association and Education segments leading growth with 27.7% and 20.4% share respectively, of the top five segments. At 211%, Chicago showed the largest growth week over week of the top 5 “mover and shaker” markets.
The average number of attendees for the week was 94, while the average square footage used was 2,394 per event, and square feet used per person was 25.
The top five segments for the week were: National Association, Education, Technology, Charity/Non-Profit/Social Services, and Healthcare.
The full list of top growth market movers and shakers were: Chicago, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Washington DC, for the largest week over week volume change.
| Market | Avg Group Size | Avg Space Used Sq Ft |
| Chicago, IL | 106 | 2,622 |
| Orlando, FL | 110 | 2,483 |
| Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT | 78 | 3,404 |
| Atlanta, GA | 84 | 2,454 |
| Washington, DC | 93 | 2,103 |
These numbers and markets change weekly based on market dynamics and social trends.
Knowland tracks the weekly event activity across 166 U.S. markets with more globally and is expanding coverage regularly.