Knowland and Cvent recently revealed the top meeting and event destinations in the United States, ranking top group spots based on a variety of data. Knowland's rankings take into consideration meetings growth in various destinations, while Cvent ranked destinations by the most meetings and events business sourced in a destination through the Cvent Supplier Network.
Meetings Today reviewed the rankings. Here’s a look at what we learned.
Knowland
Knowland, one of the world’s leading providers of data-as-a-service insights on the meetings and events industry, reported the top five markets for meetings and events growth by their year-over-year performance. The study looked at both primary and secondary markets and illustrated growth from April 2023 to April 2024.
The study identified national associations as the key driver of meetings and events growth across U.S. destinations, and Knowland sourced the data used to determine these rankings, which includes field reporting and automated methods (or customer and non-customer data collection), from its own sales intelligence platform.
Top Five Primary Markets for Growth:
- Nashville, TN (+38%)
- Las Vegas (+22.8%)
- New York (+20.2%)
- Seattle (+15.2%)
- Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL (+11.1%)
Top Five Secondary Markets for Growth:
- Louisville, KY (188%)
- Maui Island, Hawaii (+87.1%)
- Greensboro-Winston Salem, NC (+79.7%)
- Michigan South (+78.5%)
- Florida Keys, FL (+72.8%)
Nashville has experienced a meteoric rise in the past few years, reporting more than 2,000 hotel rooms under construction in 2023, with exciting entrants like Four Seasons Hotel Nashville, W Nashville and Conrad Nashville opening in recent years, among others.
[Related: Nashville’s Facility and F&B Scene Is Hotter Than Its Signature Hot Chicken]
“As one of the most dynamic markets in the U.S., we’re grateful Nashville continues to be on the rise with business travel and conventions,” Deana Ivey, President and CEO of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp said. “It’s truly rewarding to see the results of an event and convention strategy we began working on 20 years ago.”
Cvent
While Knowland’s list focused on meetings volume growth, Cvent’s top destinations were ranked based on which destinations had the most meetings and events business overall in 2023. Orlando claimed spot No. 1 once again, having ranked No. 1 in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023.
Other notable moves on Cvent's list include Las Vegas rising to No. 2 from its 4th-place spot in 2023, Dallas climbing from No. 7 to No. 4; and Denver jumping from No. 10 to No. 8.
Cvent’s Top 10 Meeting Destinations:
- Orlando, FL
- Las Vegas, NV
- Nashville, TN
- Dallas, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Atlanta, GA
- Denver, CO
- Phoenix, AZ
- Austin, TX
“We’re honored that Orlando continues to lead as the Cvent Top Meeting Destination in North America,” said Casandra Matej, president & CEO, Visit Orlando. “Group business is vital to our destination as they support our local businesses, vendors and hospitality workers, and they also make an indelible impact on our community through charitable donations and endeavors. Orlando has the space, venues, accommodations, dining, entertainment and services needed to create memorable and productive events.”
Cvent also named the top five meeting hotels in the U.S., four of which are based in Nashville, echoing Knowland’s findings that highlight Nashville’s recent growth and development in the meetings and events arena.
Cvent’s Top Five Hotels:
- Grand Hyatt Nashville
- Omni Nashville Hotel
- JW Marriott Austin
- JW Marriott Nashville
- Renaissance Nashville Hotel
Read this next: Knowland Reports Big Growth for Meetings and Events in June at 30.3%
