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Short-Term Meetings in June Could Have a World Cup Experience

world cup stadium

Starting on June 4 and running through July 3, the FIFA World Cup of soccer will take place in 16 cities across North America, 11 of which are in the U.S. 

After July 3, only a few cities will host the remaining games, which conclude with the final match on July 19 in New Jersey, just outside New York City.

However, with the first games just days away now, the number of hotel rooms booked in those 11 U.S. cities are well below what was anticipated. 

Here is how hoteliers in each city are reporting their demand, according to research by the American Hotel & Lodging Association:

Are your World Cup hotel bookings underperforming?
Hoteliers who answered “yes” in each city:

Kansas City: 88 percent

San Francisco: 75 percent

Seattle: 75 percent

Philadelphia: 75 percent

Boston: 75 percent

Los Angeles: 68 percent

New York: 66 percent

Houston: 65 percent

Dallas: 65 percent

Miami: 53 percent

Atlanta: 48 percent

Given this situation, meeting planners with smaller meetings that can be booked and actualized before July 3 have opportunities to get into these large cities at favorable rates and deliver a memorable experience for attendees in a unique atmosphere.

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About the author
Rob Carey | Content Manager, Features & News

Rob Carey serves as content manager, news and features for Meetings Today, where he leads coverage of the latest trends, happenings, data and insights related to corporate meetings and incentives as well as association conventions and exhibitions.

 

Carey has been covering the business-events industry since 1992, when he was hired as an intern at Successful Meetings magazine in New York while still a student at Columbia University. During his 15 years at SM’s parent company Nielsen, Carey moved steadily through the ranks to become editorial director for Successful Meetings, Meeting News and the Meeting World conference and exhibition. SM and MN won several FOLIO: Eddie Awards for editorial coverage during his tenure.  

 

Carey then spent 11 years as principal of Meetings & Hospitality Insight, covering not just the MICE market for various industry publications but also writing about business disciplines such as hotel management, golf-facility management, small-business operations, middle-market leadership and others. For several years he wrote the annual trends white paper for the International Association of Conference Centers.  

 

In 2018, Carey became a senior content producer for MeetingsNet, an Informa media brand, and a panel moderator for Informa’s Pharma Forum annual event. 

 

Come September 2025, he moved to Meetings Today.  

 

A native of New York,  Carey now resides in the Phoenix/Scottsdale metro area with his wife Kelley and their dog Ziggy.