Knowland Reports Continued Double-Digit Growth as Group Demand Returns

Knowland, the world’s leading provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, today released its monthly meetings and events data for September. The numbers reveal that September U.S. group meetings volume increased 17.2 percent over August 2021.

Double-digit growth continues as group demand returns. New metric levels are emerging which may be a result of short-term adjustments during this transitional period or the signaling of a reset of industry KPIs.  

• Average attendees hit highest number since 2013 – The average number of attendees per event in September 2021 was 112, compared to 70 in September 2019. This is the highest this metric has been since 2013, according to Knowland data.
• Average space used greater than 2019 –The average space used in September 2021 was 2,791 square feet while meetings in September 2019 averaged 2,548 square feet.
• Top five market growth – The top five growth markets in September, ordered by highest to lowest, were Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Va., New York, N.Y., Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Ariz., and St. Louis, Mo.
• Corporate meetings represent the largest market segment – The corporate segment represents 67.8 percent of meeting and event business with the healthcare and technology segments taking the lead as the largest industry segments.

Kristi White, chief product officer, Knowland, said: “While the percentage of growth was not as high as in August, shifts in other metrics show real strength. Average attendees are now not only higher than the same month in 2019 but are higher than the average of 2019 as a whole. Additionally, New York and Washington, D.C., two of the biggest group markets in the world, climbed into the top five growth markets. To see them resurge is a leading indicator that recovery is broadening.”   

About the Data: Insights presented are a result of the analysis of meetings and events data acquired through Knowland data collection and aggregation methods, including field reporting and automated methods of customer and non-customer data collection in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets, as well as its large historical database.