March Group Data Shows U.S. Meetings and Events Continue to Rise

Knowland, a provider of AI-powered data for hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, conference centers and other meeting venues, today released its monthly meetings and events data for March. The numbers reveal that March U.S. group meetings volume increased 42.5 percent over last month.

While corporate continues to lead the way from a segmentation perspective, there were multiple large sports tournaments, home shows, bridal expos, and mid-size association events throughout the month.  

• Average attendees – The average number of attendees in March 2021 was 61, compared to 131 in March 2020.
• Average space used – The average space used in March 2021 was 2,512 square feet while meetings in March 2020 averaged 2,104 square feet.
• Individual market growth – The top five growth markets in March were Austin, Chicago, Nashville, San Antonio and San Diego.
• Corporate meetings represent the largest market segment – Corporate meetings produced most of the activity accounting for 60.7 percent of total meetings for the month.

Kristi White, vice president of product management, Knowland, said: “March pace picked up dramatically and growth was realized across primary, secondary and tertiary markets. The number of attendees increased this month—while still only about half the attendees compared to this time last year, it’s a significant increase over the past several months. Groups are still required to use more meeting space for fewer attendees, and this will likely continue for a while. But the good news is meetings are happening and each month we continue to see additional growth.”