As the year wraps up, it has been interesting to see various trends reports hit my desk. One that caught my attention is the 2015 edition of “Trends® in the Conference Center Industry released by the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC), focusing on small meetings-focused venues.
The association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Kenya, Nigeria, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, Ukraine, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and the Philippines. Six Colorado properties are included in the mix, including Aspen Meadows Resort, Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center, The Inverness Hotel & Conference Center, Renaissance Denver Hotel and Sheraton Denver West.
IACC members are experiencing improved occupancy and stronger rates over 2014, and corporate meeting venues are leading the recovery with the highest average daily rate and revenue per occupied room.
Highlights
- The average external day meeting rate rose significantly to $105.
- Conference centers with more than 200 guest rooms are projecting +6.5% in annual occupancy over last year.
- Resort meeting venues achieved the greatest increase in complete meeting package rates, showing a 2.6% increase over the previous year.
- Executive conference venues had forecasted a 5.9% increase in conference package rates in 2015 and resort venues a 3.4% in complete meeting package rates.
- Day meeting venues reported a 12% increase in package rates, which include room hire, technology and food and beverage.
- Digital marketing accounted for the same number of qualified sales leads as for personal sales calls.
Here’s to what looks like a positive 2015 and hopes for a great 2016!
