Drive-in meeting market outpacing fly-in?
There are various indications that meeting-goers are leaning more these days on markets closer to home that are often more prone to driving than flying.
There will be more meetings this year but they will tend to be regional or even local in nature, says one study by the American Express Business Travel Global Business Travel Forecast.
The emphasis on value is one factor but another is the stepped-up airport security, say experts.
“We are seeing tremendous value in tier-two cities,” Steve O’Malley, general manager for Maxadvantage, told MeetingsFocusSOUTH.
He cited destinations such as Indianapolis and Raleigh-Durham as areas with good convention and hotel space. Indianapolis will become even more popular with a doubling of the Indiana Convention Center to 566,000 square feet (set to open anytime).
Automotive companies are only one example of the trend towards replacing large national meetings at one site to district and regional events.
Cities benefiting from the trend include those with strategic locations that are alternatives to large cities such as San Antonio, Raleigh and Wilmington, Delaware.
By David Wilkening
David
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