SMERF segments are the big “meeters” for this holiday week
The long summer weekend followed seasonal trends with lower meeting volume week over week and tee’d up changes in the meeting markets and top industries mix. Meetings and events decreased over 30% compared to the prior week. Event activity is expected to rebound as we move past the extended holiday.
The average number of attendees for the week was up to 84 people, while the average square footage used was 1,776 per event and square feet used per person was 21.
The corporate market segment represented almost 45% of overall business for the week. This holiday week, top segments were highest for the SMERF segment as Charity and Religious events made it into the top five segments: National Association, Charity Organizations, Religious, Education, and Training/Education.
Markets with the highest week over week variance for number of meetings were Wisconsin North, Florida Panhandle, Sarasota-Bradenton, FL, Oahu Island, HI, and Delaware. The Florida Panhandle led with the highest average attendees at 283.
| Market | Average Attendees | Average Square Footage Used |
| Wisconsin North | 211 | 4,280 |
| Florida Panhandle | 283 | 5,167 |
| Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 123 | 2,895 |
| Oahu Island, HI | 187 | 4,260 |
| Delaware | 105 | 2,053 |
These numbers and markets change weekly. These markets are outside the top 25, so reflect event growth in secondary and tertiary markets. See the details across markets here in the Meetings Recovery Forecast.
Knowland tracks the weekly event activity across 113 markets globally and is expanding coverage regularly.