October Meetings Volume Reaches Nearly 90% of Prepandemic Levels

October meetings volume in the United States recovered to 89.7 percent of 2019 levels. According to meetings and data provider Knowland, this is the fifth consecutive month where events have surpassed 80 percent recovery. Additionally, October 2022 grew by 21.2 percent over the previous month, and by 131.7 percent over the same month in 2021.

"October eclipsed September by 21.2 percent. While this is normal month-over-month seasonality, it is higher than average," said Kristi White, chief product officer of Knowland. "Additionally, the U.S. recovered 89.7 percent of 2019 event volumes in October, an improvement over September. Traditionally November and December are softer months, and we anticipate that will be the case this year. However, we are confident the recovery metrics will hover near the 90 percent mark for both months."

The average number of attendees increased to 119 in October 2022, compared with 110 in October 2021 and 95 in October 2019. Meeting space square footage increased year-over-year from an average of 2,734 square feet to 3,124 square feet, but was less than the 3,151 square feet used in 2019. Similarly, average space per person increased to 26 square feet from 24 square feet in October 2021, but was less than the 33 square feet per person average before the pandemic.

Last month, the corporate segment represented 53.1 percent of the meetings and events industry, with health care leading as the largest sector. But the urban infrastructure, transportation, online retailer, environmental services and sports entertainment industries saw the largest recovery.

The destinations that had the largest month-over-month growth were, in order, Phoenix; Washington, D.C.; Orlando; Boston and San Diego.

To compile these reports, Knowland analyzes data collected and aggregated from both customer and noncustomer venues, field reporting and its historical database.