With inflation a continuing problem and a potential recession looming, event planners are particularly sensitive to high costs. Safety, exhibit space and airlift are among other top-of-mind considerations when scouting for the right convention city.
The first and only of its kind, Northstar Meetings Group's Convention Cities Index uses an in-depth methodology and a weighted ranking system to determine the top 25 U.S. cities and top 25 global destinations that are ideally suited to hosting citywide events.
Each CCi city is evaluated across six categories: available exhibit space, total hotel rooms, average hotel cost, travel time from the nearest international airport to the convention center, the number of direct monthly flights and the city’s overall safety level.
Data from the June 2023 CCi show that hotel prices in the United States have fallen slightly over the past six months but remain above their prepandemic levels. In fact, some U.S. cities now have daily room rates that average near or above $300 per night. Meanwhile, prices are rebounding more slowly in Europe and Asia.
Other key findings in the latest edition of the CCi include how the safety landscape is shifting and which destinations have increased their number of direct flights the most over the past six months.
Planners organizing events several years out can compare the latest findings to previous cycles of the CCi for a historical view of how convention city competitiveness has changed since 2020.
Use the form above to download the full results.