Domestic Convention/Group Meeting Visitor Profile, 2009


Report Summary

  • In 2009, 9.3 million visitors came to Orlando for business purposes, a decline of 8.9% from 2008. Business travel accounted for 22% of all domestic visitors in 2009. 57% of business travelers were in Orlando for a convention or seminar/training, while the remaining 43% came for transient business purposes. Group meetings visitors are defined as those individuals that met in Orlando for a convention, seminar/training, or other group meetings.
  • Among business travelers who came for a group meeting, 61% (3.2 million) stayed overnight, with an average length of stay of 2.9 nights. Estimates of the impact of Orlando's group meeting industry are based on these overnight group meeting visitors.
  • Fifty-nine percent of group meeting visitors were in Orlando specifically for a convention. The remaining 42% were divided between seminars/training (31%) and other group meetings (11%).
  • The average party size was 1.8 persons in 2009. 56% percent of parties consisted of one adult while the remaining 44% included couples, families and two or more adults. Family travel parties accounted for 11% in 2009.
  • Group meeting visitors spent an average of $654 per person per trip for an estimated total spending of $2.09 billion in 2009. An estimated additional $360 million was spent by associations and exhibitors at the Orange County Convention Center on behalf of the delegates for exhibits, decorations and other expenses, bringing the total spending of group meeting visitors to $2.45 billion. Total group meeting visitor spending in 2009 was 14.1% lower than that of 2008.
  • Top three activities were dining (52%), general entertainment (35%) and shopping (30%). For the first time, since 2000, theme/amusement parks (20%) were not in the top 3 activities for business visitors to Orlando.
  • More than half (51%) of group meeting visitors drove to Orlando in 2009 versus 49% who flew.
  • The overwhelming majority (88%) of all group meeting visitors stayed in a hotel in 2009. Among those staying in a hotel, 71% stayed in a high-end hotel
  • Regionally, 66% of group meeting visitors were from the South, followed by 13% from the Northeast,11% from the Midwest and 10% from the West.
  • The top out-of-state origin markets for group meeting visitors in 2009 were Washington DC (4.9%), Los Angeles (4.8%), Atlanta (4.7%), New York (4.2%) and Dallas-Fort Worth (3.8%).
  • Orlando remained third, behind Las Vegas and Chicago, in the share of group meeting visitors.

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