Domestic Convention/Group Meeting Visitor Profile, 2010

Report Summary

In 2010, 9.5 million visitors came to Orlando for business purposes, an increase of 2.0% from 2009. Business travel accounted for 20% of all domestic visitors in 2010. 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, 60% (3.2 million) stayed overnight, with an average length of stay of 3.4 nights. Estimates of the impact of Orlando's group meeting industry are based on these overnight group meeting visitors.
Sixty-four percent of group meeting visitors were in Orlando specifically for a convention. The remaining 36% were divided between seminars/training (24%) and other group meetings (12%).
The average party size was 1.4 persons in 2010. 73% percent of parties consisted of one adult while the remaining 27% included couples, families and two or more adults. Family travel parties accounted for 2% in 2010.
Group meeting visitors spent an average of $988 per person per trip for an estimated total spending of $3.2 billion in 2010. An estimated additional $420 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 $3.6 billion. Total group meeting visitor spending in 2010 was 42% higher than that of 2009.
Top three activities were dining (51%), shopping (24%), and general entertainment (22%). Twelve percent of 2010 group meeting visitors went to a theme/amusement park, down from 20% in 2009 and 36% in 2008.
More than half (60%) of group meeting visitors flew to Orlando in 2010 versus 40% who drove.
The overwhelming majority (87%) of all group meeting visitors stayed in a hotel in 2010. Among those staying in a hotel, 68% stayed in a high-end hotel
Regionally, 57% of group meeting visitors were from the South, followed by 21% from the West, 12% from the Midwest and 10% from the Northeast.
The top out-of-state origin markets for group meeting visitors in 2010 were Los Angeles (6.5%), Atlanta (6.4%), Denver (5.7%), Washington DC (4.9%), and New York (4.0%).
In 2010 Orlando was fourth, behind Las Vegas, Chicago, and Dallas, in the share of group meeting visitors.

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