KANSAS CITY, Mo.—In commemoration of the inaugural Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) on April 14, Visit KC today announces nine convention groups that have selected Kansas City for future events. Ranging from a sports competition to a healthcare meeting, these events will collectively pour a total of more than $88 million into the local economy.
One of the largest bookings released today is the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships. The competition will bring 20,000 attendees to KC in July 2021, generating 32,400 room nights and an economic impact of more than $20 million.
Other groups announced today:
“This is just a snapshot of the meetings being booked in KC for future years,” said Visit KC President & CEO Ronnie Burt. “Convention business is a vital component of our growing economy, generating $475 million in economic impact to our city last year.”
In 2015, Visit KC secured a total of 270 bookings for future years, generating a total of more than 382,000 room nights— the highest total since 2008. These triple-digit figures underline the tremendous economic impact that meetings and conventions bring to our city.
The announcement of these nine groups was made in tandem with Global Meetings Industry Day on April 14, as tourism leaders and organizations from across the country join forces with the advocacy coalition Meetings Mean Business (MMB) to showcase the vital impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions have on people, business and communities.
“The Kansas City hospitality industry on both sides of the state line supports the recognition of Global Meetings Industry Day because we realize that millions of dollars are generated annually in our communities as people come together for face-to-face meetings,” said Teresa Hellman, CMP, senior account manager for Experient and past president of the Heartland Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association.
A private reception will be held Thursday in the Crossroads Arts District. During the event, Mayor Pro Tem Scott Wagner will present a proclamation, designating April 14 as Global Meetings Industry Day in Kansas City. More than 40 destination marketing representatives from across North America, as well as nearly 100 meeting and event planners from across the region, will be in attendance.
About Visit KC
Visit KC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City. Through marketing, sales and service of the convention and tourism industries, Visit KC supports a vital and growing component of the local economy—generating more than 46,000 jobs and $5.1 billion in economic impact annually. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.
About Global Meetings Industry Day
GMID marks the expansion of North American Meetings Industry Day (NAMID), held in 2015 in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Latin America. NAMID included 88 events across the continent as well as robust conversations online and 3.2 million social media impressions. For more information, click here.
About Meetings Mean Business
The Meetings Mean Business coalition was created in 2009 to showcase the incredible value that business meetings, travel and events bring to the U.S. economy. Its members span all facets of the face-to-face meeting and events industry, which have come together behind a common goal: providing the resources, tools and information to show the real impact the industry has on businesses, economies and communities. For more information, visit www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com.
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