By Dale M. King
BOCA RATON – Next time your company is looking for a place to conduct meetings or conventions, just look outside your window. Boca Raton has been dubbed one of the top 50 meeting destinations in the United States.
Cvent, the world’s largest meetings and event management technology company, recently announced the top 50 cities for meetings and events in the United States, according to meeting and event booking activity in the Cvent Supplier Network. Boca Raton came in 43rd on that list, and is one of five Florida locations listed.
“This is indicative of the phenomenal work of the Visitors and Convention Bureau,” said Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. “It is a testament to what they have done.”
But he said the high ranking is also indicative of the quality and service provided by resorts, clubs and hotels in Boca Raton.
“Just look at the meeting locations,” he said. “The Boca Raton Resort & Club is one of the best. And you have the Wyndham, the Marriott, the Renaissance and others, all providing quality service.”
Cvent said the Number 1 venue for meetings and conventions is Orlando, following by Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago, San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas and New Orleans. New York is Number 11.
“We are honored and excited to be rated as the top U.S. destination by Cvent. Corporate meetings are a crucial business segment for Orlando, and our ranking No. 1 validates the effort we have put into working with these groups,” said Tammi Runzler, senior vice president of convention sales and services at Visit Orlando. “More importantly, Orlando remains committed to making the destination a compelling choice for corporate meetings.”
“Meetings and conventions are important revenue generators for cities, supporting not only the meeting venues and hotels, but also local restaurants, entertainment and numerous other businesses within the city,” said Bharet Malhotra, vice president of sales for the Cvent Supplier Network. “Cvent’s role in the meetings ecosystem is to connect venues and planners to facilitate efficient and informed meeting booking. As the single largest marketplace for meetings activity, we have an excellent feel for which cities and properties are popular and growing, and the data to back it up.”
McLellan agreed, pointing out the fact that companies look for “price, quality and a good experience within the community” when selecting a conference site. Boca offers great environs, he said, such as Mizner Park, with its shops, restaurants and cultural offerings.
In addition to Orlando, Boca and Miami, other Florida cities that made the top 50 include Tampa, 32 (site of the upcoming Republican National Convention) and Naples, 49.
To come up with the rankings, Cvent evaluated 1,000 cities and 200 major metropolitan areas (MMAs) in the U.S. on the Cvent Supplier Network to create the list. Activity was tracked between July 2011 and June 2012, and the ranking was then determined by a set of qualifying criteria, including:
∙ The number of total room nights booked through the Cvent Supplier Network;
∙ The number of unique electronic request-for-proposals (RFPs) sent through the marketplace to venues within the city;
∙ The total value of the RFPs submitted;
∙ The actual awarded value for meetings booked.
In addition to ranking top cities, Cvent also ranked the top MMAs to represent select markets where notable meetings activity takes place near, but outside the limits of the city core.