According to Knowland's monthly meetings and events data for August, U.S. group meetings volume increased 25.5 percent over July 2021.

The top 25 markets continue to dominate the growth metrics for number of meetings. This is strong performance as earlier in the year growth was led by the secondary and tertiary markets.

• Average attendees increase over 2019: The average number of attendees per event in August 2021 was 68, compared to 61 in August 2019.
• Average space: The average space used in August 2021 was 2,490 square feet while meetings in August 2019 averaged 2,216 square feet. While the square footage was higher in August 2021 than in August 2019, the average space per attendee is the same. It’s the first time this has been seen since the start of the pandemic.
• Top five market growth: The top five growth markets in August were Boston, Chicago, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
• Corporate meetings represent the largest market segment: The corporate segment represents 60.8 percent of meeting and event business with the healthcare and technology segments taking the lead as the largest industry segments.