Orlando was recently named the best city in the United States for hosting meetings and events.
On Tuesday, May 14, Virginia-based event software company Cvent released its 2024 list of the Top 50 Meeting Destinations in the U.S., with the City Beautiful taking the top spot.
Known for its cloud-based event management solutions, Cvent evaluated over 12,500 cities worldwide. The list was compiled based on sourcing activity through the Cvent Supplier Network, which features more than 300,000 hotels, resorts, and special event venues.
According to Cvent, the company’s network serves as the “world’s largest and most accurate database of detailed venue information.”
Orlando earned the top spot in this year’s rankings due to its diverse range of options for event planners. The city has world-renowned theme parks, such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, which offer unique venues for events. There are also more than 200 hotels with over 120,000 guest rooms, ranging from budget-friendly options to luxurious resorts.
In addition, Orlando is home to the Orange County Convention Center, which is one of the largest convention centers in the U.S. The venue offers over 2 million square feet of event space.
Ranked just below Orlando in the #2 spot is Las Vegas, Nevada. Known for its unique blend of entertainment, luxury, and business offerings, Las Vegas is home to 150,000-plus hotel rooms; several top-notch event venues including the Las Vegas Convention Center and Mandalay Bay Convention Center; many restaurants and nightclubs; a variety of shows such as Cirque du Soleil and magic shows; and plenty of casinos.
Rounding out the Top 10 meeting destinations in the U.S. is Nashville, Tennessee (#3); Dallas, Texas (#4); San Diego, California (#5); Chicago, Illinois (#6); Atlanta, Georgia (#7); Denver, Colorado (#8); Phoenix, Arizona (#9); and Austin, Texas (#10).
Along with Orlando, five other cities in the Sunshine State made the list as well: Miami (#13), Fort Lauderdale (#20), Kissimmee (#24), Tampa (#26), and Boca Raton (#50).
“We’re honored that Orlando continues to lead as the Cvent Top Meeting Destination in North America,” stated Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. “When groups meet in Orlando, they not only support our local businesses, vendors and hospitality workers, but they also make an indelible impact on our community through charitable donations and endeavors.”
Matej added that planners “love meeting in Orlando as our destination has the space, venues, accommodations, dining, entertainment and services needed to create memorable and productive events.”
On Tuesday, Cvent also released its 2024 list of the Top 250 Meeting Hotels in the U.S. Two hotels in the City Beautiful – Hilton Orlando and Hyatt Regency Orlando – were ranked in the top 25, at #24 and #25 respectively.
To compile the list of top hotels, Cvent tracked activity between January 2023 and December 2023. Rankings were determined by a set of qualifying criteria that included total number of room nights booked, as well as awarded value for meetings booked through request-for-proposals, among other criteria.
To view the complete lists, visit Cvent’s Top 50 Meeting Destinations in North America and Top 250 Meeting Hotels in North America webpages.
