Meetings Will Contribute 19,000 Room Nights to Rapid City Hotels in 2024
Visit Rapid City to Honor Global Meetings Industry Day
Group business facilitated by Visit Rapid City’s sales efforts will add an estimated 19,000 room nights to lodging facilities and deliver an economic impact of $11 million in 2024.
“Meetings matter in Rapid City and South Dakota,” said Brook Kaufman, President & CEO of Visit Rapid City. “Group business plays a key role in our destination marketing efforts and helps drive our local economy forward.”
Upcoming groups with meetings taking place in Rapid in 2024 include:
- National Indian Health Board, May 19-23: 1,200 attendees, The Monument
- Society of Commercial Seed, June 2-5: 150 attendees, Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown – Convention Center
- National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association, June 9-11: 150 attendees, Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown – Convention Center
- Women on Wheels, June 23-29: 250 attendees, Best Western Ramkota & Conference Center
- Highpointers Club, July 18-20: 250 attendees, Best Western Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center
- World Wilderness Congress, August 19-31: 2,500 attendees, The Monument
- Tau Beta Pi Association, October 23-27: 520 attendees, The Monument
- Association of National Park Rangers, November 1-11: 150 attendees, Holiday Inn Rapid City Downtown – Convention Center
- Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs, November 13-15: 325 attendees, Best Western Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center
“With so many large meetings, the positive impacts of these groups will be far reaching, from hotels to restaurants and shops to attractions,” said Tyson Steiger, Director of Sales & Services for Visit Rapid City. “We look forward to welcoming them to Rapid City and introducing them to our destination.”
Meetings play a key role in Rapid City’s tourism economy. With that in mind, Visit Rapid City is joining industry colleagues from around the world to showcase the value and importance of professional meetings for Global Meetings Industry Day, which takes place April 11, 2024. As part of the celebration, Visit Rapid City and the Rapid City hospitality industry will do community outreach to encourage locals to host their own meetings in Rapid City.
In the U.S., there were $119 billion in meeting and event-related spending in 2023. The meetings industry directly supported nearly 600,000 American jobs while providing benefits to local economies and businesses. When meetings take place in destinations, they encourage attendees to return for leisure travel, to stay in hotels, enjoy local restaurants and shop in businesses of all sizes.
Rapid City welcomes and hosts groups of various sectors and sizes, including agricultural, medical, government, trade associations, fraternal organizations and reunions, with attendance that ranges from 15 to 2,500. In 2023, Visit Rapid City assisted in hosting 50 meetings that resulted in 5,459 room nights and an economic impact of more than $3 million to Rapid City.
Learn more about Visit Rapid City and its various marketing initiatives, including meetings and conventions, at VisitRapidCity.com.
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About Visit Rapid City:
Visit Rapid City is the official marketing organization for Rapid City and promotes leisure travel, meetings, conventions and sporting events to Rapid City and the Black Hills area. More information can be found at VisitRapidCity.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest or discover images and content with #VisitRapidCity.
Visit Rapid City Media Contact:
Tia Troy
tia@lightningbugpublicrelations.com
406.529.8314