As quoted by our very own CEO, Andy McNeill, in the October issue of MPI’s One+ magazine, “smaller cities offer far lower costs for lodging and meeting space than major cities” which “cost about 15 percent to 20 percent more than those that typically attract regional [events].”

To read the entire article, click here. It’s titled, Local Flavor, and it’s all about the value of hosting regional meetings and events, which have been steadily on the rise. At American Meetings, we have discovered that, although cost savings is the driving motivator for choosing a nearby or smaller city, our clients are often thrilled to find they also get high-quality venues, first-class amenities, and excellent service … all things they expect in a major city but pay much more for. In addition, attendees get to experience a city they may not have been to before, interesting places like Portland, San Jose, Nashville, Salt Lake City. These cities and more are rolling out the red carpet to attract corporate business and there’s no better time than now to take advantage.

In the MPI article, Andy also points out that, “scaled-down, regional options go over especially well for pharmaceutical companies concerned with “optics”—the buzzword for the public perception of pharma meetings and events. To address that consideration at a recent Salt Lake City event to celebrate a product release, the company planned a hoedown as entertainment. You can run a very nice meeting and not be opulent.”

Since studies show that the demand for face-to-face meetings remains high, regional meetings offer a sustainable option that can help to meet that demand without breaking the budget. American Meetings has many contacts in these markets and is ready to help.