CWT Meetings & Events Reveals Top Meeting Destinations for 2020

CWT Meetings & Events has revealed its rankings of the top meeting spots in North America.

The survey found that, while demand for meetings and events is still on the rise in North America, the pace of growth has slowed.

"Political events have a direct impact more than ever on companies' quarterly and annual outlooks," said Tony Wagner, vice president, Americas and South Pacific regions, CWT Meetings & Events. "Some industry segments are pulling back and are being a bit more cautious."

Last year, bookings were being made farther out, but that has also changed as a looming economic slump and deepening trade war are raising fears.

CWT found that large events previously booking at least six months in advance are now seeing shorter windows of three months, hobbled by the geopolitical and global economic uncertainty.

These are the top 10 cities for meetings and events in North America.

The Big Apple stole the number one spot from Las Vegas, which tumbled to number 10 on the 2020 list. New York was in the number-two spot last year.

San Francisco climbed six spots to rank number two in 2020. Last year, the city was number eight on the list of top meeting spots.

Like San Francisco, Chicago ascended the list of top meeting spots. The Windy City climbed from number nine to number three on the 2020 list.

Atlanta, which did not make the cut in 2019 is now a top meeting destination. The city is in the number four spot, according to CWT's rankings.

Toronto took the number-five spot on the list of most popular cities for meetings in North America. The recognition comes after the city was recognized as one of North America's safest by the Economist.

When looking at meeting locations, safety, cleanliness, value and accessibility remain the most important considerations for meeting planners.

San Diego was another newcomer to the list and a popular choice for meeting planners in 2020. The seaside city took the number-six spot.

Seattle held on to its previous ranking. In 2019, the city was in the same number-seven spot.

Orlando was in the number three spot for the 2019 rankings. In 2020, it still made the top 10, but the city fell to number eight.

Dallas/Fort Worth was also a top city for meeting planners on the 2019 list, but fell to number nine for the 2020 ranking.

Last year, Las Vegas surged from the number 10 spot all the way to number one. However, a year later, Sin City is back to number 10.