NEWS

Photo by Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.
Visit Savannah’s year-end reports show 2014 as its strongest future convention bookings year on record. Total definite hotel room night bookings in 2014 totaled 202,780, a nearly 20 percent increase from a previously record-breaking 169,383 room nights in 2013.

“Savannah’s overall popularity as a premier visitor destination continues to ring true among meeting planning professionals,” said Joseph Marinelli, Visit Savannah president. “When selecting our city for their conventions and tradeshows, meeting planners know that their registration and attendance will likely be higher, which benefits their organization and in turn benefits Savannah by filling more hotel rooms.

Visit Savannah surpassed its 2014 quota of 174,000 future hotel room night bookings by 17 percent with 202,780 room nights. Each year, a quota is set based on historical bookings data and the amount of business accumulated at the beginning of the year.  In 2013, Visit Savannah set a new record by meeting 97 percent of its quota with 169,383 future room nights.

“These back-to-back strong convention bookings years continue to build Savannah’s momentum in the meetings industry. With almost 85 percent of this year’s bookings taking place in the future, we are growing our base of business well into 2019 and 2020,” said Jeff Hewitt, Visit Savannnah vice president of business development and destination services.

The largest future conventions booked during 2014 include the National BETA Club to be held in June 2018 and filling 8,122 room nights; the Georgia Municipal Association to be held in June 2018 and 2019, and filling 5,654 room nights per year; and the American College of Nurse Midwives to be held in May 2018 and filling 3,910 room nights.