More and more meeting planners are looking toward midsize cities to host their programs. Many groups are getting priced out of the larger metropolitan areas as rates for hotel rooms, meeting venues, food and beverage, and other ancillary spend increases incrementally every year. At the same time, midsize cities from Calgary, Canada to Stuttgart, Germany have undergone sweeping urban revitalization efforts, building up their infrastructure and transportation links. They’ve increased airlift, hotel, and venue capacity, and enhanced their visitor experience exponentially.

The result of these shifts is that for some destinations, being a midsize city is no longer necessarily a negative for attracting events. Midsize destinations have easily navigable downtown footprints. They often have a unique visitor experience or local vibe that’s not easily duplicated elsewhere. More than anything, midsize cities are more affordable, and local leaders in both the public and private sectors go further out of their way to service groups because they appreciate the business.

Join Greg Oates, Executive Editor, SkiftX and Carina Bauer, President & CEO, IMEX Group for a conversation and case study examination on The Rise of Midsized Cities in the Meetings Industry.