Convention Sales

The strong recovery in meetings and events was clearly reflected in the booking performance for 2023. Year-end figures across all goal categories surpassed levels seen in both 2019 and 2022. Greater Palm Springs' recovery can be attributed to the growing interest in hosting meetings in less urban locations with desire for open spaces and outdoor options. 

The team exceeded expectations by achieving 121% of their room-night goal, securing a total of 225,052 room nights, surpassing both the initial goal of 185,500 and the stretch goal of 206,500 room nights. 

Leads and Bookings
Lead volume outpaced 2022 levels by 4%, while new lead distribution—a key focus for the sales team—increased by 5% year-over-year. A total of 426 groups were booked, including 288 new groups that have not sourced the valley in five years or more. 

Northern California was the leading production market, followed by the Mid-Atlantic and Southern California regions. The highest number of booked rooms are attributed to Trade & Commercial, Health & Medical, and Financial market segments.

Trade Shows
The sales team actively promoted the destination at 60 in-person industry events and trade shows, including PCMA-Convening Leaders, ConferenceDirect, Helmsbriscoe Annual Conference, Prestige, CalSAE, Maritz, and IMEX. 

Site Visits
Throughout all of 2023, the team hosted 105 site experiences representing 134,080 room nights. Of these, 50 groups have booked a total of 46,875 room nights. This is an increase from 2022, which realized 97 site inspections resulting in 40,980 room nights from 36 booked groups. 

FAMs & Sponsorships
In 2023, focus remained on generating new business and targeting need times, with an emphasis on hosting more FAM visits to provide meeting planners with a firsthand experience of the destination. This was achieved with the hosting of four FAMs and two strategic sponsorship events, showcasing the unique appeal of Greater Palm Springs for meetings and conventions. 

Notable FAMs:

• January: Palm Springs International Film Festival FAM , hosted 20 attendees including meeting planners and media.  
• March: BNP Paribas Open FAM, hosted 10 meeting planners from Maritz, one of our strategic partners.  
• November: Tech FAM, hosted 12 meeting planners from the Tech Industry segment.  
• December: Alaska Airlines FAM, welcoming 14 customers to join the inaugural Alaska Airlines route from New York (JFK) to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP).

Strategic Sponsorships:  

• November: Marriott – The Exchange Corporate Partnership Conference (CPC), which brought Marriott’s top 250 Corporate Planners to JW Marriott Desert Springs for the opportunity to experience the destination.  
• December: Site SoCal Holiday Event, which attracted approximately 250+ meeting planners from Southern California, one of most important booking regions.