CONVENTION SALES & DESTINATION EXPERIENCES
Convention Sales
As we approach the end of Q1, the team has booked 48,245 room nights as of March 27 — 84% of the year-to-date goal and 11% behind the same period in 2024. Conversions are slowing due to a combination of uncertainty, economic outlook, and tariffs. The team is closely monitoring the effects the Canadian tariffs and shifts in federal funding impacts across key sectors such as higher education and associations, evaluating how these changes may influence group business. Strategic focus will be placed on maintaining and growing relationships within top-performing segments to ensure continued success and adaptability in a changing landscape.
Lead distribution is performing strongly, with a total of 425 leads — 110% of the year-to-date goal and 7% ahead of 2024. New lead distribution is pacing at 121%, 6% ahead of last year. New bookings are currently at 96% of goal, just 1% behind 2024 year-to-date.
Month-End February 2025 Sales Team Productivity
- 31,483 room nights booked, 83% of goal compared to 38,083 in 2024.
- 262 total leads distributed, 101% of goal compared to 276 in 2024.
- 37 new bookings, 81% of goal compared to 47 in 2024.
- 167 new leads, 124% of annual goal compared to 155 in 2024.
Off-Peak Bookings by Period 2025–2028
As of March 27, below is the breakdown off-peak bookings by period by year:
- May & September - 5,065 room nights booked, with 1,554 room nights into 2025 and 3,511 room nights into 2026.
- Summer - 3,199 room nights, with 1,357 room nights into 2025 and 1,842 room nights into 2026.
- October–December -14,693 room nights, with 8,703 room nights into 2025, 1,560 room nights into 2026, 2,430 room nights into 2027, and 2,000 room nights into 2028.
Trips & Travel
YTD through March, the sales team represented the destination at 14 events:
- PCMA – Houston, TX
- Site SoCal Board Installation – Newport Beach, CA
- FICP Winter Symposium – Philadelphia, PA
- Client event in Los Angeles, CA
- MPI Planner Partner Forum – North Carolina
- MPI Board Instillation – Orange County, CA
- AMCI – Tampa, FL
- MPI Northern CA Chapter – Sacramento, CA
- Prestige Midwest Summit – Arlington, VA
- NE CVB Reps – New York, NY
- MPI Northern CA Chapter – Monterey, CA
- SITE So Cal – San Diego, CA
- ConferenceDirect Annual Partner Meeting – Philadelphia, PA
- MIC Conference – Denver, CO
Looking forward in April, the team will be representing the destination at seven events:
- Site Southeast – Charlotte, NC
- CALSAE Elevate – Monterey, CA
- Arizona Client Events – Scottsdale, AZ
- PCMA Fashion Show & Visionary Awards – Washington, D.C.
- Prestige Partner Conference – Los Angeles, CA
- Meeting Today Live – Dallas, TX
- Destination Celebration – Minneapolis, MN & Kansas City, KS
Destination Experiences
Site Visits & FAMs
Through the end of February, the VGPS team hosted 10 site visits totaling 11,832 potential room nights—down from the same period in 2024, when 28 site visits generated 29,803 room nights. Of those 2025 visits, three have already converted to definite bookings, totaling 2,295 room nights.
We kicked off the year by welcoming 24 clients and guests to the Thompson Palm Springs during the Palm Springs International Film Festival. This group included meeting planners, journalists, and travel trade representatives from across the U.S., Mexico, and Belgium. As a result, we’ve already received one lead valued at 821 room nights for Summer 2026.
In partnership with the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel, we also hosted 10 meeting planners from Prestige Global Meetings during the BNP Paribas Open. Attendees experienced eight hotels and six local attractions. One lead has been generated so far, representing 175 room nights for May 2026.
We’ll close out March by hosting a targeted FAM for five state association meeting planners, featuring hotel site visits and a Cirque du Soleil experience at Acrisure Arena.
Boosting Off-Peak Site Inspections
Looking forward, the Destination Experiences team has developed a strategic plan to enhance our off-peak site inspections, specifically around the summer months with the objective of increasing conversion. Key initiatives include:
- Optimized Site Inspections: Site inspections for hotels, venues, and attractions will be scheduled during the cooler hours of the day whenever feasible, enhancing comfort for our clients. The VGPS team provides hydration and weather-appropriate refreshments to ensure a pleasant experience.
- Enhanced Airport Transportation: We have improved the airport transportation experience at PSP by securing Zone 5 parking access, facilitating more efficient pick-up and drop-off processes. Our staff ensures that the VGPS vehicle is cooled and comfortable before client use.
- Comprehensive Communication Strategies: The VGPS team has developed targeted strategies and talking points to highlight key benefits of booking off-peak time periods, such as flexibility with meeting space-to-room ratio, venue options favorable for group events, and suitable activities and attractions during warmer months.
- Promotion of Summer Value: We actively promote summer value offers from hotels and VGPS, to entice groups to book during this off-peak time frame.
These initiatives exemplify our approach to making summer site inspections both appealing and efficient, thereby driving increased business opportunities during this season.
Convention Sales Dashboards
Below are dashboards showing our year-to-date non-legacy team production and open tentative leads.
