Dialogue to Achieve Common
Measurement/ Indicators for
Group Business
Reyn Bowman, President & CEO
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau
Definitions
Average Occupancy – Average number
of available guest rooms occupied during
a period of time.
Average Daily Rate – Average rate for the
available guest rooms actually sold during
a period of time.
Lodging Revenue Per Room (REVPar)
Revenue per available guest room,
whether vacant or occupied during a
period of time.
Definitions
Room Nights – number of guest rooms
utilized over the course of an event or
meeting.
Peak Rooms – Highest number of rooms
used on one night during the event.
Room Pick Up – Total room nights
actually used by the event
Pick up Pattern – Total room nights used
per night during the event.
Definitions
Guests Per Room – Average number of
individuals occupying each room.
Event Length – Number of days and
nights of the event.
“Rotatibility” – The ability of an event to
rotate to more than one community over
time.
Definitions
Definite Booking – Booking confirmed in
writing by the planner with a letter of intent
to the bureau or headquarters property
Tentative Booking – Potential future
booking where the planner has expressed
interest, but has not yet confirmed.
Occurring Meeting or Event – Events
actually taking place in a given time
period.
Definitions
Lead – An inquiry that has been qualified
as feasible for a specific destination,
including cleared dates, specs and details,
which is then distributed by the DMO to
potential venues targeted by the planner.
Overflow Rooms – Rooms needed
outside the headquarters property, or
requested by one destination of another to
accommodate a group that is largely
hosted by one destination.
Definitions
Multi-Destination Event – An event large
enough to require facilities in more than
one destination and a joint bid process. A
multi-destination event has regional impact
and utilization, not just draw.
Market Segments – Breakdowns by event
type, attendee origin, and attendee type.
Event Type – Convention and meetings,
exhibition/trade show, group tour, sports,
film and consumer show.
Definitions
Attendee Origin
– International – Draws national and int’l audience, 15%
or more reside outside the host country.
– National – Draws national audience, more than 40%
reside outside a 400 mile radius.
– Regional – Delegates reside in a multi-state area,
60% within a 400 mile radius.
– State – More than 80% of the delegates reside in the
event state, and more than 20% of the delegates
reside outside a 50-mile radius.
– Local/Intraregional – 80% of the delegates reside
within a 50-mile radius, typically do not require
overnight accommodations.
Definitions
Attendee Type
– Delegates – Those who attend an event to
participate.
– Day Delegates - Non residents who commute
from home to participate in an event.
– Exhibitors – Thos who attend an event to staff
an exhibit.
– Attendees – a combination of delegates,
exhibitors, media, speakers,
guests/companions, etc.
Definitions
Delegate Spending – Total spending during an event by
day and overnight delegates and guests/companions.
Organizer Spending – Total spending per delegate or
exhibitor by the sponsoring organization.
Economic Impact – Total spending times the countyspecific input/output multiplier. This represents the
number of times the dollars are re-spent within the
county’s economy before they go outside to pay for
supplies produced elsewhere or to pay debt. This is
usually 1.2 – 1.7 times the direct spending amount.
Non-Visitor Event Impact – Total spending including
residents and spending by the organizer outside the
county.
Sources
IACVB and NTA Expenditure Surveys
(indexed to local indicators)
Smith Travel Research (customized to
county level)
National Association of Sports
Commissions
Past Event History
Surveying Event Organizers and Lodging
Properties
Collecting Data
How to get cooperation (justification to
provide)
– Ensure confidentially of individual property
data
– Show overall impact of meetings
– Show return on investment, occupancy taxes
spent
– Provide market trends, guide marketing
adjustments
– Explain impact of changes in supply
– Justify or refute need for expanded facilities
Collecting Data
What to do when a property won’t
cooperate
– Use averages from similar properties
– Hold roundtables to let early adopters
persuade resisters
– Pursue higher up in the organization
– Adopt policies to predetermine listings and
leads based on cooperation
Adapting or Indexing
Expenditure Surveys
Index the average rate used in the model to the
average rate relevant to that group in your
community.
Index people per room to account for amateur
sports groups that room far more than the model
reflects.
Through surveys of or at local features,
determine the customary resident to nonresident ratio.
Adapting or Indexing
Expenditure Surveys
Adjust models for centric MSA’s downward
to reflect regions with no dominant
destination.
Reconcile significant differences between
the impact in your county versus the
impact reported by previous hosts.
Formulas
Convention and Meetings
DCVB M&C Expenditure Calculator
DCVB Meetings Impact Template
Sports Events
DCVB Sports Expenditure Calculator
DCVB Sports Impact Template
Suggestions for Next Steps
Session at next meeting to complete
discussion and align
Develop website portal where counties
can enter monthly information.
(Computations could be set up behind the
scene so destinations just add raw
numbers.)
Work with the Division to include group
statistics in the state’s annual report.