PROVIDENCE – Events booked by the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau generated $74.9 million in direct spending for the state in 2019, down 7.5% from the previous year, the PWCVB said Wednesday.
The organization, along with its subsidiary, the Rhode Island Sports Commission, hosted 251 groups last year, bringing in 187,417 attendees to meetings, conventions and sports events.
Rhode Island business boosts efficiency and sustainability with Rhode Island Energy
Hexagon, a global technology and software company, develops products that combine sensor, software and autonomous…
Learn More
The 2019 activity accounted for 110,294 room rentals in Providence and Warwick.
In 2018 the PWCVB hosted 260 groups, accounting for 121,020 room nights and $81 million in direct spending.
“While these numbers are slightly down for 2019, we measure the health of the market by overall occupancy, which held flat over the last two years at 74.2%,” PWCVB spokesman Greg Desrosiers said in an email. “The national average over the same time period is 66.3%. Additionally, our inventory grew 6.2% in 2019 while demand grew 6.1%.”
As the site of more than one-quarter of the 2019 event activity, Warwick hosted 66 groups, for a total of 39,224 visitors who booked more than 25,000 room rentals. The city brought in about $16 million of the overall direct spending amount.
“Meetings, conventions and sporting events are a consistent source of revenue for Rhode Island throughout the year,” said Kristen Adamo, President and CEO of the PWCVB. “They serve as the backbone for hotel occupancy in the Providence/Warwick area. The destination does a robust sports business in the quiet winter months, while meetings and conventions comprise a lot of the weekday business throughout both the shoulder and peak seasons.”
The PWCVB expects 2020 to outpace last year, estimating that the 246 events already on the books will generate $78.8 million in direct spending, along with 116,615 room rentals.
“The PWCVB undertakes a systematic and strategic effort to place meeting, convention and sporting event business not only in the Rhode Island Convention Center but also throughout the state,” said Thomas Riel, vice president of sales and services at the PWCVB. “We have a strong slate of business for 2020 and all of Rhode Island will reap the benefits of it.”
Industry group Destinations International calculated direct spending, using factors including lodging, food and beverage spending, space rental and transportation and costs incurred by host venues, according to the PWCVB.
(Updates first five paragraphs with 2018 data and comment.)
