While the Delta variant is of course having a negative effect on the state”™s convention and meetings business, Robert Murdock is remaining optimistic.
“People are a little more hesitant to travel at this point, especially by air,” the president of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau told the Business Journal. “But Connecticut doesn”™t have venues the size of what you see in places like New York City and Las Vegas, so even though we”™re being affected, we”™re being less affected.”
Murdock noted the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan ”” which organizers say typically pumps some $300 million into the area”™s economy ”” was recently canceled for the second consecutive year.
Also canceled over the past few weeks were the National Rifle Association”™s annual meeting in Houston, due to the high Covid rates in Texas ”” almost 93% of ICU beds in the state were in use as of Aug. 25 ”” and the New Orleans Jazz Fest, sidelined for the second consecutive year after being moved from April/May to October. It too was called off due to a rise in Covid cases, although the recent damage from Hurricane Ida may have forced organizers”™ hands anyway.
Meanwhile, air travelers are indeed cutting back this fall ”” and not just because their children are going back to school. According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. consumers spent $6 billion on domestic flights in June, just 5% below pre-pandemic levels.
But as the Delta variant continued to wreak more havoc, those numbers quickly fell: July domestic flight bookings were down 13%, and from Aug. 1 to 21 they were down 33% compared to the same period in 2019.
Murdock said that while Connecticut”™s events business relies heavily on air travelers, the CTCSB is now refocusing its efforts to attract those able to travel here by car.
“Our message is that Connecticut is a safe, convenient and affordable option that”™s not as urban as the metro New York area,” he said. “People may be hesitant to fly but if they still want to have a meeting, they can choose somewhere that”™s less crowded.
“It”™s the same mentality that we saw with so many people moving here from New York,” he continued. “And we can offer everything from large meeting spaces to smaller, historic spots ”” we have something for everyone.”
The bureau is thus focusing its marketing on the metro New York, New England and Philadelphia markets, he said.
Even so, Murdock said the overall picture for the sector remains cloudy. He noted a late August report by marketing firm Longwoods International that found over 60% of travelers saying the coronavirus was altering their travel plans, up from 43% in June. One in five have postponed trips until later this year, while one is six have postponed until 2022, the report said.
In July, Connecticut”™s events sector had its best month since the initial Covid outbreak, he said, estimating that it is still about 10% lower than it was in the summer of 2019. “That”™s been encouraging,” Murdock said, classifying fiscal year 2021 ”” which ran from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 ”” as having the potential to be one of CTCSB”™s best ever before Covid took its toll.
As for the CTCSB moniker: It”™s staying, but the organization last month instituted “a major brand refresh” with a new logo, CTmeetings, and all staff email addresses will change to include the “@ctmeetings.org” domain. The organization changed its website to ctmeetings.org several weeks before.
“It was the way to align all of the different elements of what we do,” Murdock said. “The (Connecticut Office of) Tourism”™s website is ”˜ctvisit,”™ and we work very closely with them. A lot of our counterparts around the country are doing the same thing, like Discover Central Massachusetts.”
The organization timed the unveiling of the new branding to coincide with the industry”™s fall trade shows, including the “Connect Marketplace 2021,” being held in Tampa Oct. 10 to 12.
The new branding is also less cumbersome, Murdock said.
“A lot of the time, when I said ”˜CTCSB,”™ I had to spell it out ”” ”˜C as in Charlie”™ and so on,” he laughed. “This makes it a little easier for everybody.”
