New York Has the Most North America Meetings Business Booked for 2020, According to CWT

New York tops North America meetings destinations for 2020, according to CWT Meetings & Events, which based its ranking on volume of business and booking trends. Trends include requested cities, awarded RFPs and business value. That aligns with STR's projection for the next two years. Last year's leader on the CWT list, Las Vegas, dropped to No. 10. Three cities that missed the cut a year ago made it to the center of the pack this year. Though demand for meetings and events has continued to increase, the pace of growth has fallen, tempered by political headwinds. "Political events have a direct impact more than ever on companies' quarterly and annual outlooks," said Tony Wagner, CWT M&E VP for the Americas and South Pacific regions. "Some industry segments are pulling back and are being a bit more cautious." Fear of a looming recession, driven in part by the deepening trade war between the U.S. and China, is also impacting booking times: Large events that previously booked at least six months in advance are now booking at an average of three months in advance, due to geopolitical and global economic uncertainty.