Aurora becoming star site on U.S. convention circuit

Adding the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center last year put Aurora clearly on the radar screens of meeting planners across the country.

Aurora went from not making the cut as a top-50 meeting destination in the United States to ranking 42nd in 2018 and 33rd this year, according to Cvent, which maintains a database of more than 255,000 meeting venues around the globe and provides technology to assist meeting planners.

Advanced bookings into the Gaylord Rockies Resort before its December opening likely played a key part in Aurora coming out of nowhere, but the 1,501-room hotel wasn’t the only driver, said Chris McAndrews, vice president of marketing with Cvent Hospitality Cloud.

Aurora is participating in a larger trend of secondary cities using more intense marketing to tout their lower costs and in the process winning over more business meetings. Those gatherings add $1.5 trillion to global GDP each year, according to Cvent.

“While the opening of the Gaylord Rockies Resort likely played a key role in Aurora’s rise, that’s really just one part of its overall success story. The city continues to put a focus on increasing tourism and positioning itself as a top destination to host meetings and conventions,” McAndrews said.

For example, the Aurora City Council last year approved a “destination marketing improvement fee” on city hotels to fund sales and marketing efforts by Visit Aurora.

“It’s concerted efforts like these that have led to Aurora’s continued rise in the rank,” McAndrews said, adding that he expects the city’s ascent to continue now that it has the state’s largest hotel and more promotional funding available.

Orlando, Fla., Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas are the top five conference destinations in the country. Following them are Nashville, Tenn., San Diego, New York, Miami and Washington, D.C.

In 2018, Denver would have claimed the next spot, 11th. But for 2018, it slipped three notches to 14th, according to the survey. Denver had ranked 12th in both 2016 and 2017.

A group of hoteliers in Denver opposed the Gaylord Rockies, arguing it would cannibalize their meeting business with the help of government incentives. Gaylord Rockies backers denied that, saying the venue would bring in mostly new events from groups that would otherwise bypass

Colorado.

McAndrews doesn’t pin Denver’s drop directly to Aurora’s rise, but rather on the more intense competition from a variety of second-tier cities that will require first-tier cities to step up their game.

Denver is attempting that through a $233 million expansion of the Colorado Convention Center. But a bidding scandal has delayed those improvements.

“Other cities are putting themselves on the map, and that competition among destinations to attract group business continues to rise,” McAndrews said.