The Destination Experience Team

During September, the Destination Experience Team provided support to 22 groups convening in San Antonio, with a representation of 32,221 attendees accumulating more than 40,704 total room nights. The Destination Experience managers coordinated and led eight planning site visits during the month for groups that will meet in San Antonio between 2019 and 2021.

A representative from Destination Experience was present to promote San Antonio at the prior year meeting for the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), which was held in Boston from Sept. 16-21. Their 102nd Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions and Exhibition will be held in the Alamo City from Oct. 5-10, 2020, with an anticipated 6,000 attendees.

Coming key groups meeting in San Antonio in November:

  • American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
  • Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies
  • American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  • National League of Cities

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) held its 89th International Exhibition and Annual Meeting at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and San Antonio Grand Hyatt Hotel between Sept. 15-20, 2109. SEG selected our city for the diverse culture, booming economy and dynamic geophysical environment found across the Lone Star State to bring together the most comprehensive educational and technical program to date. Attendance was reported to be up 13 percent from the previous year. During the show, event organizers utilized Go Rio river barges as hotel shuttle transportation from key properties, held a golf tournament at the Quarry Golf Club, facilitated a field trip to Barton Springs Fault/Swimming Pool and Antioch Cave in Austin, along with a wine-tasting tour at Comal Creek Vineyards. They concluded the meeting with a Latin-themed party in the LDR and Grotto. SEG attendees took advantage of and enjoyed a wide array of arts, history, and activities around San Antonio during their annual meeting.

The Destination Group Sales Division

The Destination Group Sales Division confirmed 178,546 total room nights in the month of September. With this production in September, the team finished the year with a total of 944,968 room nights for the fiscal year, putting the team at 103% of their goal! The production in September includes the Future Business Leaders of America returning to San Antonio for their 2026 Annual July Future Business Leaders Convention that will bring in over 33,000 total room nights and 14,000 total attendees. The Sales Division also confirmed the Texas Computer Education Association which confirmed their future years with San Antonio starting in 2026, which brings in over 11,000 attendees and over 12,000 total room nights in the January/February time frame.

In October, we participated in the following customer events:

  • Connect Texas – This annual appointment-based show took place in Grapevine, TX. There we spent two days in business appointments with Texas based customers.
  • NYPCMA Education Day – This was a first-time event for Visit San Antonio. We supported our New York area chapter of PCMA in their annual day of industry education and networking.
  • Dallas Sales Mission – Another first for Visit San Antonio, this was our first partner sales mission to the Dallas area. There we hosted several high-end customer dinners, lunches, and group sales calls. We capped the week off with customer events at the Texas State Fair and a concert at the Rangers stadium.
  • Connect Med/Tech – This was another first-time event, for both Visit San Antonio and for Connect. This meeting focused on professionals that plan meetings in the medical and technology sectors. This was another appointment-based show and was hosted at the Omni Dallas.

The month of November is another busy month for the Destination Sales Team, in which we will participate in the following events:

  • Smart Meetings Mid-American National Conference – This is a first-time meeting for Visit San Antonio. This will be a three day seminar filled with appointments with National Association and Corporate Meeting Planners, along with education and networking opportunities.
  • ConferenceDirect CD Forum – This annual event for ConferenceDirect and their Corporate Customers, will be held at the JW Marriott Marco Island. There we will spend several days meeting with CD meeting reps and their important corporate clientele.

To see what other opportunities there are to partner with Visit San Antonio please go to our partners’ website (members.visitsanantonio.com).