The benchmarks every DMO should know: What 200+ DMOs reveal about the meetings market

Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) need reliable data to understand what's happening beyond their own market. That's why our experts create each edition of the Simpleview Sales Quarterly (SSQ) report to provide a comprehensive view of meetings sales performance, booking activity, and pipeline trends across the industry.

This Q2 2026 edition of the report analyzes data from 210 DMOs that generated at least 50 leads in 2019 and have maintained annual lead activity since then. Our methodology provides a unique look at how meetings market performance has shifted over time, allowing DMOs to identify trends that are most relevant to their specific market and benchmark against peers with similar characteristics.

So, what are you waiting for? You now have access to context to support confident, data-driven decisions. The insights you need to navigate the remainder of 2026 are just a few clicks away.

A snapshot of the SSQ

• Bookings indicated a smaller room-night mix: Aggregate Q2 bookings grew 3.0% while contracted room nights declined 3.6%.
• The West led positive room night growth: Southwest contracted room nights increased, and West/Pacific turned positive in Q2, while other regions declined.
• First-half lead generation reached a new high: Year-to-date lead volume was 26.9% above the 2019 baseline — the highest post-pandemic level.
• Lead growth was strong all around: Q2 leads increased for hotels, convention centers, and each DMO category.
• Convention demand grew, but conversion remained soft: Convention center leads rose 8.9%, while bookings fell 5.0%.
• Market segmentation performance remained uneven: Finance, Insurance, and Manufacturing were the only segments contracting significantly more room nights YoY — while lead demand is up for almost every segment.