Cvent, a global meetings, events and hospitality technology provider, is moving its 2024 customer and industry conference from Las Vegas to San Antonio, Texas. Cvent CONNECT, one of the largest event and hospitality technology conferences in North America, has been held in Las Vegas since 2014. With more than 21,000 customers worldwide, Cvent CONNECT 2024, which will be held June 10-13 at the Henry B. González Convention Center, is estimated to generate a direct economic impact of $7.06 million for San Antonio, according to Visit San Antonio.

“We know our customers – and the industry at large – look to Cvent to set the bar for innovative technology that maximizes event impact, and Cvent CONNECT is where that innovation comes to life,” said Rachel Andrews, senior director, global meetings and events at Cvent, a company with more than 4,800 employees. “As any planner knows, location is incredibly important for creating a lasting impression on your attendees.”

She continued, “Each year, we carefully consider a destination’s unique offerings, accessibility, cultural intrigue, local attractions and many other criteria, and San Antonio excels across all of them. We are excited to show our Cvent CONNECT attendees a new experience in the city of San Antonio.”

In 2023, Cvent CONNECT drew 3,500 in-person attendees to Caesars Forum in Las Vegas and thousands more online for a total of 10,000 registrants.

Back story

Cvent’s customer and user buying power is formidable – more than $14 billion of group business value was sourced through its platforms in 2022 alone. Future association and corporate business booked because of being a host city in 2024 could be a game-changer for San Antonio. 

From 2021 to 2023, Visit San Antonio turned more than 800 Cvent leads into definite bookings, resulting in 570,000 contracted room nights with an economic impact of $373.3 million for the city.  

Thousands of event and hospitality professionals and decision-makers are expected to attend the multi-day conference in San Antonio. More than 50% of the buyers who attend represent corporate meetings from sectors including healthcare/biotech/pharma, financial services, software and internet, business services, and manufacturing – sectors key to San Antonio’s meetings and conventions business.   

“We are thrilled to welcome Cvent CONNECT to San Antonio in 2024,” said Marc Anderson, president and CEO, Visit San Antonio. “Not only has Cvent been, and continues to be, crucial to us as a business partner, now they will be our cherished guests in 2024. In fact, more than 70% of Visit San Antonio’s leads come through Cvent’s platform, and we look forward to growing that as a host city.”

He continued, “This aligns with Visit San Antonio’s recent strategy to strongly pursue key industry meetings and increase corporate and association meetings for our city, further driving this critical sector of our local economy.”  

In 2022, San Antonio welcomed approximately 34.8 million visitors. Hospitality is one of the top five industries in the city, contributing $19 billion into the local economy annually and employing more than 140,000 in 2022.

What’s next

“We’re excited for the opportunity to bring our Cvent CONNECT attendees to San Antonio,” said Andrews. “Marc and the Visit San Antonio team laid out an incredible vision and we can’t wait to partner with them to show off exactly why the city is one of the fastest growing destinations in the country.” 

Cvent CONNECT attracts and provides thousands of industry professionals with fresh opportunities for collaboration, networking, training and certification, and an immersive dive into the latest event technology that's reshaping the landscape of meetings and events planning.

Mayor of San Antonio Ron Nirenberg said, “For many CONNECT 2024 attendees, the gathering will be their first time in San Antonio, and there’s no better way to expose key decision-makers to our authentic culture, culinary scene, walkability, first-tier meeting facilities and stellar hotel properties than for them to experience all this in person.”

He added, “San Antonio looks forward to warmly welcoming this critical industry meeting and the continued growth of our hospitality industry, an important economic generator in our local economy.”

Pre-registration for Cvent CONNECT 2024 is available here.