Events and conventions sector records $35M in sales in Q3
Discover Puerto Rico registers reservations for 68 new events to be held on the island.
Efforts to attract groups, conventions and sporting events generated $35 million in sales for Puerto Rico’s tourism industry during the last quarter, from July to September 2024.
This represents an increase of $7.5 million compared to the same period in 2023. The improvement in revenue was achieved with a similar number of contracted events. Services were secured for 68 events, two more than the 66 reported last year, generating 35,641 lodging nights.
“This shows Puerto Rico’s enormous potential in this sector, and we can see it materializing with these sales levels in group travel, conventions and sporting events. This has been a great collaborative effort. As long as the different components of the industry continue to work as a team, we will continue to advance in groups and events travel,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico.
The events contracted during this period will benefit the tourism industry over the next four years. Most booked events are professional meetings in technology, science, education, business and sports.
From July to September, Puerto Rico hosted dozens of events booked over the last three years. Among the most notable are:
- Amex InterAction 2024: A series of conferences organized by American Express Global Business to promote its services among clients and suppliers.
- Premios Juventud 2024: This annual event celebrates achievements in the Hispanic entertainment industry. It was held on July 25 at the Puerto Rico Coliseum.
- Cintas Incentive Program 2024: This company, based in Ohio, held its annual incentive program for employees and associates in Puerto Rico.
- World Robot Olympiad-Puerto Rico Open Championship 2024: More than 200 robotics teams from 15 countries participated in this three-day event at the Puerto Rico Convention Center, organized by Techno Inventors, a nonprofit that promotes education.
- Global Entrepreneurship Congress Plus (GEN+) 2024: This event was designed to promote collaboration between founders, investors, policymakers and researchers from Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. This event was coordinated by Invest Puerto Rico and GEN.
Puerto Rico is also hosting several notable events in the current quarter (October to December 2024), including:
- NASAA Assembly 2024: The National Assembly of State and Art Agencies held its annual assembly Oct. 23-26, with pre-conferences held earlier. The Puerto Rican Institute of Culture served as the local host.
- Space Research Association 2024: This nonprofit corporation promotes space science, technology and engineering. It organized an event involving 121 prominent research universities. It oversaw the management, operation and maintenance of the Arecibo Observatory.
- 2024 Laurie Hernández Champions Challenge: A women’s artistic gymnastics championship organized by LR Productions. The finalists from U.S.-level qualifiers will compete in Puerto Rico Dec. 19-21.