Springfield Business Journal_2020-08-03

178,821 attendees 62,009 room nights at local hotels $36M in expenditures Source: Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. HEATHER MOSLEY C a n c e l e d i n 2 0 2 0 Nearly 75 events booked through the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc. have been canceled in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 8 · SBJ.NET AUG. 3-9, 2020 Hotel activity Local hotels have been reeling from can- celed events and travel since March, though occupancy numbers are starting to slightly increase. According to CVB data, city hotel occu- pancy in June was 49.3%, down by nearly a third from the same month last year. But that’s up from March, which recorded a rate of 36.5%. Through July 18, occupancy for the month continued on the upward trend and eclipsed 52%, according to the data. Cara Walker Whiteley, president of the Springfield Hotel Lodging Association, at- tributes the occupancy increases to a slight bump in leisure travel. She said the local tourism industry needs a boost from busi- ness and event travel to see healthy sales and rates. “When the NRA announced they were going to have their meeting here, that was a sign to us that there may be some group business returning,” Whiteley said of the June announcement. “At least we would have one big event for 2020 and that would be indication that groups would try to re- schedule for fall. “I’m not shocked that it was canceled be- cause of everything that’s going on. We’re trying to navigate in this new environment, and while occupancy is going up, it’s no- where near where it used to be.” Representatives of University Plaza Hotel, where the NRA members were scheduled to stay, declined to comment on the impact to the hotel. Whiteley said she doesn’t anticipate ho- tel activity will reach normal levels until first quarter 2021. “It will all be driven by consumer confi- dence, and if that’s having a vaccine that’s widely available, that will help,” she said. “The leisure travel business has upticked over the last few months, but that’s not enough to keep everyone in business and profitable. We need corporate, business and group events, too.” Rusty Worley, executive director of Downtown Springfield Association, said 2020 was supposed to be a banner year with downtown debuting new hotels Tru by Hilton and Hotel Vandivort’s V2 expan- sion. “We’ve been disappointed that we didn’t see the fruits of that, but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt,” he said. “The new hotels we had opening would have brought more overnight guests to downtown. We see ma- jor upticks in people dining at our restau- rants and shopping at our stores.” Worley said the largest hit to center city was the cancellation of the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival. “That’s the event with the most econom- ic impact because we have 60,000 people here for those two days in August,” he said. “It brings folks from across the country in. “We felt it was prudent for this year to hold off.”  Planned events Maugans said a handful of events are still on the docket for this year, though she re- mains cautiously optimistic. For instance, the National Street Rod Association’s Mid-America Street Rod Na- tionals was rebooked for October from its initial May date. This year’s event originally was expected to bring 6,000 visitors and $1.1 million in spending, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. A few local events not booked through the CVB were slated to continue this year by press time. The Springfield Regional Arts Council’s Artsfest, which was canceled in May, is now joining the annual Cider Days festival in September for a combined event. Artsfest typically generates 30% of the SRAC’s an- nual revenue, according to past SBJ report- ing. “We’re closely monitoring case counts and other conditions,” Worley said. “We plan to make a call on that in early August.” Queen City Shout also is planning a vir- tual event in August for its 10th annual music, film and art festival. The festival is slated to include over 90 musical acts virtu- ally Aug. 17-23. Worley said the DSA is planning ahead for holiday events and beginning to con- sider the 2021 calendar. “It’s been a challenging year to try to deal with these changing conditions and strike the right balance between public safety and economic vitality,” he said. FROM THE COVER 1949 East Sunshine Street, Suite 2-110 Springfield, MO 65804 STEPHANIE HOHENSHELL AGENCY 417.212.4002 stephanie.hohenshell@American-National.com ML-19-117-18-334433.V5.07.2020 In order to thrive in a changing environment, you need the right tools to adapt. American National is here to support small business as coverage needs evolve. ASK US FOR AN INSURANCE REVIEW TODAY. COV E RAG E T H AT A DJ U STS TO YO U. American National Property And Casualty Co. Springfield, Missouri Events: Hotel occupancies start to grow Continued from page 1