Just days away from the start of the spring High Point Market, High Point Market Authority (HPMA) leaders are optimistic it will be the strongest market since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pre-registration data is tracking several percentage points higher than at this point before last fall’s market, according to Tom Conley, HPMA’s president and CEO. “The registration patterns since COVID show people deciding on attendance much closer to the event date, and that’s still holding true this cycle. Given such, we expect to inch up a few more percentage points over this next week and end up with our largest attendance numbers since 2019.”
International interest is helping, with international registrations tracking 38% higher than last October and almost triple last spring. Although outreach over the past few months revealed a hesitancy to travel still exists for some, there are many ready and willing to embrace transit, especially as government-imposed travel restrictions ease.
Corporate travel bans are also easing, evidenced by the larger teams registering from major retailer and online retailers.
Travel Quest, HPMA’s official travel concierge, shares more good news, noting that the average number of room nights for Market guests has increased when compared to previous markets. “This is encouraging data. We not only see more people planning to come, but they’re opting to stay longer,” adds Conley.
