Las Vegas Ranks as the Second-Best City for Conventions in North America

When it comes to a place to hold a large convention, Las Vegas quickly comes to mind as the city to be in. With its many hotels, conference centers, and general hospitality industry that makes perfect sense for hosting large numbers of people. However, according to Cvent, a company that tracks the meetings and conventions industry, Las Vegas is actually the second-best convention city in North America.

Cvent’s List Reveals Something Unexpected

Las Vegas ranked second only to Orlando as North America’s leading convention destination in 2025. However, three resorts – The Venetian, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and Wynn and Encore Las Vegas – secured spots among the continent’s top 10 convention host hotels.

The rankings were compiled using insights drawn from more than $20 billion in global sourcing and request-for-proposal activity conducted through Cvent’s sourcing platforms in 2025. This includes the Cvent Supplier Network, one of the world’s largest marketplaces for group hotel and venue sourcing. According to a Cvent representative, the record level of sourcing activity in 2025 signals more than just growth driven by demand.

Cvent reported that Las Vegas features 291 qualified hotel venues and 300 special event venues, along with 4.6 million square feet of meeting and convention space. Las Vegas also offers over 150,000 guest rooms, with the MGM Grand standing as the largest hotel at 7,093 rooms. Additional metrics cited include an average daily room rate of $193, an occupancy rate of 83.6%, approximately 3,800 restaurants, average daily food costs of $81, and a tax rate of 12%.

Why Did Orlando Steal the Top Spot?

One of the reasons why Orlando stole the top spot from Las Vegas could be the fact that Visit Orlando, the convention and visitors bureau for Orange County, works hard to attract convention organizers to the city’s venues. 

Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, said in a Wednesday release that the organization collaborates closely with its partners. This is facilitated through Cvent’s technology platform that connects meeting planners with the appropriate resources and destinations. She added that the city continues to evolve and accommodate events of all sizes, further strengthening Orlando’s standing as the nation’s top-ranked meetings destination.

Despite that, it’s interesting to note that while Orlando as a whole claims the top spot as the best city for conventions, none of its hotels actually made it to the top-10 list of convention hosts.

Cvent said the 2025 rankings reflect two key trends: the resurgence of major gateway cities such as New York City and the continued rise of fast-growing meeting destinations like Nashville and Austin. This highlights planners’ growing preference for destinations that combine large-scale event capabilities with distinctive local experiences, which is likely one of the major factors that contributed to Orlando claiming the top spot in Cvent’s list.

In other news regarding Las Vegas, the city expects a strong Memorial Day visitor wave as hotels and resorts are preparing for the influx of tourists.