August Meetings Fill Hotels and Restaurants

Addison was the place to be for conferences this summer! Last week, the Town had the opportunity to be the host city for two major conferences at both the Renaissance Dallas Addison and the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum. The Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star chose Addison for their 140th session. This brought more than 1,200 people into Addison, filling up the Renaissance and spilling over to nearby limited-service hotels. The Texas Women’s Empowerment Conference touched down at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum. More than 400 women gathered to grow mentally, spiritually, and personally. This week, the National Society of Black Engineers is hosting their professional development conference at the Renaissance.

In 2022, direct travel spending for Addison, which includes purchases and lodging paid by the traveler at the point of sale during their trip, was $416.9 million. Large conferences like the ones here this month are significant contributors to the economic impact of tourism. Addison’s total for 2022 exceeds that of Carrollton ($174.0M), Farmers Branch ($260.8M), Garland ($335.7M), McKinney ($259.8M), Mesquite ($276.7M), and Richardson ($406M). 

Thank you to Mayor Bruce Arfsten for providing a welcome to all three groups and to the many volunteers who helped create gift bags for attendees and worked at registration and welcome tables. Your hospitality helped show what a special place Addison is to live, work, meet, and play.