Visit Lake Charles Celebrates Global Meetings Industry Day

This month, Visit Lake Charles (VLC) is celebrating Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), highlighting the value of meetings hosted in Southwest Louisiana.   

In 2023, Visit Lake Charles hosted 173 meetings, generating an estimated economic impact of over $35 million to the region. According to available data from the Louisiana Workforce Commission, covering the first three quarters of 2023, the hospitality industry in Calcasieu Parish employed an average of 13,366 individuals. Notably, this figure reflected a consistent increase quarter by quarter, indicating a positive growth trend. 

Organized by the U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition, this year’s theme, “Meetings Matter,” emphasizes the economic significance of face-to-face interactions. Taylor Beard Stanley, the vice president of sales at Visit Lake Charles, highlighted how these gatherings boost economic growth and create opportunities for businesses and workers. Meetings and events significantly impact travel spending and sustain jobs across the U.S., including in Southwest Louisiana, where they support a substantial workforce and drive increased spending at local businesses and restaurants. 

 

Destinations International’s 2024 CEO Summit 

Earlier this month, Kyle Edmiston, president and CEO of Visit Lake Charles, attended Destinations International’s 2024 CEO Summit in Boston, Massachusetts.    

During the event, Edmiston highlighted VLC’s partnership with Zartico, focusing on data integration while sharing the stage with the company’s CEO, Sarah Lehman. Zartico is an operating system that simplifies complex data for destinations like Visit Lake Charles. The operating system helps destinations make informed decisions about marketing strategies, understand visitor trends, and measure tourism’s impact on the local community.   

Additionally, Edmiston also got the opportunity to develop connections with industry leaders both within and outside the travel and tourism industry to learn valuable insights and the latest industry tools and technologies to continue enhancing Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana’s appeal as a premier destination.