This column is my last for Small Market Meetings, marking the end of a 27-year alliance, first as the new magazine’s editor and, for the last 12 years, as a guest columnist who occasionally contributed other stories.

Covering the meetings industry all those years left me with a deep respect for meeting professionals as well as a love and admiration for the second- and third-tier cities that the founders of SMM knew deserved to be in the spotlight as meeting destinations. This column is a bit of a ramble, as I reflect on a fulfilling, fun and unforgettable time.

Prevailing through uncertainty

Just a couple of years after Small Market Meetings launched, September 11, 2001, shook the U.S. and the world. Everyone tied to the meetings industry wondered how we would ever feel safe again as we gathered. Or would we want to gather? And who would want to board a plane? Or would terrorists strike again? Today, a new generation of meeting professionals who were just youngsters back then (or maybe not yet born) find it hard to understand the unease and sadness that permeated those days, but the rest of us do remember. As it turned out, many other uncertainties would follow: drastic economic downturns, massive hurricanes, fires, floods and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. Again, we wondered: Will we ever meet in person again, or will our gatherings become “Hollywood Squares” affairs on computer screens?

Changing with the times

Through all the upheavals, meeting professionals powered through, and small cities and towns pivoted and prevailed — and changes made during those uncertain times have endured. Airport security ramped up, and everyone who traveled to conferences packed differently. They also learned how to spend more time in lines as security checks slowed down the process in order to protect against threats. If they hadn’t already, meeting professionals developed disaster plans or updated the ones they had. Seminar topics always parallel the issues of the day, and so security, health and safety became frequent topics at conferences. Meeting professionals and meeting venues worked together to figure out ways to make people feel comfortable in group settings. They learned how to use video conferencing to improve access to conference content. And meeting pros flexed their creative muscles to plan events that felt less confining — putting up tents, climbing to rooftops, getting outdoors more. The trying times made it even clearer to those of us who cover the meetings industry just how inventive and flexible those who work in it can be.

A boost for small cities

Larger cities started to seem more vulnerable to attacks and too congested when illness was easily spread. As their costs rose like their skyscrapers — with stunners like $100-plus gallons of coffee and $60-per-day parking — smaller meeting destinations became more appealing, especially to smaller conferences with state or regional audiences. At the same time, second- and third-tier cities began taking meetings and conference business more seriously. CVBs dedicated staff to the pursuit of that business and realized they could attract far more visitors than through traditional leisure travel, which had been many destinations’ main target for years. Many learned they were just the kind of place that religious conferences, sports competitions and nonprofit organizations were looking for.

Demand fuels growth

So how has the increased interest changed smaller cities? In some cases, they’ve put more money into their downtowns, through public and private projects. Some realized their convention centers needed to grow so they could handle larger groups. My hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, is one example. You could also add Bloomington, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and Savannah, Georgia, to that list. Other smaller cities are following suit by building convention centers from the ground up or renovating and expanding the one they have. Demand is convincing Wilmington, North Carolina, and South Padre Island, Texas, that it’s time to grow their convention centers. Fargo, North Dakota, has decided on a convention center site that’s an easy walk to its vibrant downtown. Lincoln, Nebraska, has picked a site for a proposed downtown convention center right across from its major hotel. Recruiting hotels to build alongside convention centers can be a challenge, but many smaller cities have found success by signing on several limited-service properties in addition to a headquarters hotel.

Small but mighty

My work has made me appreciate cities and towns that don’t always get the attention they deserve. Anytime I hear someone mention South Dakota, I pipe up, “Have you been to Sioux Falls? If you haven’t, you need to go there!” It hosted the SMM conference several years ago, and I’ve never forgotten the waterfalls that tumble over red rocks in its downtown park where we had our opening reception. Early on, when I was editor of Small Market Meetings, the CVB in Fort Wayne, Indiana, invited me to see what the city had to offer meetings and conferences. I learned that Indiana’s second-largest city has way more than anyone would expect, with a sparkling convention center downtown that’s now linked to two hotels and a vintage theater — and is steps from a minor league ballpark, downtown restaurants and bars, and a short distance from cool museums.

Every small city also seems to make sure conference attendees leave knowing more about what makes the place special. When we held the magazine’s conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, a day tour took us to Central High School, site of a historic desegregation effort by nine brave students. I’ve always felt that smaller destinations work harder and give more — and that, in my opinion, can trump the sparkle and dazzle of a big city any day.