Las Vegas might be sitting in second place in Cvent’s 2025 North American convention destination rankings, but here’s the thing: three of its major resorts have cracked the continent’s top 10 convention host hotels. That’s worth paying attention to. It suggests the city’s event infrastructure remains genuinely competitive even as Orlando takes the overall crown.

The Rankings Tell an Interesting Story

Cvent compiled its rankings using data from over $20 billion in global sourcing and RFP activity across its platform in 2025. The Venetian, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and Wynn and Encore Las Vegas all made the top 10 list. For a city that placed second overall, that’s solid representation where it counts.

The numbers backing Las Vegas are genuinely impressive. The city boasts 291 qualified hotel venues, 300 special event spaces, and 4.6 million square feet of dedicated meeting and convention space. That’s real capacity. Average daily room rates sit at $193 with an 83.6% occupancy rate. There are over 150,000 guest rooms across the market. The MGM Grand alone offers 7,093 rooms.

Why Orlando Edged Ahead

Here’s the odd bit: Orlando’s top ranking comes despite none of its hotels making Cvent’s top 10 convention host list. The difference appears to be organisational. Visit Orlando, the convention and visitors bureau, actively works meeting planners through Cvent’s platform to match them with appropriate resources and venues. That targeted coordination and marketing effort clearly makes a difference at the destination level.

Cvent’s broader findings show planners favour gateway cities like New York alongside emerging destinations such as Nashville and Austin. Attendees increasingly want scale paired with distinctive local experiences. That’s the real competition Las Vegas faces, not just on room inventory but on offering something beyond the transactional basics.

The Practical Takeaway

For the hospitality and events sector, this ranking highlights a clear lesson: individual property strength doesn’t always translate to destination dominance. Las Vegas has world-class venues. Orlando has better destination marketing coordination. Both matter. Both drive bookings. The city’s position at number two still represents billions in potential convention business, and three properties in the top 10 suggests there’s plenty of premium event hosting happening there regardless of the overall ranking.