The San Diego Convention Center generated more than 844,000 room nights for area hotels in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to a report scheduled to be presented Thursday to the City Council's Economic Development Committee.
The hotel guests spent $673.9 million and had an overall economic impact on the region of $1.1 billion, the report said.
The center's sales team during the fiscal year also booked nearly 1.1 million room nights for future events, the report said. That's barely below the previous year's total but well ahead of years before that, according to the center's data.
Major conventions are planned so far ahead of time that this past year's sales total included more than 148,000 hotel room nights for Fiscal Year 2030, according to the report.
One in five bookings were to organizations that hadn't used the bayside meeting facility in the past, including the National Grocers Association and American Geophysical Union.
Returning business for future years include 18 medical groups, which are often among the largest conventions in a given year, and whose attendees generally spend the most lavishly on events, restaurants and shopping, according to tourism officials.
Among them are the American College of Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine and American Diabetes Association.
Long-range bookings at the center are handled by the San Diego Tourism Authority, while center sales staff handle smaller events that usually reserve time within 18 months.
