More than 40,000 people will be in Springfield this summer for group events taking place in the city along with thousands of leisure travelers taking vacations in the city.

Many of those groups were booked by the Convention & Visitors Bureau, a nonprofit marketing agency dedicated to growing the local economy through growth in travel and tourism.

The CVB employs a sales force of four people dedicated full time to bringing groups and amateur sports events to the city and another whose purpose is to provide services for those groups when they are here.

As the CVB celebrates National Travel & Tourism Week May 2-10, people attending group events are among the tourists the CVB appreciates.

That’s because people attending group events spend a conservative estimate of $150 per person per day, generating significant amounts of income for hotels, restaurants, attractions and retailers. They’re also contributing to the city’s sales tax and other tax revenues that support city services and capital improvements.

Dana Maugans, sales director for the CVB, said the sales process can sometimes take several years because some groups rotate around the state or the nation and the timing has to be right.

“Researching and identifying groups and determining the needs of their event is the first step in getting a group booked in the city,” Maugans said. “Once we find a group we could host, we contact the meeting planner and tell them about our city. You have to plant the seeds in order to get the harvest.”

Groups select Springfield for events for a variety of reasons. Among them are the city’s central location within the United States, about 6,000 moderately priced hotel rooms, plenty of meeting space and a great variety of other amenities, such as world-class attractions and outstanding restaurants.

Kathy Blomquist with The World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships that is in Springfield this week said the city’s Expo Center provided enough space for the huge taxidermy displays that are part of the event. The central location also was appealing because it means more people can attend, she said.

“We’ve had two other successful shows in Missouri,” Blomquist said. “We love the topography and the people.”

Below is a list of groups coming to the city in the coming weeks. The list represents groups attracted to Springfield by CVB sales efforts and groups receiving convention services from the CVB. Not all groups were booked by the CVB. In many cases, meeting planners work directly with hotels to book their events and utilize convention services provided by the CVB.

For more information about the CVB and its role in the local economy, call the bureau at 417-881-5300.

May

  • May 6-9, The World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships, 1,800 attendees, 1,130 room nights

  • May 6-9, National Christian Homeschool Championships Spring Nationals, 600 attendees, 754 room nights

  • May 12-17, The Chosin Few, Army Chapter Reunion, 150 attendees, 255 room nights

  • May 14-17, Southwest Home Education Ministry Convention, 1,500 attendees, 105 room nights

  • May 18-19, Missouri State High School Activities Association Boys Golf Championships, 200 attendees, 100 room nights

  • May 22-24, National Street Rod Association Mid-America Street Rod Nationals Plus, 2,000 attendees, 3,700 room nights

  • May 28-31, Special Olympics of Missouri Summer Games, 1,800 attendees, 300 room nights

June

  • June 3-7, Veterans of Foreign Wars Department Missouri State Convention, 650 attendees, 515 room nights

  • June 4-9, United Methodist Church, Missouri Conference, 1,500 attendees, 2,275 room nights

  • June 7 – 9, American Junior Simmental Association, 150 attendees, 150 room nights

  • June 9-14, Buick Club of America National Meet, 600 attendees, 834 room nights

  • June 11-14, Amateur Athletic Union Girls Midwest National Championship, 2,800 attendees, 1,506 room nights

  • June 13-16, Missouri District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Convention, 750 attendees, 602 room nights

  • June 14-19, Guild of Carillonneurs in North America Congress, 120 attendees, 240 room nights

  • June 15-19, Braunvieh Association of America National Junior Braunvieh Show, 250 attendees, 120 room nights

  • June 18-21, Harley Owner’s Group State H.O.G. Rally, 1,000 attendees, 817 room nights

  • June 20-21, The Great Race, 300 attendees, 227 room nights

  • June 22-24, Missouri Office of State Courts Administration Juvenile Detention Alternatives Conference, 280 attendees, 400 room nights

  • June 25-28, Jehovah’s Witnesses Summer Regional Convention – English, 3,000 attendees, 5,250 room nights

  • June 28-July 1, Assemblies of God Chaplaincy Training Conference, 350 attendees, 750 room nights

  • June 30-July 5, Premier Baseball Incoming Freshman, 1,200 attendees, 3,035 room nights

July

  • July 7-10, Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation 50th Annual Conference and Trade Show, 180 attendees, 450 room nights

  • July 7-9, Missouri Dairy Grazing Conference, 200 attendees, 275 room nights

  • July 7-11, National Fishing Lure Collectors Club Convention, 2,500 attendees, 1,013 room nights

  • July 9-11, American Legion Department of Missouri Convention, 600 attendees, 446 room nights

  • July 10-12, Franciscan University of Steubenville St. Louis Mid America 1, 5,000 attendees, 3,600 room nights (dorm rooms and hotels)

  • July 14-19, Premier Baseball Senior Championships, 700 attendees, 2,335 room nights

  • July 17-19, Franciscan University of Steubenville St. Louis Mid America 2, 5,000 attendees, 3,894 room nights (dorm rooms and hotels)

  • July 20-23, Missouri Association for Career and Technical Education Joint Summer Conference, 1,500 attendees, 1,892 room nights

  • July 23-26, Jehovah’s Witnesses Summer Regional Convention – Spanish, 3,000 attendees, 3,000 room nights

  • July 27-August 2, North American Envirothon, 500 attendees, 500 room nights

  • July 29-August 1, Missouri 4-H Center for Youth Development Western Heritage Project, 300 attendees, 420 room nights

  • July 30-August 2, Amateur Softball Association Girls 18U “A” Fast Pitch Northern National Championship, 1,000 attendees, 1,225 room nights

  • July 31-August 2, Kiwanis International 65th Annual Missouri-Arkansas District Convention/100th Year Anniversary Celebration, 500 attendees, 300 room nights