Oct. 19, 2026

This piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls.

What comes to mind when you hear about a conference being held in Sioux Falls? It’s likely that you think of people wearing name badges at a venue or hotel, but perhaps not much else comes to mind. But there’s so much more that happened behind the scenes to get to that point.

Long before the first name badge is printed for a conference, the Experience Sioux Falls sales team likely has put years of work into it.

“More often than not, a group considering Sioux Falls as their event destination isn’t planning their event for later in the year or even the next year,” said Allyson Kasch, director of sales for ESF. “These groups are typically booking their events two, three or even four years out.”

The ESF sales team is constantly searching for new groups and trying to get in front of event planners to talk about why Sioux Falls should be considered as their event destination. One of those methods is attending trade shows and appointment-based shows where destination representatives and professional planners from across the country convene to have direct interaction with one another.

“The appointment-based shows are especially critical because we are matched up with planners where there is mutual interest, and then during the show, it’s similar to a speed-dating format where we may only have seven minutes for each appointment to give our pitch on what Sioux Falls has to offer,” Kasch said. “And when the timer rings, that planner leaves to go meet with a different city, and we begin our pitch again for a different planner.”

Following those shows, if the interest is still there and it’s looking like a group could be a fit, that’s when the ESF sales team further strengthens those relationships over the next several weeks and months as it begins to loop in hotel and venue partners to start painting a picture for the planner about what options they can consider for hosting an event in Sioux Falls.

While photos, videos and virtual walk-throughs give a good idea of the layout of a venue, many planners want to take a site visit where they can see everything in person and meet with lodging and venue teams, but they also want to experience the city like their event attendees would. They want to see what the drive from the airport to the host hotel is like, they want to see what activities are in the area and how lively downtown is on a Tuesday evening if that’s when their event falls.

The ESF sales team has hosted eight site visits so far this year and has more on the horizon.

“Our team has always had the belief that if we can get those planners on a site visit to Sioux Falls, the chances of them booking their event in our city increase exponentially,” CEO Teri Schmidt said. “There’s something special about Sioux Falls, and when visitors are here for the first time, they notice how walkable the city is and they feel the welcoming atmosphere and the sense of community.”

Although the year may be starting to wind down, the ESF sales team is working hard and searching for the next piece of business to bring to the city.

After a busy year of research, outreach and trade shows about potential future groups to bring to Sioux Falls, through mid-October, the ESF sales team has booked 118 meetings, conventions and events and has several more it’s working to turn into definite bookings.

The new business has skewed heavily toward sports and bus tours, with other groups booking small or medium-sized meetings and conventions.

These booked events will bring a total estimated economic impact of more than $9.4 million to the Sioux Falls community over the next several years.

The next two travel shows on the horizon for ESF are a show for faith-based organizations next month called Connect Faith, where ESF is anticipating nearly 25 one-on-one appointments, and the American Bus Association Marketplace in February, where ESF expects to have nearly 50 one-on-one appointments. With a busy travel schedule ahead for 2027, the ESF sales team is eager to continue building on established relationships with planners as well as create new ones.

“While the timeline for each event booking can be lengthy, the value these groups bring to Sioux Falls is evident in many ways,” Schmidt said.

“The visitors frequent our restaurants, enjoy our retail stores and amenities, and the tax dollars generated because of their visit ease the burden on residents.”

Do you know of a group or organization with events that you would like to see in Sioux Falls? Let Experience Sioux Falls know so the team can pursue it.