Explore Saint Louis warns of weaker meetings market in 2026, outlines strategy to boost leisure travel and optimize America’s Center

Brad Dean, the new CEO of Explore Saint Louis, told the St. Louis Transportation and Commerce Committee that regional modeling from Oxford Economics and Tourism Economics projects a modest decline in meetings and convention business in 2026 and described a multi-pronged plan to limit the impact.

Dean said the visitor economy remains a major part of the regional economy: the model shows roughly $4.5–$4.6 billion in economic impact for the St. Louis metro region in 2024, about $1.1 billion in taxes generated through the visitor economy and roughly $9.4 million in hotel tax receipts in the most recent fiscal year. He also said about 42,000 St. Louis residents rely on the visitor economy for their livelihoods.

"We're not accepting this, and we're certainly not going to sit back and watch this happen without taking every action we can take to correct this," Dean said, summarizing the agency’s stance after showing pacing data for group bookings that he described as "worrisome" for calendar years 2026 and 2027.

To blunt the projected slowdown, Dean said Explore Saint Louis will pursue a two-track approach: aggressively pursue leisure travel in 2026 to offset weaker group business, while continuing targeted work to win higher-yield association and professional meetings. He flagged several one-time and cyclical opportunities for 2026 — the U.S. Figure Skating event, the VEX Robotics global competition, Route 66 centennial programming and the nation’s 250th observances — and said St. Louis could capture FIFA-related leisure visitors as a nearby multi-destination option.

Dean described a set of operational changes and investments: moving to quarterly forecasting and an ad-attribution model that tracks performance by market and segment, refocusing sales staff by industry verticals (rather than geography), expanding digital marketing into new U.S. and international feeder markets, and hiring a short-term-sales specialist to fill gaps within the next 12–18 months. He named the hire as Jill Method and introduced Ed Scapanock, the convention bureau’s chief commercial officer.

"My name is Ed Scapanock. I'm the chief commercial officer with Explore Saint Louis and also a St. Louis City resident," Scapanock said during the meeting while endorsing the new short-term-sales role.

On facilities, Dean reported the America’s Center expansion is about 86% spent, with Hall 4X now in use and recent lighting and infrastructure upgrades in place. He said the coordination team approved near-term upgrades to the Washington Avenue entrance and an adjoining parcel that will be paved, fenced, lighted and include electric vehicle charging; those interim changes are intended to improve safety and parking while long-term development options remain open.

Dean also said the Regional Sports Authority (RSA) has prioritized roughly $70,000,000 from a Grama settlement over a three-year plan to address mechanical, audiovisual and guest-experience upgrades at the Dome, while acknowledging the funds "do not fix the challenges of the Dome" but will make important improvements.

Committee members pressed Dean on unfinished items from the expansion: kitchen modernization was not completed and a planned ballroom on the 9th Street/Washington Avenue side was canceled, leaving operational constraints. Dean estimated that a meaningful retrofit or expansion of ballroom capacity could be a "low 9-figure" project if pursued and said no formal administration or board-level action to fund such a project had yet been initiated.

Dean described the recently established St. Louis Film Office (operating under the CBC) and said Missouri’s reenacted state film tax credit made the office viable. He cited the local production Soul on Fire as an example of a project that filmed locally thanks to the tax credit and the film office’s permitting assistance.

Dean closed by emphasizing accountability: balanced budgets this year, investment decisions guided by criteria tied to visitation and measurable impact, and a commitment to report verifiable return-on-investment metrics to the board.

The committee scheduled a TNC meeting for next Tuesday at 9 a.m. and then moved to adjourn.