Most market segments continue to rebound and climb back to pre-pandemic levels, but there’s one segment that never really slowed down: SMERF. An acronym for Social, Military, Education, Religious, and Fraternal, the SMERF market continues to demonstrate determination, resolve, and a will that has made it seem immune to the pandemic’s power.
“Social events continued on even during the pandemic,” says Marisa Obando, social, education, religious, fraternal, and government sales manager for Visit Plano in Texas. “They were just held with a little more creativity, whether they were moved fully outdoors or held as microevents.”
For the most part, that was true of all groups represented under the SMERF umbrella. While the size of the gatherings in the past several years may have shrunk, their meetings and events went on.
The power of will
The Religious Conference Management Association (RCMA) is a prime example. The nonprofit organization for faith-based planners and suppliers got its 2020 Emerge Conference wrapped up in January before the pandemic shutdowns. The following year, the group not only continued to gather for the annual event, they insisted on it, taking their case to the highest government office in their destination state.
“We never canceled an event during the pandemic, even though our numbers were down in 2021,” says Dean Jones, RCMA’s director of conferences and events. “In fact, in 2021, we went all the way to the governor’s office in North Carolina to get a waiver to host our event, which we did. We had 40 percent of our norm in Charlotte that year, but we knew our attendees were glad to be in a room together, with obvious precautions such as more space between seats.”
Last year’s conference in Sacramento, Calif., saw reduced attendance numbers, but this year in Chattanooga, Tenn., the event was nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, Jones says. “In Chattanooga, we were only a dozen people less than the number of people we had in 2020, which was our last ‘normal’ year,” he notes. “The faith-based market as a whole has been eager to reunite. In fact, if you look at early surveys right after the pandemic hit, everything said the two markets that would return quickest were sports and faith based. I think both played out to be true.”
Off-season reasons
While fortitude and resilience make the SMERF segment popular year-round with destinations and CVBs, some locales find opportunity to be in season. SMERF groups, with their varied makeup and strong desire to meet in person, are an attractive choice for areas to fill off-season periods.
That is the case for the Tampa Bay area, which saw 19.4 percent of its group room nights booked by SMERF meetings and conventions in 2022, according to Visit Tampa Bay.
“We strategically focus on the SMERF market for summertime bookings, and we’ve done that for a very long time,” says Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “All destinations are open for business in the summer thanks to the weather, so tourists or leisure travelers can go practically anywhere they’d like. There are simply more options in the summer, which causes a spreading of tourism throughout the country. We have to make sure we balance that, so it’s good to have this layer, this foundation of SMERF groups, to offset the loss of leisure travelers that happens during the summer. The ability to target and be strategic can mean the difference between a good year and a great year. For us, many times the SMERF groups are what helped us achieve record-breaking numbers.”
In Lexington, Ky., where off-season means winter, 30 percent of the city’s meetings fall within the SMERF segment, with faith-based groups topping the list (in fact, Lexington is the planned site of RCMA’s Emerge Conference in February 2026).
“Most of our faith-based groups are looking for the best value, so they come here in either January or February because they know they can get it more affordably then,” says Marci Krueger-Sidebottom, vice president of sales and services for VisitLEX.
The strategy makes sense; lower costs can drive attendance. “A challenge in the religious market is that most attendees at faith-based events are paying their own way,” Jones says. “It’s not like a corporation is writing a check and sending you off to attend an event.”
‘Cost is a big thing’
Even booking affordable cities in off-season periods cannot shield SMERF groups from harsh economic realities. Inflation has left groups scrambling for ways to keep costs down.
“An ongoing challenge for many is figuring out how to fulfill obligations without breaking the bank of the organization,” Jones says. “Likely, you’ll see less food and beverage being offered during the event because of increased costs.”
For the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity (known as PIKE), cost is one of the top factors in planning the organization’s numerous annual events.
“I’m always trying to find the best value for the dollar because cost is a big thing for us,” says Sherry Walker, meeting and event consultant for the Memphis, Tenn.-
based organization.
Rising costs have spurred some creative thinking and calculations. For example, the group purchased projectors and takes its own equipment to venues to reduce audiovisual expenses; they hold multiple sessions in the same room to save rental costs; and they have trimmed the number of days for some events, cutting food and beverage costs for the organization while reducing lodging expenses for attendees.
“We’re saving money on our end, and our attendees are saving money on their end, as well,” Walker says. “We’ve also heard from some of our attendees that if there were fewer hotel nights to pay for, they could bring more people.”
Inflation also is leading many SMERF groups to under commit for fear of being stuck with budget-busting costs. “A consistent worry I’m seeing with many groups is over committing and getting stuck with it,” Obando says. “At the same time, we have some groups under committing and then finding they need more because of the excitement of people wanting to get back in person.”
Destinations with draw
SMERF groups are keenly aware that strategically choosing an affordable and family-friendly destination can increase attendance.
“Many times, who we have coming are dad, mom, and the kids,” Jones says. “They have to decide how they want to spend their money. In our market, because of inflation, it means we might just see dad come instead of mom and the kids. But if we’re strategic in selecting the location to ensure it offers more for the family, it may entice them to go ahead and bring the whole family along.”
Plano, Texas, is a destination to which SMERF groups are turning. PIKE has hosted its annual G. Brint Ryan Dallas Leadership Summit in Plano numerous times. “It’s more cost effective than being in downtown Dallas,” Walker says.
The faith-based group Rise Up Kings, of Roanoke, Texas, also chose Plano for its semiannual conference RUKCON. “We hosted both meetings in Plano last year, and we will this year, as well,” says Jessica Craycraft, operations director for Rise Up Kings. “Our group appreciates convenience of location and a variety of restaurant options within walking distance. Plano works wonderfully for that.”
With its oceanfront location, Alabama’s Gulf Coast draws many SMERF groups. Some even opt to host their sessions right on the white-sand beaches, says Michelle Russ, vice president of sales, sports, and events for Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism.
Church of God, a Worldwide Association, has hosted an annual Feast of Tabernacles at the Orange Beach Event Center since 2014. The beach, activities, and restaurants have proven to be a draw, including for a pastor
of the church.
“Gulf Shores and Orange Beach appeals to all age groups within our organization,” says pastor Phil Sandilands. “Our attendees have afternoon and evenings free, and there’s so much to do to entertain everyone in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. I also like to go a couple of days early and stay a couple of days after just to enjoy the local offerings.”
A symbiotic relationship
As part of courting SMERF groups, destinations work to build relationships with them. The destinations count on the consistency of SMERF groups, and the groups count on CVBs and DMOs to help them create unique experiences. Visit Tampa Bay has worked with SMERF groups on everything from scheduling parades to organizing street fairs to planning charity runs.
“We even helped one group do a cattle run on a city street,” Corrada says. “Every group has a uniqueness about them, and when they are in Tampa Bay, we go out of our way to ensure they receive the experience needed. There’s a lot we can help groups accomplish when they are here because of the relationships and collaboration we have with so many
local partners.”
Relationship building with SMERF groups is a priority for Visit Plano. Staff members attend trade shows to get face time with the groups, and they provide detailed local information in the form of resource guides.
“With SMERF groups, the relationship component is huge,” Obando says. “It’s really simple: People want to do business with people they like, and with this market in particular, it’s about trust, knowing their needs, and understanding the group on a personal level. That’s important to them
when considering destinations.”
VisitLEX takes a similar approach, ensuring SMERF groups receive a warm welcome when they arrive, from special signage to lighting the city skyline. “One of our favorites is to light up the downtown buildings in their colors. We recently hosted a Lutheran women group, and their color is purple, so at night we had the entire city lit up in purple,” Krueger-Sidebottom recalls. “We want groups to know how appreciative we are when they come here and to feel the warmest welcome possible.”
