DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa's capital city is finally feeling some sense of normalcy after a year full of shutdowns and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catch Des Moines says Des Moines is finally started to turn the corner with a summer of events that rivals pre-pandemic levels.
Despite events returning this summer, like the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market, the number of business travelers and conventions hasn't quite caught back up.
Hotel capacity is also low compared to previous years, but it is up 25% from last year.
"We're finally seeing an upward trend in moving up with events and things coming in Des Moines really kind of started a few months back when things kicked off," said Greg Edwards, president of Catch Des Moines. "We hosted of course the Dew Tour in May follow by the Principal Charity Classic, World Pork Expo, all these different events. That's one big trend— the events are coming back. A lot of sports groups are coming back"
Some of those sporting events include a Piedmontese Ironman, a first for the city, and the National Junior High Rodeo finals.
“We are hosting major, citywide events, that we’d be proud of in our peak years,” said Trina Flack, VP of Sales at Catch Des Moines in a press release. “We’re seeing the pent-up demand to travel begin to manifest itself, and people are ready to meet face-to-face. We’ve proven that there’s no better, or safer, place to do that than in Greater Des Moines.”
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