“Rapid City is a world renown destination,” said Visit Rapid City’s director of sales Tyson Steiger. “There’s nowhere else that has the attractions and diverse landscape like the area in and around town.”
Visitors from all over the world come to see the Black Hills, oftentimes for meetings and/or conferences. Just last year, meetings and conferences generated $5.41 million in economic impact.
“This helps our local businesses, lowers our residential taxes, and provides the financial capabilities to help quality of life projects for our city,” said Steiger.
From intimate board rooms to expansive ballrooms to state-of-the-art arenas, the area offers venues that fit many needs and wants. Meeting planners can find spaces as little as one meeting room at Aby’s Rapid City to Central States Fair & Rodeo, which has a 118,000 sq. ft. event center.
The largest non-annual conference hosted in Rapid City occurred with the 2021 FreedomFest Summit.
“The total number of attendees were approximately 2,800,” recalled Steiger. “They had room blocks at 14 hotels, which equaled a total room pick up of about 3,500 sleeping rooms and a direct economic impact to the local economy of roughly $1.5 million.”
Speakers during this event included former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, actor Dennis Quaid, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Larry Elder, and more.
THE PROCESS
1. Visit Rapid City will provide meeting groups with a custom Rapid City bid packet upon request. The bid packet is emailed to meeting planners and appears like a website featuring all hotel and convention space options, their rates, and availability.
2. The visitors bureau can plan, schedule, and conduct a site visit with selection committees at any point their schedule allows. During site visits, Visit Rapid City tour selection committees to see all hosting options at hotels and conference centers, along with meeting with local delegates, view major attractions, and taste local cuisine.
3. They will help plan, connect, and provide complimentary services for groups, which include name tags, welcome packets, VIP gifts, airport welcome, registration assistance, attendance building, marketing materials, etc.
Steiger says having attendees and professionals from all over exposes them to Rapid City and the Black Hills, opening up the opportunity for them to invest in the area and/ or to relocate to town.
“It also allows our cultures to tell their story and share their traditions with an outside world that may have never had the opportunity of experiencing our destination if not for having their meeting here,” he said.
OTHER GROUPS HOSTED INCLUDE…
2017 International Collegiate Programming Competition (1,400 Attendees)
2018 Western Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (500 Attendees)
2019 Conference of Grand Masters (880 Attendees)
2022 National Speleological Society (1,200 Attendees)
2024 National Tribal Health Conference (1,200 Attendees)
2024 Tau Beta Pi Association (520 Attendees)
2025 National High School Athletic Coaches Association (600 Attendees)
2025 American Indian Higher Education Consortium (900 Attendees)
With Rapid City’s “big city” amenities and small-town charm, visitors can easily get to and from their host hotel or conference venue to anywhere within the area. If time permits, event attendees can see major attractions like Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial®, and Custer State Park.
Hosting in the state in general has also proven to be affordable. In 2025, South Dakota was listed at #7 for budget-friendly trips by Dunhill Travel Deals. Rapid City has many free sights to experience like Dinosaur Park, Chapel in the Hills, and downtown’s City of President’s, Dahl Arts Center, or Art Alley—to name a few.
Meeting and conference attendees may also be in town for one of 150 events happening year-round at Main Street Square, which many are also free of charge. Seasonal activities at “The Square” create a community hub, with ice skating in winter and a splash pad in summer surrounded by shops and eateries.
Steiger says he always suggests checking out Memorial Park outside of The Monument convention center. The “gem” is located within the downtown district.
“Large convention groups use this area to start the day off with yoga in the park, a place for attendees to gain Vitamin D between sessions, or an access point through the very well landscaped promenade to the many lunch options surrounding The Monument,” said Steiger.
“IN ADDITION TO THE SIGHTS AND SCENIC BEAUTY, THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN OF RAPID CITY IS FILLED WITH VARIOUS AMERICAN ERA ARCHITECTURE DESIGNS, A VIBRANT ART SCENE, FANTASTIC BOUTIQUES, EXQUISITE DINING AND ICONIC TOWN CENTER—MAIN STREET SQUARE.”
Tyson Steiger
A very key amenity for meetings and conferences is coffee, he continued.
“Meeting planners on a national scale pay between $60-$200 per gallon for coffee for their events,” said Steiger. “In Rapid City, a gallon of coffee at either a hotel or The Monument is around $30.”
Each group has their own unique personality, and Steiger says it’s always enjoyable getting to learn their traits and help them experience the area to the level that works best for them.
One group that stands out as a memory for Visit Rapid City is the 2016 International Twins Association Annual Convention. The event approached the visitors bureau to rally three community figures to help judge their Twins/Multiples Judging Contest.
CELEBRATE AMERICA250
Meeting attendees this year will receive a promo item in their welcome bags to commemorate being in the patriotic community of Rapid City for the nation’s 250th birthday—dubbed America250.
For locals and leisure travelers, Visit Rapid City is planning a Real America Birthday Bash July 2-4. Rapid City will be celebrating in the heart of downtown with a two-day festival filled with music, community and patriotic energy. On July 3 fireworks will return to Mount Rushmore.
“THE MORE OUR LOCALS UNDERSTAND OUR CAPABILITIES AT VISIT RAPID CITY TO HELP THEM, THE MORE WE HOPE IT ENCOURAGES THEM TO STEP UP WITHIN THEIR GROUP AND PUT RAPID CITY’S NAME IN THE LIST OF HOSTING LOCATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION.”
Tyson Steiger
“They had their participating attendees walk a catwalk with the panel of judges set up like you’d see on American Idol with an audience behind them, and they were judged on Most Alike and Most Unalike, amongst other prizes,” said Steiger.
“It was a moment filled with laughter, fun, and comradery that truly embodied the value of why groups come together for conferences.”
Visit Rapid City doesn’t take visitors for granted. Steiger says they’ve invested in training the hospitality industry through the Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) program.
“This is a four-hour class that allows individuals to receive customer service training and knowledge about our destination,” he said. “Through this course, it allows them to be part of a nationally-recognized certification and be part of our local CTA network, which gives them email updates into new things happening in Rapid City, along with networking opportunities.”
Looking back at last year’s success, the team is thrilled, but even more motivated.
“On one hand, it’s very satisfying to know our work at Visit Rapid City has such a strong tangible outcome, and on the other hand, it makes us fired up to move forward and grow this number for 2026 and each year thereafter,” said Steiger.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT VISITRAPIDCITY.COM+
