Las Vegas has seen 402 conventions and meetings canceled from October to mid-March. 
The newspaper said Las Vegas and Orlando, the nation’s top destinations for business events, respectively, have been among the hardest hit as the recession reduced convention activity.
Citing the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, USA Today said the 402 cancellations cost the Las Vegas area’s economy $166 million.
The numbers are in line with convention attendance numbers from the LVCVA. In Las Vegas, convention attendance totaled 583,168 people in February, down 35 percent from February 2008.