Liquidity Position Remains Strong
- Pursuit delivered stronger than expected performance with 60% occupancy despite ongoing border closures and other restrictions due to COVID-19
- GES continued transformation efforts with additional cost structure improvements and ongoing focus on securing future business
- Total available liquidity was $311 million as of September 30, 2020
- Construction of FlyOver Las Vegas and Sky Lagoon attractions on track for opening in 2021
Viad Corp (NYSE:VVI), a leading provider of experiential leisure travel and face-to-face events and marketing experiences, today reported financial results for the third quarter of 2020.
Steve Moster, president and chief executive officer, commented, "I am very proud of how our team has responded to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am pleased with our performance during a very difficult third quarter. We kept a keen focus on cash and finished the quarter with a strong liquidity position that will enable us to withstand the pandemic and position our businesses for greater success on the other side."
Business Update
Regarding Pursuit, Moster commented, "We had a successful third quarter across Pursuit, with improving revenue trends. Each of our geographies successfully re-opened and delivered positive EBITDA during the quarter. Despite ongoing border closures and other restrictions, we saw Pursuit-wide revenue rise to about 40% of the prior year levels during August and September driven by strong demand from our domestic long haul, local and regional markets. Remarkably, some Pursuit experiences posted year-over-year growth in the quarter. Occupancy across Pursuit was 60% with select properties seeing higher average daily rates and RevPAR than 2019. These results demonstrate the resiliency of our business model, the strength of our Refresh, Build, Buy strategy, the value of iconic, inspiring and unforgettable experiences, and the determination of our team to prevail in the face of significant challenges."
Regarding GES, Moster commented, "We are seeing strong interest from exhibitors and attendees to see live events resume. However, the ongoing pandemic and related government restrictions have kept the live events market largely closed. At GES, we have responded by reducing operating costs to minimal essential levels to preserve liquidity, and we are making structural changes to our delivery model that will yield ongoing cost-savings when revenues return. The market disruption caused by the pandemic has provided us a unique opportunity to accelerate the transformation of GES into a leaner, more flexible, and more profitable organization. I am very grateful to our team for responding rapidly to the challenges of the pandemic and making the difficult decisions necessary to ensure we weather the storm and emerge stronger."
Third Quarter 2020 Results
Revenue was $63.1 million, down 82.2% from the 2019 third quarter reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on event activity and long-distance leisure travel. As compared to the 2020 second quarter, revenue more than doubled as Pursuit entered its peak tourism season and experienced strong demand from its local and regional markets, while GES revenue remained at minimal levels. Net loss attributable to Viad was $30.8 million, versus income of $31.4 million in the 2019 third quarter. The 2020 net loss included restructuring charges of $11.3 million primarily related to cost-reduction efforts across GES. Adjusted segment operating loss* was $5.8 million, versus income of $56.0 million in the prior year quarter, and adjusted segment EBITDA* was $8.1 million, versus $72.3 million in the 2019 third quarter.
* Refer to Table 2 of this press release for a discussion and reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Liquidity and Capital Deployment
As of September 30, 2020, our debt totaled $259.1 million, down from $475.1 million at the end of the second quarter. During the quarter, we repaid $217.0 million of our outstanding revolver balance bringing the total amount outstanding down to $230.5 million as of September 30, 2020. Our revolver matures in October 2023. The remaining debt balance at the end of the quarter primarily comprises financing lease obligations.
Moster concluded, "In this challenging and uncertain environment, we are being very selective about where we invest our precious capital. We are committed to closely managing cash flows to withstand the pandemic and return to a path of strong value creation for our shareholders."
Conference Call Details
About Viad
Forward-Looking Statements
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following:
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201029006115/en/
© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.
