- 74% are optimistic about the health of the industry
- 50% of meeting planners are embracing the use of AI software and apps
- 54% are incorporating sustainability goals, best practices, and tracking across their meetings
London, UK – October 8, 2024 – The meetings and events industry is projected to flourish in 2025, with meeting professionals expressing confidence in its future and noting planned increases in meetings budgets, as revealed in the 14th Annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast by Amex GBT Meetings & Events.
The 2025 forecast points to solid growth ahead, with increasing budgets and a positive outlook from professionals despite challenges like rising costs and ongoing staffing shortages. In fact, 66% expect their budgets to grow, intending to allocate these funds towards various business priorities.
The forecast surveyed more than 500 meetings and events professionals worldwide, supplemented by insights from more than a dozen industry leaders. While 74% of professionals remain optimistic about the industry’s health, this marks a tempering of the high expectations seen in 2024, signaling a return to more balanced outlooks.
Meeting professionals continue to anticipate that internal meetings will be the most frequent meeting type in 2025 – as they had predicted for 2024. According to the forecast, meeting professionals expect that nearly half of internal meetings will be held at a hotel, 34% will be held in a different city, and 35% will include social activities for networking.
Additional highlights from the 2025 forecast include:
- Two-thirds see an increase in overall meeting spend
- Businesses are approaching M&E in 2025 strategically and with rich, personalized experiences in mind to make the most out of the time in person.
- Location availability is the #1 challenge for planning a meeting in 2025
Gerardo Tejado, Senior Vice President of Professional Services at Amex GBT, said, “Our forecast highlights a strong and optimistic outlook for the meetings and events industry. In-person meetings continue to dominate, with prioritization of attendee engagement, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology like AI to enhance the experience. As sustainability goals advance and AI becomes more integrated, the industry is well-positioned for continued growth and innovation.”
Technology as a Key Driver
Technology is reshaping the meetings and events industry, serving as a crucial tool for personalization. These technologies, from automation to generative AI, boost efficiency, creativity, and engagement. Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront, with meeting planners prioritizing its use in 2025.
The forecast shows that professionals are ready to explore AI’s potential across various areas—particularly to improve the attendee experience. AI (50%) is the main tech focus for meeting planners, and mobile apps continue to be an expectation at events. AI is being or will be used for tasks like attendee matchmaking (42%), content creation (41%), theme development (40%), and tracking attendee engagement (39%).
Sustainability Goals and Practices Continue to Rise
Sustainability remains a crucial element in well-developed meeting programs. Over half (54%) of meeting professionals consider it highly important in their 2025 planning, with 47% having established clear sustainability goals and action plans and focusing on DE&I practices, waste management, and eco-friendly food and beverage options. Most (86%) of meeting professionals have already implemented DE&I best practices or plan to do so.
Engagement is Essential
Attendee engagement plays a vital role in the success of any meeting or event, shaping the overall experience and leaving a lasting impact. Meeting professionals have highlighted several key elements that contribute to a memorable experience, with the top three being content (38%), venue (27%), and destination (25%). When surveyed about budget increases, the top priority for professionals was to invest in “improving the onsite experience.”
Global-View: The Regional Outlook
Regional differences exist in what the industry can expect in the upcoming year.
- North America: Seventy percent of meeting professionals in North America expect their meeting spending to increase in 2025, compared with 72% in 2024.
- Europe: 82% of European meeting professionals will host meetings with an in-person component in 2025, and 65% expect their meeting spending to increase in the next year.
- Asia Pacific: Like other regions,70% expect their meeting spending to increase in 2025, and 61% say sustainability is very important to them.
- Latin America: Meeting professionals (70%) expect meeting spending to increase in 2025, compared with 73% in 2024.
Download the full 2025 Meetings and Events Forecast.
Methodology
The 2025 Forecast is based on a survey of more than 500 meetings and events professionals worldwide and in-depth interviews with over a dozen industry leaders. The survey ran from May 23 to June 10, 2024. Survey and interview respondents represent corporations, associations, buyers, and suppliers from five continents and 26 countries. The result is a statistically and globally representative picture of the 2025 meetings and events industry.
About Amex GBT Meetings & Events
Amex GBT Meetings & Events offers longstanding experience, expertise, and leading capabilities spanning program implementation to budget optimization to deliver powerful meetings and events experiences for clients in all delivery formats, including face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual. With a presence in over 140 countries, the global team is focused on meetings and events sourcing, planning, contract negotiations, budgeting, expense management, reporting, and benchmarking, combined with strategic counsel and integration of leading technology. This end-to-end approach focuses on creating visibility, driving savings, and enabling effective meeting and brand experiences.
With over 40 years in the industry, Amex GBT Meetings & Events is uniquely positioned to manage meetings and events locally, regionally, internationally, and globally. For 17 consecutive years, American Express GBT Meetings & Events has been recognized on Meetings Net’s “CMI 25” list, an annual directory of the largest and most influential full-service meeting and incentive travel management companies focused on the US corporate meetings and incentives industry. To learn more about the services offered by Amex GBT Meetings & Events, visit:
https://www.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/meetings-and-events
About American Express Global Business Travel
American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) is a leading software and services company for travel, expense, meetings & events. We have built the most valuable marketplace in travel with the most comprehensive and competitive content. A choice of solutions brought to you through a potent combination of technology and people, delivering the best experiences, proven at scale. With travel professionals and business partners in more than 140 countries, our solutions deliver savings, flexibility, and service from a brand you can trust – Amex GBT.
