A new study promises a positive outlook for the meetings and events industry next year. American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) published its 14th annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast to provide a look ahead to the coming year. The forecast is based on a combination of interviews with industry experts and a survey of 519 meeting professionals. Participants came from North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.
Here are some notable findings from the study:
Meeting Professional Optimism & Budgets Rising
74% of surveyed meeting professionals felt optimistic about the industry. Only 6% felt discouraged. This positive outlook comes alongside anticipated budget increases. 66% of meeting professionals expect to see their budgets grow in 2025.
In-person Meetings Dominate
While all formats have their place, in-person meetings will be the most frequent type of meeting in 2025. Meeting professionals expect internal meetings to be particularly popular, although rising costs may lead companies to be more selective about holding these events at hotels. North American meeting professionals show the strongest preference for in-person meetings.
Focus on Sustainability and DEI
More than half of meeting professionals believe sustainability is very or extremely important. Most companies have even defined sustainability goals to lower their carbon footprint. Despite DEI skepticism among some segments in the U.S., meeting professionals are also working to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion best practices into their events. 86% have already acted on DEI or plan to do so.
Meeting Technology & AI
AI is the leading technology that meeting planners expect to use in 2025. They plan to use it to enhance the attendee experience with particular emphasis on personalization. Technology like holograms and virtual reality were also mentioned. Integrating all this new technology remains a challenge, however.
Attendees, Onsite Experience Are Top Priority
Meeting professionals are focused on creating memorable experiences for attendees, in part through emotional engagement and personalization. Understanding attendee demographics, investing in high-quality content, and finding unique venues are all crucial considerations. When asked how they would use increased budgets, meeting professionals indicated that improving the onsite experience would be their top priority.
Overall, these findings suggest a healthy outlook for the meetings and events industry. The fact that two thirds of those surveyed expected rising budgets is particularly significant. And, it will be interesting to see how effectively meeting organizers will deploy rapidly evolving technology in 2025. Regardless, it’s good to see in-person meetings continuing to gain ground.