Three-quarters of more than 500 meetings professionals surveyed by Amex GBT are feeling optimistic about the industry’s health, despite challenges like rising costs and ongoing staffing shortages.
The TMC’s annual Global Meetings and Events forecast found that budgets are on the rise for two-thirds of respondents.
"Our forecast highlights a strong and optimistic outlook for the meetings and events industry,” said Gerardo Tejado, Senior Vice President, Professional Services, Amex GBT.
“In-person meetings continue to dominate with prioritization of attendee engagement, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology like AI to enhance the experience.”
Internal meetings are expected to be the most frequent meeting type in 2025. Survey respondents predict that half will be held at a hotel, 34% will be in a different city, and 35% will include social activities for networking.
When asked what technology they plan to use in 2025, half of those surveyed answered Artificial intelligence (AI). AI will be used for tasks such as attendee matchmaking (42%), content creation (41%), theme development (40%) and tracking attendee engagement (39%).
Amex GBT sees a "strong and optimistic" forecast for the meetings and events industry in 2025. (Photo Credit: Amex GBT)
Additional insights from the report include:
· The top five meetings and events destinations in North America for 2025 are New York, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas and Dallas.
· Location availability is the number one challenge for planning a meeting in 2025, with high costs, budget cuts and hotel staffing levels among other top concerns for planners.
· The top three elements cited that contribute to a memorable meeting experience are content (38%), venue (27%), and destination (25%).
· 54% of meeting planners are incorporating sustainability goals, best practices and tracking across their meetings.
· A significant majority (86%) of meeting professionals have already implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices or plan to do so in 2025.
New York has leapfrogged Las Vegas as the top meeting and events destination in North America according to Amex GBT. (Photo Credit: Amex GBT)
In terms of top destinations for meetings and events, the Amex GBT forecast includes some surprises, including New York leapfrogging Las Vegas as the top meeting and events destination in North America. Miami and Dallas entered the top five for the first time, replacing Los Angeles and Toronto.
London remains the dominant city in EMEA, with Madrid rising to second place, overtaking Barcelona. In Latin America, Cancun surged to the top, driven by accessibility and all-inclusive options, while in APAC, Singapore and Tokyo continue to dominate with Hong Kong moving up the ranks.
To see the full 2025 Meetings & Events forecast by American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), click here.
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