The 2024 Forecast is based on a survey of more than 500 meetings and events professionals from around the world as well as in-depth interviews with over a dozen industry leaders. The survey launched in June 2023 and extended through to mid-July. 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 2024 meetings and events industry.
Meeting activity
As in the past few years, the mood among meeting professionals is very positive. Survey respondents were asked how optimistic they are about the health of the meetings and events industry: 82% chose 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 (compared to 77% last year and 71% the year before). In an industry that historically has high turnover rates, only one-quarter of respondents said they were likely or very likely to look for a new job within 2024; of those, more than 65% plan to stay in the industry, but with a different employer – further evidence that meeting professionals remain bullish about the future of the industry.
Meeting professionals have been clear, and corporate actions have demonstrated, that people want to meet in person. As expected, our survey shows that the number of in-person events continues to grow. Respondents globally said that more than three-quarters of their meetings and events next year will be either entirely in-person (59%) or hybrid (20%), with the remaining 21% virtual. North America and Europe lead the way in face-to-face meetings, at 63%.
The overall number of attendees also continues to recover, even in the face of uncertainty over inflation and extreme weather – 28% of respondents said their programs have already met or exceeded pre-pandemic attendee levels and 42% of respondents expect to reach that goal in 2024. Those whose numbers have not fully recovered yet said cost (47%), attendee health concerns (41%), and attendee safety concerns (40%) are the top three reasons attendee levels are lagging.
Lead times in 2024 are expected to be slightly longer than in 2023, but our interview panel believes they are still too short and unpredictable. Almost three-quarters of survey respondents said their lead times are either the same as (45%) or shorter than (27%) last year. One of the main causes cited for shortened lead times is a delay in securing budget approvals – meaning clients may be losing out on favourable rates, dates, and sometimes venues.
The 2024 Forecast is based on a survey of more than 500 meetings and events professionals from around the world as well as in-depth interviews with over a dozen industry leaders. The survey launched in June 2023 and extended through to mid-July. 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 2024 meetings and events industry.
Meeting activity
As in the past few years, the mood among meeting professionals is very positive. Survey respondents were asked how optimistic they are about the health of the meetings and events industry: 82% chose 8 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 (compared to 77% last year and 71% the year before). In an industry that historically has high turnover rates, only one-quarter of respondents said they were likely or very likely to look for a new job within 2024; of those, more than 65% plan to stay in the industry, but with a different employer – further evidence that meeting professionals remain bullish about the future of the industry.
Meeting professionals have been clear, and corporate actions have demonstrated, that people want to meet in person. As expected, our survey shows that the number of in-person events continues to grow. Respondents globally said that more than three-quarters of their meetings and events next year will be either entirely in-person (59%) or hybrid (20%), with the remaining 21% virtual. North America and Europe lead the way in face-to-face meetings, at 63%.
The overall number of attendees also continues to recover, even in the face of uncertainty over inflation and extreme weather – 28% of respondents said their programs have already met or exceeded pre-pandemic attendee levels and 42% of respondents expect to reach that goal in 2024. Those whose numbers have not fully recovered yet said cost (47%), attendee health concerns (41%), and attendee safety concerns (40%) are the top three reasons attendee levels are lagging.
Lead times in 2024 are expected to be slightly longer than in 2023, but our interview panel believes they are still too short and unpredictable. Almost three-quarters of survey respondents said their lead times are either the same as (45%) or shorter than (27%) last year. One of the main causes cited for shortened lead times is a delay in securing budget approvals – meaning clients may be losing out on favourable rates, dates, and sometimes venues.
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