74% of events professionals are optimistic about the health of the industry, according to the American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) Meetings & Events 2025 forecast. To gather results, the report surveyed over 500 meetings and events professionals worldwide. Although the outlook is still positive, 74% optimism actually marks a decrease from the previous year.
Meeting professionals continue to anticipate that internal meetings will be the most frequent meeting type in 2025 – the same prediction they made in 2023 for 2024. Professionals also expect that nearly half of internal meetings will be held at a hotel, 34% will be in a different city, and 35% will include social activities for networking.
Additional highlights include:
Two-thirds predict 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 number one challenge for planning a meeting in 2025
50% of meetings planners are embracing the use of AI software and apps
54% are incorporating sustainability goals, best practices and tracking across their meetings
Breakdown by region:
North America: 70% of meeting professionals expect their meeting spend 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 spend to increase in the next year
Asia Pacific: 70% expect their meeting spend to increase in 2025 and 61% say sustainability is highly important to them
Latin America: 70% of meeting professionals expect their meeting spend to increase in 2025, compared with 73% in 2024
To download the full forecast, click here.
