Group business showing steady growth, according to new Amadeus forecast

Global travel solutions specialists Amadeus has released a new forecast in collaboration with Meeting Professionals International and Salesforce that combines forward-looking data insights as well as input from industry experts to shed a light on the future of group travel for meetings and events. The forecast harnesses Amadeus’ retrospective data and insight from Demand360®, to reveal that group travel is set for a strong conference season in Q4 and promising growth in 2023. Global group occupancy has consistently mirrored pre-pandemic levels throughout the conference sector rebound in 2022, according to Amadeus and the company is also set for a strong start in 2023, with 48 million bookings already made for H1 2023, 16% more than were made in the same period of 2022. The rebound of meetings and events in Q3 2022, indicated by the sheer number of events and attendees, is explored through opinions from global industry professionals in the new eBook, ‘Industry Masters: The Future of Meetings & Events’. “An explosion in pent-up demand for face-to-face experiences is driving a strong recovery for the meeting and event industry,” says Chris Meyer, CEO, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing and MPI International Board of Directors member. In the US the number of Q3 2022 meetings and events increased by 190.5% over the same period last year, according to Knowland. Additionally, the average number of attendees for the third quarter was 116 compared to 81 for 2021, while the average square footage used was 2,953 per event, and square feet used per person was in line with 2019 levels at 25. Corporate gatherings accounted for the vast majority of events across the United States with some segments already recovered to 2019 levels. With such positive numbers surrounding the return of group travel, Amadeus sourced opinions from seven top global meeting, event, and hospitality authorities to better understand what’s driving gatherings now. Among the unifying themes is a new spirit of flexibility and experimentation between planners, their clients, and properties to design innovative and memorable experiences. “People’s expectations have changed—they no longer want to travel just to sit in presentations,” said Melanie Picard, senior director, AppExchange partner marketing, Salesforce. “This shift in expectations has opened up a new world of possibilities that we can’t ignore.” Events are no longer all about business – instead, attendees expect a menu of additional activities to complete their stay, and a clear focus on sustainability. Download the eBook “Industry Masters: The Future of Meetings & Events”.