56 Corporate Event Statistics for 2026

How big is the business events market?

EIC estimated $1.3 trillion in global direct spending on business events in 2025. EIC/Oxford Economics, 2026.

Estimated direct spending in North America was $487.7 billion in 2025. Global direct spending is forecast to reach $1.6 trillion in 2028. EIC/Oxford Economics, 2026.

This total covers a wide range of business events, including conferences and trade shows. EIC counts gatherings with at least 10 people that last at least four hours in a venue booked under contract. All dollar amounts here are in US dollars. Keep that scope in mind if you're using a number in a planning brief. The attendance total counts people across events, so the same person may be counted more than once.

How much is spent on different types of business events?

Estimated direct spending in 2025 was $383.2 billion for conventions, conferences and congresses. It was $178.5 billion for trade shows and $86.6 billion for incentive events. EIC/Oxford Economics, 2026.

If you're using these figures in a report, choose the group that fits your topic. A trade show and a company meeting may both be business events, but they have different goals and costs. Use the source's names for each group so readers know what's included. These totals describe spending across the industry. Your own budget will depend on the event you're planning.

How do business events support the economy?

EIC estimated that business events added $1.8 trillion to global GDP and supported 24.2 million jobs in 2025. That includes wider effects on suppliers and household spending. EIC/Oxford Economics, 2026.

Direct spending covers purchases made for events, such as a venue booking or food for guests. GDP measures the value those activities add to the economy. This study also counts wider effects, such as suppliers buying goods and workers spending their wages. The figures overlap, so adding spending and GDP together would count some activity twice. Choose the measure that fits the point you want to make.

How many events do companies plan?

Companies in Cvent's study planned an average of 16 events in 2025. Cvent, 2026 growth report.

An average can help you see the bigger picture, but it leaves out a lot about each company's plans. Some teams may host a few gatherings. Others may run events throughout the year. A small staff meeting and a large customer event can each count toward that total. When building your own calendar, think about the purpose and work behind each event as well as the count.

Which types of company meetings were expected to grow in 2026?

54% of planners surveyed expected more product launches in 2026. 50% expected more internal team meetings. Amex GBT, 2026.

It helps to give each event a clear job before you start planning the day. A team meeting might give staff time to work through a shared problem. A product launch might let customers try something new and ask questions. That goal can guide your schedule and room setup. The forecast covers how often these meeting types would be held, across in-person, online and hybrid formats.

What do the surveys say about online and hybrid events?

In 2025, 39% of meeting professionals surveyed said economic uncertainty had led to more online meetings. Amex GBT, 2026.

26% of those surveyed said their meeting policies included rules for online or hybrid meetings that year. Amex GBT, 2026.

A hybrid event has both in-person and online parts. You can use different formats within the same event calendar. Routine updates might work well online, while a launch could give people a reason to gather in person. These survey answers describe the choices and rules of the people who took part. They don't tell us what share of all company events took place online.

What changes did planners expect in event budgets and costs?

72% of planners surveyed expected event costs to rise by up to 20% in 2026. 69% expected their budgets to grow at a similar rate. Cvent, 2026 sourcing report.

A bigger corporate event budget can still feel tight if the venue and food cost more. These answers show what planners expected to happen to their costs and budgets. They don't tell us whether each team received enough extra money to cover its price increases. If you're reviewing a new quote, it helps to look at what has changed since the last event.

Keep the guest count and event plans beside the budget when you compare one year with another. A higher bill could reflect more guests or a longer event. Cost per attendee means the amount spent for each person. Looking at both the total and the cost per guest can help you see where the extra money is going.

What challenges did event planners expect?

For 2026, 38% of meeting professionals surveyed expected costs to be a challenge. 32% expected economic uncertainty to be a challenge. Amex GBT, 2026.

When costs rise, you may need to adjust what you can include in the day. When plans are still uncertain, you may need room to make changes later. Ask for a quote that clearly shows the main setup and any optional extras. If your budget changes, you'll be able to see what can be added or removed and how that choice would affect your guests.

What do guests want from event content and personal touches?

In Freeman's 2024 US survey, 92% of working professionals wanted a choice of content and control over their experience. 90% wanted content or experiences tailored to them. Freeman, 2025.

Giving guests a choice can be as simple as offering a few sessions that meet different needs. A new customer may want a hands-on demo. Someone who knows your product well may want time to ask detailed questions. Help people find the parts of the event that suit them. A shared opening followed by a choice of activities can give the day structure while leaving guests some room to choose.

What do the surveys say about networking and taking part?

In 2025, 42% of planners surveyed felt guests wanted more chances to take part than five years earlier. 40% felt guests wanted more social or networking activities. Amex GBT, 2026.

53% of Freeman's US respondents said they had attended in-person networking events for business reasons in its 2024 survey. Freeman, 2025.

These findings look at networking from different sides. Planners shared how they felt guest needs had changed. Guests shared the kinds of events they had attended. You can't use them to measure growth from one year to the next. For your own event, think about how people will meet and talk. Then ask guests whether they had useful conversations and what would have made those easier.

What do event marketers focus on when planning the program?

49% of marketers surveyed made content and speaker quality a priority. 42% focused on giving customers a voice in the program. Cvent, 2026 growth report.

Start with what you want your guests to learn or take away from the day. A customer speaker can share how they use a product in their own work. An expert can help with more detailed questions. Give each speaker a clear brief about who will be in the room. That can help you build a program around the people attending, with time for their questions too.

What venue details help planners decide where to send a proposal request?

When deciding whether to send a venue RFP, 50% of planners surveyed in 2025 were influenced by details about meeting-room size and features. Photos or videos influenced 48%, while floor plans or diagrams influenced 46%. Cvent, 2026 sourcing report.

An RFP is a request for proposal. It's how a planner asks a venue to provide an offer for an event. Photos help you picture the space, while room details and floor plans help you work out how to use it. If you're adding a balloon backdrop, check where guests will stand for photos and how others will walk past. A lovely room still needs a layout that works for your plans.

How often do planners rely on vendors to help guests take part?

57% of planners surveyed in 2025 often or always relied on vendors to meet their goals for guest engagement. Cvent, 2026 sourcing report.

Tell your vendors what you want guests to be able to do. For a demo, that might mean seeing the product clearly and having space to ask questions. For a photo area, it might mean fitting a group in the shot while keeping the walkway clear. A clear brief gives your vendors something useful to plan around. The survey doesn't measure the effect of one type of setup on sales.

What do marketers say about event revenue?

83% of marketers surveyed said events brought in a steady flow of revenue. Cvent, 2026 growth report.

Revenue is the money a business brings in. It helps tell the story of an event, but you also need to know what the event cost. ROI means return on investment. It compares the return with the money spent. These event marketing statistics tell us how marketers view their events; they don't give us a typical ROI for a company event.

When you review your own event, keep each result easy to understand. Money earned is one measure. Possible future sales and guest feedback tell you different things. Showing them separately can help your team see what happened and what still needs follow-up. It also makes it easier to compare events without treating every good result as a completed sale.

How many marketers link possible sales to events?

74% of marketers surveyed could trace new sales opportunities in their pipeline back to event interactions. 49% gave events credit for at least 21% of their total pipeline. Cvent, 2026 growth report.

A sales pipeline is the set of possible sales a business is working on. A customer might attend your event, speak with a sales rep later and then buy. The business may give the event some credit for that sale. This is called attribution. It doesn't prove the event caused the purchase on its own. Keep that difference clear when you use these figures in a report.

How do guests feel about a brand after an in-person event?

In Freeman's 2024 survey, 47% of US professionals said their positive view of a brand lasted a few months or longer. Freeman, 2025.

In the same survey, 92% said live events improved how they thought about a brand. 89% said live events made them feel closer to the brand. Freeman, 2025.

How someone feels about a brand can be part of an event's value. How long that feeling lasts adds another piece to the picture. These survey answers don't tell us which part of the event made the difference. If you're asking guests for feedback, give them room to share what they remember. You may learn more from their own words than from a rating alone.

Are guests more likely to buy after an event?

85% of US professionals in Freeman's 2024 survey said they were more likely to buy after attending an event. Freeman, 2025.

Saying you're more likely to buy is different from making a purchase. This figure tells us how guests felt after the event. To learn what happened next, a business would need to track sales too. If you compare events, use the same follow-up period for each one. That gives each event the same amount of time for a guest's interest to turn into a sale.

How many planners use AI to find venues or vendors?

75% of planners surveyed in 2025 used AI to help with sourcing. Cvent, 2026 sourcing report.

In event planning, sourcing means finding and comparing venues or suppliers. AI can be part of that work, but this figure doesn't tell us how much each planner used it. Making a list of venues is one step. Checking that a space is available and fits your plans takes more work. Before you book, confirm the details that your event depends on with the venue itself.

How many event platforms connect with other marketing tools?

71% of marketers surveyed used an event platform linked to their other marketing tools. Cvent, 2026 growth report.

Linked tools can help a team keep track of guests and plan their follow-up. For example, a signup form could pass a guest's details to a marketing system. The team still needs to know what each record means. Signing up for an event and showing up on the day are different actions. Clear records make it easier to see who attended and who asked to hear from you again.

How many planners expected to use AI to measure event results?

36% of meeting professionals surveyed planned to use AI tools for data and ROI measurement in 2026. Amex GBT, 2026.

This was a plan for the year ahead. It doesn't tell us how many teams went on to use those tools or how well the tools worked. If you use software to review an event, check what it counts and where the data comes from. Your team should be able to trace a sales figure back to the records behind it.

How many planners have sustainability policies or track emissions?

In 2025, 38% of meeting professionals surveyed had a sustainability policy for meetings. 25% tracked CO2e emissions. Amex GBT, 2026.

CO2e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. It puts different greenhouse gases into the same unit so their climate effects can be compared. A sustainability policy sets out a team's goals and rules. Tracking emissions means measuring the gases linked to the work. A team can have a policy in place while still working out what it needs to measure.

If you're comparing reports, check what each one includes. One might cover only the venue. Another might also count guests' travel. Those reports cover different parts of the event, so their totals need context. These survey figures tell us about planners' policies and tracking. They don't show the footprint of a typical event or the impact of a certain balloon or other decor material.

How many event planners work in the US, and what do they earn?

BLS reports 172,100 US jobs for meeting, convention and event planners in 2025. Their median yearly wage was $61,160 that May. BLS, 2026.

This job group includes planners who work on company events and social events, such as weddings. The median wage means half of workers earned more and half earned less. The wage figures leave out self-employed planners. They also describe employee pay, so you shouldn't use them to work out what a vendor should charge for your event.

What is the job outlook for US event planners?

BLS projects 6% job growth for event planners from 2025 to 2035. It expects an average of 16,800 job openings each year during that period. BLS, 2026.

Some of these openings will come from new jobs. Others will replace people who retire or move into a different line of work. That helps explain why annual job openings and growth in the total number of jobs are different measures. Use the growth rate to discuss how the field may change, and openings to discuss the need to fill roles.

Where did we find these statistics?

We used government data, original reports and summaries from the groups that carried out or published the research. The links beside each number take you back to those sources. Before you use a figure in your own report, check who took part in the study and which year it covers.

• Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics report global spending estimates for 2025 and forecasts for future years. Their figures cover a wide range of business events, including conferences and exhibitions.
• Cvent/Censuswide’s 2026 Planner Sourcing Report is based on a July 2025 survey of 1,650 planners across six regions. Cvent published its summary in October 2025.
• Cvent’s Event-Led Growth study was published in June 2026. It draws on a survey of over 1,000 marketers in the US and UK. The public summary doesn't say when the survey took place.
• Amex GBT/YouGov surveyed 601 meeting professionals in July 2025. The 2026 report shares their plans for the year ahead and their views on events.
• Freeman/The Harris Poll surveyed 1,824 US professionals aged 18–59 in September 2024. All had recently attended a business event. The results reflect their answers, and the sample doesn't cover the whole US public.
• BLS provides US job and wage data. It also forecasts how employment may change.

A report with 2026 in its title may include a survey from an earlier year. Some figures also describe what people expected to happen. We've kept those dates and details visible so you can choose a number that fits the point you're making.

If you're planning a company celebration in the Bay Area, tell us about your event. We'd love to help you plan a balloon setup that fits the space and the occasion.