Amex GBT has launched its 14th Annual Meetings and Events Forecast, surveying top trends in the industry.
According to the study, the meetings and events industry is expected to flourish in 2025. New York has leapfrogged Las Vegas as the top meeting and events destination in North America.
Meetings and events spend expected to rise in 2025
The annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast, which surveyed more than 500 people working in the M&E sector around the world, found that budgets are on the rise for two-thirds of respondents.
There’s also a high level of optimism heading into 2025, with 74% of meetings professionals feeling optimistic about the industry’s health despite challenges like rising costs and ongoing staffing shortages.
Internal meetings are expected to be the most frequent meeting type in 2025. Professionals predict that half will be held at a hotel, 34% will be in a different city, and 35% will include social activities for networking.
"Our forecast highlights a strong and optimistic outlook for the meetings and events industry,” said Gerardo Tejado, SVP of Professional Services at Amex GBT.
“In-person meetings continue to dominate with prioritization of attendee engagement, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology like AI to enhance the experience.”
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%).
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.
To see the full forecast, click here.
Amex GBT predicts top cities for meetings and events
The 2025 Forecast reveals significant changes in the rankings of top cities for corporate gatherings, driven by factors such as accessibility, venue affordability, and new developments in key destinations
In North America, New York has overtaken Las Vegas as the top destination, while 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.
Destination Rankings for 2025:
North America:
1. New York
2. Chicago
3. Miami
4. Las Vegas
5. Dallas
Europe, Middle East and Africa:
1. London
2. Madrid
3. Barcelona
4. Paris
5. Berlin
Latin America:
1. Cancun
2. Mexico City
3. Buenos Aires
4. Costa Rica
5. São Paulo
Asia-Pacific:
1. Singapore
2. Tokyo
3. Bangkok
4. Hong Kong
5. Sydney
To see the full forecast, which projects a high level of optimism for the Meetings & Events industry in 2025, click here.
