Meeting professionals expect in-person events and budgets to increase in 2023, according to American Express Meetings & Events.
The 12th annual Global Meetings & Events Forecast found that more than three quarters (77 per cent) of respondents are optimistic about the health of the industry heading into 2023 (rating eight or above out of 10) – a six-point increase compared to last year’s survey.
Two thirds (67 per cent) said they believe the number of in-person events will return to pre-pandemic levels within 1-2 years, with internal and smaller meetings already exceeding 2019 levels in some regions.
And when it comes to budgets, just under two thirds (65 per cent) said that overall M&E spend is increasing for 2023.
“This forecast reflects a renewed understanding of the value of meetings and events, and the critical role they play in building company culture and driving business,” said Gerardo Tejado, general manager of American Express Meetings & Events. “The report also finds an industry taking lessons learned during the last few years to bring positive change, including in areas such as technology, well-being, sustainability and inclusivity."
In-person events exhibit strong growth
Internal meetings continue to be a higher priority than they were pre-pandemic, as organizations see face-to-face interactions as key to improving productivity, connecting teams, reducing turnover and attracting top talent. Survey respondents anticipate that in-person meetings and the number of event attendees will increase across the board, with 87 per cent of meetings expected to have an in-person component. Moreover, only 32 per cent of internal meetings are expected to be held on the corporate’s property, with 40 per cent being held in a different city from the office, and 45 per cent including overnight accommodation for attendees. After two years of remote and hybrid arrangements, respondents also expressed growing virtual fatigue. Overall, a strong majority expect in-person M&E activity to be their main focus next year, with only 29 per cent of respondents in North America and 33 per cent in Europe expecting an increase in hybrid meetings.
Commitment to sustainability
Sustainability also continues to be a priority for most M&E programs in 2023. Four in five respondents (80 per cent) say their organization takes sustainability into account when planning events. Of those who say their organization takes sustainability into account, 76 per cent say their organization has a defined sustainable meetings program strategy. Impactful practices cited include minimizing paper usage (22 per cent), energy-saving and waste reduction measures (19 per cent) and booking green suppliers (18 per cent).
Diversity efforts a priority
Incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) into meetings and events was also a top priority for meeting professionals. Nearly nine in ten (87 per cent) respondents say their organization or client actively strive to incorporate DE&I in their M&E programs. These respondents say the top two ways they do this are by using diverse and minority-owned suppliers (29 per cent) and by providing an option to attend the event virtually (28 per cent).
Regional differences
Europe had the second-highest number of respondents who say they expect in-person attendance numbers to revert to pre-pandemic levels in the near future (69 per cent), behind Latin America (78 per cent). Regarding taking sustainability into account in meetings and event planning, European respondents were third (78 per cent) amongst all regions to say they incorporate sustainability (only ahead of North America) and were the least percentage saying their organization has a defined sustainable meeting program strategy (66 per cent). However, they were the most likely to calculate event carbon emissions (28 per cent).
In North America, where respondents reported the highest percentage of completely remote workforces, internal and small and simple meetings have already surpassed 2019 levels. Meeting planners in the North America region are seeing the highest increase in group rates for 2023 in both group air (7.8 per cent) and hotel (7.4 per cent) compared to other regions. North America is also the only region expecting a decrease in hotel room and meeting space availability.
Meeting professionals in Latin America feel strongest in expecting in-person attendance numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels in the near future (78 per cent). Concerning sustainability, Latin American meetings professionals are leading the way: meetings professionals in the region tied Asia Pacific as most likely to say their organization takes sustainability into account when planning meetings and events (86 per cent) and are most likely to say their organization has a defined sustainable meeting program strategy (84 per cent). The region also stands out in DE&I: 96 per cent of respondents say their client or organization actively strives to incorporate DE&I into its meetings and events compared to the other regions.
For meeting professionals in the Asia Pacific region, over half (53 per cent) of respondents say that macroeconomic changes are a top factor that influences an overall change in meeting spend at their organization, more so than other regions. Furthermore, they fall behind other regions in expecting in-person attendee numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels in the near future (61 per cent). This is likely due to the region easing Covid-19 restrictions later than other regions. Regarding sustainability, respondents in the Asia-Pacific region, alongside Latin America, were more likely to incorporate sustainability into their meeting and events planning (86 per cent) and 83 per cent say they have a defined sustainable meeting program strategy for 2023.
Methodology
The 2023 Forecast is based on a survey of 580 M&E professionals and interviews with industry leaders. The survey and interviews took place from May to June 2022. Respondents represented meeting planners, air suppliers and hoteliers across 23 countries.
Download the full 2023 Global Meetings & Events Forecast here.
