Together, these milestones underscore EIC’s commitment to delivering
authoritative research, coordinated advocacy, and a unified global voice for
the business events sector amid evolving economic conditions and long-term
growth planning.
Steering
Committee to Guide Seminal Global Research and GMID Activities
The newly formed Steering Committee will help guide the development of the
2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study, produced in
partnership with Oxford Economics, and related
advocacy activities surrounding Global Meetings Industry Day
(GMID) in May 2026.
Chaired by Paul Van Deventer, President and CEO of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the committee brings together senior leaders representing diverse regions and sectors of the global business events ecosystem.
“The Economic Significance Study is foundational to how we advocate for our
industry worldwide,” said Amy Calvert, President and CEO of the Events Industry
Council. “This Steering Committee reflects the depth, credibility and
global reach of our community. Their leadership will help ensure the study
continues to deliver trusted, decision-shaping insights that policymakers,
destinations and industry leaders rely on.”
Van Deventer added: “Business events are a powerful
economic engine, but that impact must be clearly articulated and supported by
credible, global data. I am honoured to chair this Steering Committee and to
work with EIC, Oxford Economics and industry leaders around the world to help
advance this essential research and amplify its influence through Global
Meetings Industry Day.”
The 2026 study, developed in partnership with Oxford Economics, will be
released in May 2026, in conjunction with Global Meetings Industry, and will
once again provide a definitive measure of the sector’s global economic and
societal contribution.
Latest Global
Business Events Barometer Signals Future-Focused Demand
EIC also released its Q3 2025 Global Business Events Barometer, providing insight into current conditions and forward-looking indicators
across the global meetings and events economy.
The most recent findings show continued strength in global RFP activity, with demand increasingly weighted toward events planned further in advance — signalling confidence in the sector’s medium- and long-term outlook. At the same time, hotel group room nights and pricing trends reflect a more measured and uneven recovery across regions, shaped by broader economic and geopolitical dynamics.
Key findings included:
·
The Events
Industry Council Global Business Events Barometer shows some mixed gains in
2025 Q3, with an increase in RFP activity index relative to the prior quarter
and a slight decrease in the hotel room nights index.
·
The hotel group
room nights index measured 92 in this quarter’s results, representing stays
during the quarter equivalent to 92% of 2019 levels and indicating a slight
decrease relative to Q2.
·
The RFP activity
index, representing request for proposals (RFPs) sent by event planners during
the quarter for future events measured at 106% of 2019 levels. It marks a full
recovery in global RFP activity and the highest quarter measured.
·
Risks that US
policies would ignite a trade war have eased, but geopolitical tensions and
concerns persist. Oxford Economics currently expects slightly slower global
economic growth next year, with world GDP to expand by 2.8% this year and 2.7%
in 2026.
·
Travel spending
in North America is slowing to just 2.5% growth this year, in part due to a
pull-back in international travel to the US.
“The Barometer offers critical context for decision-making in a complex and
rapidly changing environment,” said EIC
Board Chair Stephanie Harris, President of the
Incentive Research Foundation. “Together with the Economic
Significance Study, it equips our industry with the data needed to tell a
clear, credible and compelling story about the value of business events.”
Tags: Stephanie Harris, Incentive Research Foundation Amy Calvert, Events Industry Council
