Intended meetings & events spend for 2026:
The survey shows a clear shift in how organisations are allocating meetings and events spend. Medium-sized events are now the most common focus, ahead of both small and large formats. For many organisations, these events offer the right balance between impact and practicality. Large events still play an important strategic role, particularly for leadership, brand, and customer engagement. Incentive travel also remains part of many programmes, with a preference for short - and mid-haul formats that balance experience with cost and planning effort. The scale of responsibility carried by many meetings and events professionals has dialled up. 35% points increase on last year - with a smaller but significant group overseeing far larger programmes. As budgets grow, meetings and events teams are operating closer to financial decision-making. In an environment where costs, risk and external pressure are all on the rise, every choice should be