However, looking locally, the picture is somewhat less rosy, with optimism for the sector in Asia Pacific significantly lower than the global average.
While 85 per cent of the 601 event professionals surveyed for the 2026 forecast were positive about business events next year globally, in Asia Pacific, just 74 per cent of respondents were positive – the lowest optimism score of the four regions identified.
Positivity was considerably higher in North America – 93 per cent were optimistic – and Europe – 91 per cent positive – while in Latin America 79 per cent of those surveyed were optimistic about 2026.
In terms of positivity by industry vertical, the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors were the most positive – nearly 73 per cent said they were “very optimistic” – compared to a 62 per cent average similar positivity sentiment across all sectors. Sixty per cent of those in healthcare and pharmaceuticals said they would hold more events in 2026.
The most common global challenge for next year was cost, with three of the top five challenges for 2026 being economic – economic uncertainty took second place and budget cuts sat at number four.
Artificial intelligence is continuing to gain traction in the events industry, with 50 per cent of event professionals saying they would use AI in the event planning and delivery process in 2026. This includes 40 per cent who will use AI-powered apps, 35 per cent who will use it for event communications, 34 per cent who will use AI to produce creative concepts, 29 per cent who will use it to optimise event logistics and 28 per cent who will use it to track the attendee experience.
“Unprecedented optimism and technological innovation are converging to redefine how we create meaningful connections,” said Amex GBT’s senior vice president of professional services, Gerardo Tejado.
“We’re witnessing a transformative moment where AI is not just a tool, but a strategic partner that empowers meetings and events professionals to deliver more engaging, impactful and intelligent event experiences with measurable impact.
“The meetings and events industry’s growing confidence – with 85 per cent of professionals feeling optimistic about the future – reflects our collective ability to embrace change and unlock new possibilities.”
In his introduction to the forecast, Tejado also noted the stabilisation of the industry.
“Throughout the Global Forecast, we see signs of continuity as meeting professionals maintain
focus on the same strategic priorities and practices, year-on-year.”
The forecast also showed how disparate the meetings industry is on several fronts – from sustainability measures to meetings policies and priorities for 2026.
Only a quarter of respondents said their organisation was tracking carbon emissions from events, while there was also no consensus on other sustainability measures being put in place – 38 per cent of respondents said they had a sustainable meetings policy, 34 per cent said they were minimising disposable items and using sustainable materials and production, 33 per cent were implementing sustainable food and beverage offerings, 31 per cent were prioritising sustainable venues and 30 per cent were practicing waste minimisation.
In the sphere of organisations’ meetings policies, no single measure of what’s included in these policies notched up a majority answer out of the options respondents could select, with the most common inclusion being safety and security which is included in 36 per cent of policies. The next most common policy inclusion was AI at 28 per cent, followed by procurement for events, payment processes and the event approval process, all on 27 per cent. Across the board, only 26 per cent of meetings and events policies include post-event surveys and just a quarter cover event tech.
Priorities for 2026 also vary globally – the most common is improving the attendee experience – identified by 33 per cent of those surveyed – followed by improving data collection processes (31 per cent), reducing cost (30 per cent), improving sustainability (28 per cent) while using the latest technology, selected by 27 per cent, rounded out the top five.
