Surveying 200 event stakeholders in large corporations – with revenue of at least US$100 million – in late 2025, Cvent’s research found fewer respondents expecting an increase in event volume in 2026.
Sixty-five per cent of those surveyed said event volumes would go up this year, the smallest percentage – just – over the last four years. In 2025, 81 per cent of respondents expected greater numbers of events.
Collectively, cost containment was identified as the top priority for companies in their events, while the security of event data was cited most commonly as the biggest challenge, followed by competition from other events, making events more sustainable and engaging attendees.
When looking at event spending, 96 per cent of respondents said this was a priority however, only 63 per cent were expecting to increase budgets this year, also the lowest forecast in four years. Where budgets are increasing, boosting the event experience is the most common area of investment, followed by increased venue costs and increased event size.
Cvent’s research also found that the vast majority of event stakeholders in these large companies are using artificial intelligence to help them plan events – 78 per cent said they were – with almost three quarters using two to four AI tools. Interestingly, 87 per cent are planning to increase their spending on AI tools for events this year.
A significant majority – 66 per cent – of respondents also believe that AI can solve every event management problem.
The report also qualified the importance of sustainability amongst event decision-makers, with 55 per cent saying that sustainability was important and 92 per cent reporting that they had sustainability targets for their events this year. Alongside this, 77 per cent said they were willing to track the carbon footprint of their events.
Most of those surveyed for the Cvent research are also seeking to make their events more accessible, with 65 per cent saying they intended to do so this year. Fifty-eight per cent of respondents said they had accessibility measures in place for their events in 2025.
“After several years of sustained expansion, most organisations continue to grow their event programmes through 2025, even as growth intentions begin to moderate looking ahead,” said Cvent’s country head for Australia, Jack Ukil.
“This is not a retreat, but a recalibration. It reflects a shift from growth at all costs to growth with focus, where every event must clearly justify its investment and impact.
“Taken together, these findings reflect a market that is optimistic yet disciplined, innovative yet anchored in measurable outcomes,” he said, of the report overall.
