Austin, Texas –Cendyn and announced the results of its annual report, Conference Industry in 2025. The collaboration paired with Cendyn Data with knowledge groups provides insights to help industry professionals understand meeting planners and event managers expect and will prioritize in 2025. The collaboration helps industry professionals understand expectations with planners and event managers and what will be prioritized in 2025.
The landscape of conferences has been developing in unexpected ways over the past year. Smaller conferences dominate in 2024, but 2025 ushered in a revival of medium-sized gatherings, marking the comeback of large events. Meanwhile, planners had to adapt quickly, with nearly half of the bookings in the events that took place in the same year. But the shift is underway – more organizations are looking to the future, with more and more meetings scheduled three to five years ahead of schedule. Other highlights include:
- Medium and large meetings were balanced: Meetings with 100 to 250 attendees accounted for 35.8% of all bookings in the United States, while events with more than 500 attendees accounted for 32.4%. During the year, 49.4% of bookings were made in the year. However, the booking window is being extended as 9.5% of scheduled meetings are three to five years ahead of schedule. This trend suggests a balanced shift between smaller and larger events, highlighting the needs of hoteliers to improve services and facilities targeting a wide range of group sizes. By focusing on medium-sized meetings (100 to 250 attendees) and larger meetings (more than 500 attendees), hoteliers can take advantage of this balanced market.
- Rising costs remain the highest area of dissatisfaction: Planners are not satisfied with the rising costs, which tightens budgets and affects the quality of events. Cost reduction measures such as shorter meetings, alternative destinations, and reduced events or food and beverage options must be managed effectively to avoid damaging the experience of the participants.
- The secondary market is becoming increasingly favorable: The company may consider changing the destination and venue to manage conference costs. The team is more likely to transfer events to the secondary market to maintain event quality and/or status and to avoid moving downwards at chain size. Compared to the first 25 market destinations, this transformation offers opportunities for the secondary and higher education markets to attract new businesses by offering quality products, services and attractive pricing alternatives.
- Audiovisual support and F&B are preferred RFP add-ons: Planners sought advice that clearly defined technical capabilities and dining options despite rising prices. 60% of planners report advanced AV support as a top priority, while 33% say that supporting technology events are the most important. More than 53% of respondents tend to have catering emphasis on function and hospitality in the RFP response.
“Being part of the conference and event industry is an exciting time. The outlook for 2025 is optimistic, with more than 40% of conference planners expecting bookings to increase, even if the cost rises will remain a major challenge for planners, 65% treatment is expected,” said Michael Bennet, Cendyn president. “Finding a balance between high costs and delivering an amazing customer experience will define the award-winning venue in 2025. We look forward to enabling our customers to make each guest’s interaction an opportunity to foster relationships and maximize profitability.”
“We have seen growth in the secondary market as a popular destination, with 90% of planners considering them to be cost-saving alternatives,” said Larry Hanson of CMO CMO. That being said, planners will prioritize places that can make a lasting impression. Respondents stressed that there was little room for compromise in the quality of the incident, while pressure brought about an outstanding attendee experience. ”
