According to the 2025 State of the Meetings Industry report from Cendyn and ConferenceDirect, smaller meetings dominated in 2024, but 2025 is ushering in a resurgence of medium and larger gatherings, signaling a strong comeback for larger events.

The report reveals insights to help industry professionals understand what meeting planners and event managers expect and will prioritize in 2025.

Other findings in the report include:

• Meetings with 100 to 250 attendees represented 35.8% of all bookings in the U.S. in 2024, while events with more than 500 attendees accounted for 32.4%. During the year, 49.4% of bookings were made in the year for the year. However, booking windows are lengthening as 9.5% of meetings booked were 3-5 years in advance. This trend shows an equalizing shift between smaller and larger events, emphasizing the need for hoteliers to improve services and amenities tailored to diverse group sizes. By focusing on both medium-sized meetings (100 to 250 attendees) and larger ones (over 500 attendees), hoteliers can take advantage of this balanced market.


• Planners are dissatisfied with rising costs, which has strained budgets and affected the quality of events. Cost-cutting measures, such as shorter meetings, alternative destinations, and reduced activities or food and beverage options, must be managed effectively to avoid compromising the attendee experience.


• Companies may consider changing destinations and venues to manage meeting costs. Groups are more likely to relocate events to secondary markets to maintain event quality and/or status and avoid moving down in chain scale. This shift presents opportunities for secondary and tertiary markets to attract new business by offering quality products, services and attractive pricing alternatives compared with the top 25 market destinations.


• Planners seek proposals that clearly define technological capabilities and catering options despite prices trending upward. A total of 60% of planners report advanced AV support as a top priority with 33% indicating that technology-enabled events are top of mind. More than 53% of respondents prefer that catering in RFP responses emphasize functionality and hospitality.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of the meetings and event industry,” said Michael Bennet, president, Cendyn. “The outlook for 2025 is optimistic, with more than 40% of meeting planners expecting bookings to increase and 65% anticipating higher attendance even as rising costs remain a significant challenge for planners. Finding a balance between high costs and delivering an amazing customer experience will define winning venues in 2025. We look forward to enabling our customers to make every guest interaction an opportunity to nurture relationships and maximize profitability.”

Larry Hanson, CMO, ConferenceDirect, added, “We have seen a rise in secondary markets as popular destinations, with 90% of planners considering them a cost-saving alternative. That being said, planners will prioritize venues capable of making a lasting impression. Respondents emphasized that there is little room for compromise regarding event quality and the pressure is on to deliver exceptional attendee experiences.”