Gitnux/Report 2026

Convention Industry Statistics

After a 2022 rebound pushed the global MICE market to $1.2 trillion, this page connects the latest signals like 90 percent of events using contactless check in and 28 percent adding VR AR with core business realities. It also surfaces the hard trade show ROI math, including an average 5 to 1 return, booth traffic patterns driven by repeat visitors, and what it really costs to earn qualified buying authority.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Convention Industry Statistics
Marie LarsenWritten by Marie Larsen·Edited by Christopher Morgan·Fact-checked by Rebecca Hargrove
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The convention industry at a glance

The global convention and business-events industry generated $1.3 trillion in direct spending from 1.65 billion participants in 2025, while exhibition revenues were expected to rise 18% that year.

$1.3T[77]
Direct spending, 2025
1.65B[77]
Participants, 2025
24.2M[77]
Jobs supported, 2025
18%[23]
Exhibition revenue growth, 2025
Market size
Business events generated $1.3 trillion in direct spending globally in 2025. Including direct, indirect and induced effects, the industry supported $3.1 trillion in total business sales and contributed $1.8 trillion to global GDP.[77]
Forecast & CAGR
UFI reported that global exhibition-industry revenues increased by an average of 16% in 2024 and were expected to grow by a further 18% in 2025. This is a year-on-year growth forecast rather than a multi-year CAGR.[23]
Market share & regions
In 2025, North America recorded $1.13 trillion in total business-events sales impact, followed by Asia at $888 billion and Western Europe at $766 billion. The figures include direct, indirect and induced impacts and therefore describe regional economic impact rather than convention revenue market share.[49]
Pricing
Pricing pressure remains a material industry issue: a 2025 survey reported that event professionals were dealing with higher costs, while UFI identified economic developments, geopolitical challenges, and sustainability or climate issues among the sector’s main medium-term concerns. The available sources do not provide a standardized global average convention price.[35][23]
Trends, drivers & challenges
The sector has continued its post-pandemic recovery, with UFI reporting expected exhibition-revenue growth of 18% in 2025 and 46% of companies planning to increase staff numbers over the following six months. Major challenges cited by industry sources include economic uncertainty, geopolitical risk, sustainability requirements, and proving event return on investment.[23][78][26]
Consumer behavior & competition
In a survey of more than 1,500 B2B event organizers and attendees, 54% of attendees said they planned to attend more in-person events in 2025, while 53% planned to attend more webinars. Among organizers, 78% considered in-person conferences, summits and conventions their most impactful marketing channel, indicating strong competition for attendee attention and measurable business outcomes.[78]
Latest news
The latest major industry benchmark available in the sources is the Events Industry Council’s 2026 Global Economic Significance Study, which reports that business events brought together 1.65 billion participants and generated $1.3 trillion in direct spending in 2025. UFI’s latest barometer also indicates continued exhibition-sector expansion, with 2025 revenues expected to rise 18% year over year.[77][23]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Convention Industry

The leading companies in the convention industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Informa Markets leads Gitnux's 2026 convention ranking with an Overall score of 9.3, with operating over 550 B2B events globally. Freeman is the highest-ranked event services provider at 9.2, with integrated convention services including exhibit fabrication, AV and logistics.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in exhibition and convention organizing

    Informa Markets

    GB

    Ranked #1 · 9.3 · Exhibition and convention organizing

    Why we picked it: Its convention-and-exhibition organizing footprint supports large-scale in-person demand and exhibitions.

    See in ranking ↓Visit informamarkets.com ↗

  2. Leader in convention and event services

    Freeman

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.2 · Convention and event services

    Why we picked it: Its integrated services cover event production inputs that affect attendee experience and venue execution.

    See in ranking ↓Visit freeman.com ↗

  3. Leader in convention center operations

    Messe München

    DE

    Ranked #3 · 9.2 · Convention center operations

    Why we picked it: Its center and organizer model aligns with continued exhibition revenue expansion forecasts for 2025.

    See in ranking ↓Visit messe-muenchen.de ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the convention industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Informa Markets

Exhibition and convention organizing · GB

9.3
2

Freeman

Convention and event services · US

9.2
3

Messe München

Convention center operations · DE

9.2
4

GES

Exhibition and convention services · US

8.9
5

Clarion Events

Exhibition and convention organizing · GB

8.9
6

Messe Frankfurt

Exhibition and convention organizing · DE

8.7
7

Emerald

Exhibition and convention organizing · US

8.6
8

Corticeira Amorim

Cork stoppers manufacturing · PT

8.5
9

Corkart Group

Cork flooring and coverings · PT

8.2
10

Granorte

Cork flooring and coverings · PT

8.1

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the convention industry. In Convention Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/convention-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest convention companies

Corticeira Amorim leads with $930M in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Corticeira Amorim$930M
Messe Frankfurt$829M
Messe München$744M
Emerald$351M
Granorte$24M
source-verifiedamorim.com · messefrankfurt.com · messe-muenchen.de · investor.emeraldinc.com · granorte.pt2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption is widespread in event work: 42.65% of organizers used AI in 2024, and 88.28% of those used ChatGPT.

AI in the convention industry

  • 42.65% of event organizers used AI in their role in 2024, and 88.28% of those users reported using ChatGPT.[1]
  • 44% of event organizations had formal generative-AI policies or guidelines, while 35% were developing them, globally.[2]
  • 75% of event professionals using generative AI applied it to research, 73% to marketing copy and 65% to agenda or session creation, globally.[2]
  • 88% of surveyed event professionals in Birmingham had adopted AI tools during the prior 12 months, and 71% used them daily or weekly.[3]
  • 65% of event planners used AI tools in their work, globally, in the latest Convene meetings-market survey.[2]
  • 63% of association and nonprofit event planners surveyed already used AI in 2024, but only 28% were investing in relevant AI training.[4]

Automation in the convention industry

  • 96% of event planners used RFP tools for at least some meetings in 2026, globally.[5]
  • 97% of event planners estimated cost and time savings from implementing a defined RFP and venue-sourcing process in 2026, globally.[5]
  • 65% of event professionals expected the same headcount but more upskilling as AI and technology developed, while 9% expected fewer staff, globally.[2]
  • 47% of event planners said technology reduced venue-sourcing time in the 2026 global planner survey.[5]

Digital Transformation in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 47% of hotels in Andalusia rated their infrastructure capacity for digital transformation as high or very high in the study period.[6]
  • 69% of lodging-technology survey respondents identified integrating new technology with legacy systems as a moderate or major 2024 industry challenge.[7]
  • 59% of active travel and hospitality respondents were at the piloting or deploying stage of AI adoption in Adobe’s global research.[8]
  • 80% of travel and hospitality respondents reported siloed, transactional, or consultative relationships between business and information-technology teams.[8]

Technology Adoption in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of global travel programs planned to increase technology investment for 2025, based on a GBTA poll of travel-industry professionals.[9]
  • 83% of travel and hospitality executives said they increased AI budgets in 2024, according to the Skift-AWS industry survey.[10]
  • 14% of travel buyers said they were already using AI in their travel programs in the October 2024 GBTA poll.[9]
  • 89% of travel and hospitality executives expected generative AI to have a meaningful business impact within three years.[10]

Cloud Computing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption in the 2024 Skift-AWS industry survey.[10]
  • 29% of hospitality respondents reported full cloud maturity for critical applications and workloads globally, while 38% said they were well on the way in 2023.[11]
  • 79% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported cloud computing among technologies expected to be adopted.[12]
  • 69% of hospitality respondents used a hybrid-cloud deployment model globally in 2023, compared with 31% using public cloud only.[11]
  • 67% of travel and hospitality companies were in advanced stages of cloud adoption globally in 2024, according to a survey of industry executives.[10]

Big Data in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 62.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as low or very low.[6]
  • 89% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported user and entity big-data analytics among technologies expected to be adopted.[12]
  • 18.8% of hotels in an Andalusian study rated their implementation of big-data tools as high or very high.[6]
  • More than eight in ten worldwide travel buyers considered data analytics extremely or very important to their travel programs in April 2025.[13]

IoT in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 65% of travel executives reported a significant increase in deployed IoT or edge devices over the previous three years globally in 2022.[14]
  • 17% of European accommodation and food-service firms used IoT devices for production-process monitoring, automation or logistics in 2021.[15]
  • 95% of travel and tourism companies surveyed by the World Economic Forum reported the internet of things among technologies expected to be adopted.[12]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

ROI tracking remains uneven: 44% of meetings and events professionals have no ROI tracking in place.

Business intelligence in the convention industry

  • 24% of event teams have fully integrated event technology with marketing and sales systems.[16]
  • 30% of meetings and events professionals currently use data or analytics tools to track return on investment.[17]
  • 44% of meetings and events professionals have no return-on-investment tracking in place.[17]
  • 68% of planners report stakeholder pressure to prove the business impact of meetings and incentive programs.[17]
  • 57% of meetings-market respondents cite a shift toward data- and ROI-driven decision-making as a leading transformation driver.[2]
  • 26% of meetings and events professionals plan to adopt data or analytics tools for return-on-investment tracking but have not yet done so.[17]

Data analytics in the convention industry

  • 46% of senior event and marketing leaders say AI creates value through pre-event marketing strategy.[18]
  • 44% of senior event and marketing leaders say AI creates value through data analysis.[18]
  • 36% of senior event and marketing leaders consistently capture and integrate data across all their events.[18]
  • 71% of senior event and marketing leaders say event data is fragmented across tools.[18]
  • 41% of senior event and marketing leaders say AI creates value through personalized recommendations.[18]
  • 55% of event planners use customer-relationship-management systems for event data and analysis.[19]

Data Quality in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 27% of hotel operators used more than seven technology platforms in 2026, increasing the risk of fragmented and inconsistent operational data.[9]
  • 15% of hotel owners and operators were very confident in the accuracy and timeliness of their operational data in 2026.[9]
  • 47% of business leaders were fully confident in their organizations’ data accuracy in 2025, across the broader business sample reported by Salesforce.[20]
  • 69% of travel and hospitality companies training AI models wasted resources on bad data in 2025, according to a Salesforce survey of business leaders.[20]
  • 27% of hotel operators spent more than 11 hours per week consolidating or reconciling data in 2026.[9]

Data Governance in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 78% of travel and hospitality business leaders said data-governance policies varied across departments in 2025.[20]
  • 91% of hotel owners and operators still relied on some manual reporting within automated workflows in 2026, highlighting incomplete process standardization.[9]
  • 97% of travel and hospitality business leaders said a strong data foundation was the most critical factor for AI deployment in 2025.[20]
  • 51% of hoteliers said regulation helped their commercial goals in 2025, while 20% said it hindered them, in a survey covering hotel distribution professionals.[21]
  • Only 11% of hotel owners and operators reported a fully integrated technology stack in 2026, indicating limited enterprise-wide data integration.[9]

KPIs in the convention industry

  • 37% of planners use post-event engagement levels as an event-performance measure.[22]
  • 31% of planners identify attendance as one of the most-used event-success KPIs.[16]
  • 46.5% of planners use lead generation or sales-pipeline influence to measure event return on investment.[22]
  • 69.2% of planners use registration numbers to measure event return on investment.[22]
  • 53.8% of planners use attendee satisfaction or Net Promoter Score to measure event return on investment.[22]
  • 34% of planners identify event feedback or satisfaction as one of the most-used event-success KPIs.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Exhibition output and activity remain large-scale, with 32,000 exhibitions held worldwide in 2024.

Growth in the convention industry

  • 138 million net square meters of exhibition space were sold in 2024, compared with 143.7 million square meters in 2019.[23]
  • €8,500 in total output was generated per square meter of venue gross indoor exhibition space in 2024.[23]
  • 113 events were held at the Connecticut Convention Center in fiscal 2024/25, attracting more than 362,000 people.[24]
  • 4.3 million jobs were supported by the global exhibition industry in 2024.[23]
  • 32,000 exhibitions were held worldwide in 2024, approximately matching the pre-pandemic level.[23]
  • €368 billion in total economic output was generated by exhibitions worldwide in 2024.[23]

Mergers and acquisitions in the convention industry

  • 1 acquisition in 12 years was made by Maritz when it acquired Convention Data Services in 2024.[4]
  • £1.2 billion was the approximate value of Informa’s July 2024 agreement to acquire Ascential.[25]

Strategic partnerships in the convention industry

  • 1 strategic partnership was announced between the Events Industry Council and Oak View Group in 2024.[26]
  • 600 delegates from more than 55 countries and regions attended UFI’s Global Congress in 2024.[23]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce strain shows up alongside training and retention priorities, with 53% of event professionals reporting increased burnout, stress or wellbeing issues in 2025.

Hiring in the convention industry

  • 50% of AIPC members had undertaken a new initiative to enhance or streamline talent recruitment, training or retention in 2024.[27]
  • 78% of business-events organizations developing future workforces were actively developing early-career staff for future leadership roles in 2025.[28]
  • 57 employees were hired by Seattle Convention Center after 460 applications, 28 interviews and 70 employment offers in the 2022 recruitment cycle.[29]
  • 88% of business-events organizations used in-house training as their most common approach to developing early-career staff in 2025.[28]
  • 45% of AIPC members said recruiting and retaining suitable employees was extremely or very challenging in 2024.[27]

Employee retention in the convention industry

  • 53% of event professionals had witnessed increased burnout, stress or wellbeing-related issues during the previous year in 2025.[28]
  • 45% of event organizations provided managers with training to support mental-health wellbeing in the workplace in 2025.[28]
  • 90% of event professionals said work-life-balance expectations were affecting retention in the 2025 Meetings Industry Association survey.[28]
  • 68% was the reported retention rate for event staff at BC Place in fiscal 2016/17.[30]
  • 83% was the Georgia World Congress Center’s employee-retention score in its 2025 engagement survey, compared with 78% for the Atlanta market and 75% for Levy Convention Centers.[31]

Remote Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.23% of paid days from home in 2024.[32]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 11.11% of paid days from home in 2025.[32]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and food services, employees worked 10.19% of paid days from home in 2026.[32]
  • Among travel buyers, 7% reported a full-time remote company policy for 2024, compared with 15% among travel suppliers and travel-management companies.[33]

Hybrid Work in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among business-travel professionals in North America, 51% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[34]
  • Among travel buyers, 68% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[33]
  • Among business-travel professionals in Europe, 77% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[34]
  • Among travel suppliers and travel-management companies, 54% reported a hybrid company work policy for 2024.[33]
  • Among business-travel professionals in Latin America, 58% reported that their company had a hybrid work policy for 2025.[34]

Upskilling in the convention industry

  • 28% of association and nonprofit event planners were investing in AI-related training in 2024.[4]
  • 78% of organizations focused on futureproofing their business-events workforce were developing early-career staff for future leadership roles in 2025.[28]
  • 88% of surveyed event professionals used AI tools in the previous 12 months, while 58% said they knew only the basics of the technology in 2025.[3]
  • 27% of planners participated in industry-related continuing education in ConventionSouth’s Fall 2024 survey.[35]
  • 65% of event professionals expected upskilling but no headcount change as AI and technology developed, globally.[2]

Employee Engagement in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across Travel + Leisure Co.’s accommodation and hospitality workforce, the 2024 associate-engagement survey received 16,405 completions, representing 86% of associates.[36]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 62% of employees with people-management responsibilities reported work engagement in 2025.[37]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality and tourism workplaces, 67% of employees in very small organizations reported work engagement in 2025.[37]
  • Across IHG’s global hotel and corporate workforce, the 2024 employee-engagement score was 87%.[38]
  • Across New Zealand hospitality businesses, 47% of employees reported work engagement in 2025.[37]

DEI in the convention industry

  • 8% of event organizations said sustainability and DEI programs had become a lower priority during the previous year, globally.[2]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Repeat attendance matters in sales planning, with 29% as the median attendee return rate for editions held in 2026.

Customer experience in the convention industry

  • 100% of surveyed event organizers rated Albany Capital Center’s ability to meet meeting needs as top-two-box in 2025, United States.[39]
  • 100% of surveyed event organizers rated Albany Capital Center’s overall quality as top-two-box in 2025, United States.[39]
  • 100% of surveyed event organizers rated Albany Capital Center’s overall experience as top-two-box in 2025, United States.[39]
  • 100% of surveyed event organizers rated Albany Capital Center’s overall condition as top-two-box in 2025, United States.[39]
  • 96% was Albany Capital Center’s reported Net Promoter Score in 2025, United States.[39]

Customer retention in the convention industry

  • 27% was the median attendee return rate for editions held in 2024 in PheedLoop’s analysis of recurring events.[40]
  • 29% was the median attendee return rate for editions held in 2026 in PheedLoop’s analysis of recurring events.[40]
  • 28% was the median attendee return rate for editions held in 2025 in PheedLoop’s analysis of recurring events.[40]
  • 30% was the median share of attendees returning for the next edition among events with more than 1,000 registrations, based on PheedLoop data from 2023–2026.[40]
  • 30% was the median attendee return rate for events on an approximately annual cycle in PheedLoop’s analysis of recurring events.[40]

Customer acquisition in the convention industry

  • 49% of meeting professionals said attendance at their latest in-person event increased versus a comparable pre-pandemic event in Convene’s 2025 survey.[2]
  • 14% of the original audience attended all three editions in PheedLoop’s analysis of 194 three-edition event chains.[40]
  • 22% of trade-show organizers reported an increase in repeat attendees in 2026, according to a Trade Show Executive industry pulse check.[41]
  • 71% was the median share of attendees who had not attended the previous edition across 556 recurring-event edition pairs analyzed by PheedLoop.[40]
  • 48% of trade-show organizers reported an increase in first-time attendees in 2026, according to a Trade Show Executive industry pulse check.[41]

Customer loyalty in the convention industry

  • 80% of convention attendees said they would repeat attendance or return for leisure if the destination experience was positive, in the Decision to Attend Study 2.[2]
  • 67.0% of attendees whose convention or exhibition met or exceeded expectations were very likely to recommend it, in the Decision to Attend Study.[42]
  • 23% of first-time attendees returned for a third edition in PheedLoop’s analysis of 194 three-edition event chains.[40]
  • 85.2% of attendees whose convention or exhibition met or exceeded expectations were likely or very likely to recommend it, in the Decision to Attend Study.[42]
  • 51% of second-time attendees returned for a third edition in PheedLoop’s analysis of 194 three-edition event chains.[40]

Lead generation in the convention industry

  • 331 leads for America’s Center Convention Complex were generated by Explore St. Louis in fiscal year 2024, 10% more than in fiscal year 2023.[43]
  • 1,500 leads were generated by Explore St. Louis in fiscal year 2024, up from 1,163 in fiscal year 2023.[43]
  • More than 8,500 proactive sales activities were conducted by Explore St. Louis in fiscal year 2024 to support convention demand generation.[43]
  • 49% of convention centers ranked industry trade shows, conventions and conferences among their top two lead generators in the 2013 study.[44]
  • 48% of destination-management organizations ranked industry trade shows, conventions and conferences among their top two lead generators in the 2013 study.[44]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Channel mix keeps shifting toward digital, with 96.6% of convention and visitors bureaus reporting planners viewed virtual tours at least occasionally.

Marketing in the convention industry

  • 81.8% of convention and visitors bureaus reported using trade-magazine website or email campaigns in the annual survey.[35]
  • 31.8% of convention and visitors bureaus reported increasing email marketing during the year covered by the annual survey.[35]
  • 72.7% of convention and visitors bureaus reported using direct email marketing in the annual survey.[35]
  • 52.3% of convention and visitors bureaus reported increasing advertising during the year covered by the annual survey.[35]
  • 84.1% of convention and visitors bureaus reported marketing at industry conferences in the annual CVB and planner relationship survey.[35]

Digital marketing in the convention industry

  • 37% of convention centers reported increasing emphasis on social media in the 2013 convention sales and marketing study.[44]
  • 21% of meeting organizations offered an asynchronous digital version of part of their in-person events in Convene’s 2025 survey.[2]
  • 44% of meeting organizations reported being fully in-person in Convene’s 2025 survey.[2]
  • 34% of meeting organizations offered real-time streaming of part of their in-person events in Convene’s 2025 survey.[2]
  • 96.6% of convention and visitors bureaus using virtual tours said planners viewed them at least occasionally in the annual survey.[35]

Social media in the convention industry

  • 86% of convention and visitors bureaus reported using LinkedIn in the annual survey.[35]
  • 65.1% of convention and visitors bureaus reported using Instagram in the annual survey.[35]
  • 69.8% of convention and visitors bureaus reported using Facebook in the annual survey.[35]
  • 48.8% of convention and visitors bureaus identified LinkedIn as their most successful social-media channel in the annual survey.[35]
  • 18.6% of convention and visitors bureaus identified Facebook as their most successful social-media channel in the annual survey.[35]

Influencer Marketing in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • 92% of European travel and hospitality brands work with micro-creators, defined as influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, in research conducted across seven markets in 2025.[45]
  • More than 6.5 million influencer posts about the travel industry were published globally in 2023, generating an average engagement rate of 2.4%.[46]
  • 49% of hospitality brands include paid influencer work in their brand strategy, up from 37% in the previous survey period.[47]
  • 72% of European travel and hospitality brands plan to expand their creator pool, according to research conducted across seven European markets in 2025.[45]
  • 92% of destination marketing organizations and tourism boards globally increased or maintained influencer-marketing budgets in 2026.[48]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Venue sourcing uses more structured tooling: 56% of meeting planners used electronic tools for venue RFPs for at least some meetings.

Process optimization in the convention industry

  • 56% of meeting planners used electronic tools for venue RFPs for at least some meetings.[16]
  • 75% of global event planners used AI tools in venue sourcing in 2026.[5]
  • 71% of planners using electronic RFP tools said the tools saved time communicating with venues.[16]
  • 41% of global event planners used AI to analyze attendee data for better venue alignment in 2026.[5]
  • 40% of global event planners used AI to compare venue bids and proposals in 2026.[5]

Operational efficiency in the convention industry

  • 30% of global event planners spent six to ten hours using technology to source each event in 2026.[5]
  • 49% of U.S. meeting planners spent more time using technology to review meeting-space diagrams and specifications in 2025.[16]
  • 58% of global event planners spent up to five hours using technology to source each event in 2026.[5]
  • 84% of global event planners expected AI to have a moderate-to-major impact on meetings and events in 2026.[5]
  • 43% of U.S. meeting planners spent more time using technology to negotiate with venues in 2025.[16]

Quality management in the convention industry

  • 29% of planners said venue or hotel staffing was lacking for 2026 events.[16]
  • 47% of planners were concerned about hotel staffing levels and service quality for 2026 events.[16]
  • 39% of planners identified an unsatisfactory attendee experience as a consequence of staffing shortages.[16]
  • 38% of planners identified fewer available amenities as a consequence of staffing shortages.[16]
  • 42% of planners identified inexperienced hotel or venue employees as a consequence of staffing shortages.[16]

Supply chain in the convention industry

  • 21% of planners said researching venue specifications, capabilities and amenities was their biggest sourcing challenge.[16]
  • 23% of planners said understanding how an event space would meet their needs was their biggest sourcing challenge.[16]
  • 46% of planners said venue floor plans and diagrams influenced their decision to submit an RFP in 2026.[16]
  • 50% of planners said meeting-room specifications influenced their decision to submit a venue RFP in 2026.[16]
  • 33% of planners found it difficult to secure the meeting space and dates they wanted in 2025.[16]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the travel and hospitality sector (sector benchmark)

  • Around three in 10 travel buyers worldwide engaged external consultants for travel-supplier sourcing in 2025.[13]
  • 64% of European corporate travel managers outsourced at least part of their hotel RFP process in 2026.[33]
  • Six in 10 travel buyers worldwide relied on their travel management company for sourcing support in 2025.[13]
  • 9% of North American travel buyers and 13% of European travel buyers whose programs were not adding staff expected to outsource more work to third parties in 2025.[33]
  • 54% of organizations across North America and EMEA outsourced some or all hotel RFP activities to travel management companies or consultants in 2026.[33]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Per-attendee cost expectations remain a pressure point, with $168 projected average daily cost per attendee for 2025 and $172 for 2026.

Pricing strategy in the convention industry

  • 3.7% was the projected increase in average corporate meeting and event cost per attendee in 2025.[49]
  • 41% of travel managers said hotels offered fewer contract or commitment options.[16]
  • $172 was the projected average daily cost per attendee for corporate meetings and events in 2026.[49]
  • $168 was the projected average daily cost per attendee for corporate meetings and events in 2025.[49]
  • 61% of European planners expected to increase their use of AI-powered venue-sourcing tools in 2026.[5]

Cost reduction in the convention industry

  • 39% of planners said meeting programs were threatened because event cost and production time exceeded value.[16]
  • 47% of travel managers said sourcing platforms helped save time in 2025.[16]
  • 65% of planners using electronic RFP tools said they could collect bids from more venues.[16]
  • 56% of planners using electronic RFP tools said they received faster venue responses.[16]
  • 47% of travel managers said sourcing platforms helped maximize cost savings in 2025.[16]

Profitability in the convention industry

  • More than $20 million was the cumulative return reported by Polk County’s events-center manager since management began.[50]
  • $529.13 million was the estimated economic impact of 76 convention-center groups in Denver in 2024.[51]
  • $41.14 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s net position at the end of fiscal 2025.[52]
  • $1.84 million was the reported FY2025 profit returned to Polk County by its events-center manager in Iowa.[50]
  • $186.29 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s total operating revenue for fiscal 2025.[52]

Financial planning in the convention industry

  • $28.34 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s facility operating expense in fiscal 2025.[52]
  • $31.75 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s space-rental revenue in fiscal 2025.[52]
  • $3.72 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s advertising and other income in fiscal 2025.[52]
  • $9.22 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s depreciation and amortization expense in fiscal 2025.[52]
  • $3.39 million was New York Convention Center Operating Corporation’s concession-commission revenue in fiscal 2025.[52]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product use of AI is moving from planning to execution tasks, with 65% using generative AI for agenda or session creation.

Product development in the convention industry

  • 65% of meeting professionals use generative AI for agenda or session creation, according to a 2025 survey of meetings-market professionals.[2]
  • 40% of meeting professionals plan to use AI-powered event apps in 2026, based on a global survey of 601 meeting professionals.[53]
  • 42% of meeting professionals plan to use AI to generate creative concepts for meetings and events in 2026, based on a survey across eight countries.[53]
  • 35% of meeting professionals believe AI will have a major impact on the meetings and events industry in 2026.[5]
  • 41% of planners use AI to analyze attendee data to improve venue fit during the event-sourcing process.[5]

Product lifecycle in the convention industry

  • 28% of meeting professionals plan to use AI for post-event evaluation in 2026, based on a survey across eight countries.[53]
  • 29% of meeting professionals plan to use AI for logistics optimization in 2026.[53]
  • 33% of event teams report no integration between event technology and marketing or sales systems.[16]
  • 31% of meeting professionals identify improving event data collection processes as a top priority for 2026.[16]
  • 35% of meeting professionals plan to use AI for event communications in 2026.[53]

Value proposition in the convention industry

  • 63% of planners identify attendee engagement as their primary event-success metric.[5]
  • 82% of North American planners say meetings are more valuable than other business initiatives in the September 2026 survey.[54]
  • 54% of planners reported that face-to-face events were significantly more valuable than alternatives in the August 2024 survey.[55]
  • 28% of organizational revenue would be lost without participation in in-person business events, according to 2026 global study findings.[2]
  • 70% of business-event respondents say building relationships through face-to-face interaction is the result most difficult to replace.[2]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability moves from pledges to measurement priorities: 27% of planners said sustainability was a primary factor in venue selection in 2026.

Sustainability in the convention industry

  • 31% of organizations prioritized sustainable venues when sourcing event locations globally in 2026.[53]
  • 66% of waste generated by hosted events was diverted from landfill at the Edmonton Convention Centre in Alberta, Canada, in 2024.[56]
  • 34% of meeting professionals prioritized sustainable materials and production and minimizing disposables globally in 2026.[53]
  • 69% of materials were diverted from landfill at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, in 2024.[57]
  • 64% of event professionals said their events programs included defined sustainability goals globally in 2026.[16]

ESG in the convention industry

  • 28% of meeting professionals identified improving sustainability initiatives and measurement as a top priority globally in 2026.[53]
  • 27% of planners said sustainability was a primary factor in venue selection, while 51% called it one of several important factors, globally in 2026.[16]
  • 28% of planners said the increased emphasis on sustainability was a top trend shaping events programs globally in 2026.[16]
  • 25% of meeting professionals currently tracked carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions for events globally in 2026.[53]
  • 35% of organizations had implemented accessibility measures in meetings and events globally in 2026.[16]

CSR in the convention industry

  • 60% of culinary ingredients were sourced regionally by the Baltimore Convention Center in 2024.[58]
  • 27,652 pounds of prepared food were rescued during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.[59]
  • 32,080 pounds of reusable goods were donated to nonprofit organizations by the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, in 2024.[57]
  • 5,600 meals were donated to nonprofits addressing food scarcity by the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, in 2024.[57]
  • 95.27 tons of furniture, materials and supplies were diverted to Baltimore-area nonprofits and reuse programs by the Baltimore Convention Center in 2024.[58]

Circular economy in the convention industry

  • 87 tons of food scraps were diverted from landfill through composting at the Oregon Convention Center in 2024.[57]
  • 51.3% of waste was diverted from landfill at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2024.[60]
  • 70% of waste was diverted from landfill during the highest-performing single event reported by the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.[61]
  • 73% of waste was diverted at McCormick Place during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.[59]
  • 33% of waste was diverted at the United Center during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.[59]

Carbon footprint in the convention industry

  • 116,409.65 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent was the reported overall carbon footprint of Conventa 2024 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[62]
  • 25% of meeting professionals tracked CO2e emissions for events globally in 2026.[53]
  • 41% was the one-year reduction in emissions from waste achieved by the Edmonton Convention Centre in Alberta, Canada, through waste-reduction and diversion strategies in 2024.[56]
  • 500+ metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent were estimated to be avoided by using grid power instead of diesel and gas generators during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.[59]
  • 0.44% of Conventa 2024's total reported carbon footprint came from event production in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[62]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global scale remains high, with 318 million visitors attending exhibitions worldwide in 2024.

Globalization in the convention industry

  • 318 million visitors attended exhibitions worldwide in 2024.[23]
  • 101.7 million exhibition visitors were recorded in Europe in 2024.[23]
  • 4.7 million exhibiting companies participated in exhibitions worldwide in 2024.[23]
  • 88.9 million exhibition visitors were recorded in North America in 2024.[23]
  • 84 million exhibition visitors were recorded in Asia-Pacific in 2024.[23]

Stakeholder management in the convention industry

  • 663,519 attendees participated in San Diego Convention Center events in fiscal 2024.[73]
  • 865,674 contracted hotel room nights were generated by San Diego conventions and events in fiscal 2024.[73]
  • $451 million in economic impact was generated by Metro Toronto Convention Centre in fiscal 2024/25.[74]
  • $855.8 million in direct attendee spending was generated through San Diego Convention Center activity in fiscal 2024.[73]
  • More than 1.7 million attendees visited Orange County Convention Center in fiscal 2024.[75]

Distribution channels in the convention industry

  • 49.4 million social-media impressions were generated by Meet Minneapolis convention and sports activity in 2023.[76]
  • 579,503 hotel room nights were booked in Minneapolis through convention and sports activity in 2023.[76]
  • 2.74 billion media impressions were generated by Meet Minneapolis convention and sports activity in 2023.[76]
  • 1,200 media stories were influenced by Meet Minneapolis convention and sports work in 2023.[76]

Key questions about the Convention Industry

What is the market size of the convention and business-events industry?
Business events generated $1.3 trillion in direct spending globally in 2025, from 1.65 billion participants.
How is the exhibition industry growing in the near term?
UFI reported global exhibition-industry revenues increased by an average of 16% in 2024 and were expected to grow a further 18% in 2025.
Which companies lead the convention industry?
Informa Markets leads Gitnux's 2026 convention ranking with an Overall score of 9.3, with operating over 550 B2B events globally. Freeman is the highest-ranked event services provider at 9.2, with integrated convention services including exhibit fabrication, AV and logistics.
What technology shifts are changing how events are run?
In 2024, 42.65% of event organizers used AI, and 88.28% of those users reported using ChatGPT.
How fragmented is event data and measurement today?
44% of meetings and events professionals have no return-on-investment tracking in place, and 71% of senior leaders say event data is fragmented across tools.
How competitive is the industry for attendee attention?
Among organizers, 78% considered in-person conferences, summits and conventions their most impactful marketing channel.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Convention Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/convention-industry-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Convention Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/convention-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Convention Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/convention-industry-statistics.

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