Across 2024 the event industry continues to evolve, rapidly innovating, driven by technological advancements and changing consumer preferences. The industry has shown remarkable growth, underpinned by the increasing popularity of hybrid events, the integration of advanced technologies, and a growing commitment to sustainability.

International business travel experts BCD Meetings & Events (BCD M&E), have published their eighth annual ‘What’s Trending 2025’ report.

The report report explores key trending themes across meetings and events, with global and regional perspectives.

It also highlights five destinations, specifically geared toward incentive travel, for industry professionals to keep top of mind.

‘What’s Trending 2025’ dives into topics such as how geopolitical influences, the need for personalisation, sustainability goals and evolving technologies impact an organisation’s approach to their M&E programmes.

Bruce Morgan, BCE M&E global president, said: “Looking ahead to 2025, the meetings and events industry is set for strong growth, but we can’t ignore the geopolitical and economic landscape shaping strategies.”

He added: “There is a continued need for cost control while delivering creative and impactful solutions. I’m optimistic and energised that we’ll continue to push forward – led by our greatest asset, our people.”

The mood across the UK is buoyant, as volume and opportunities have returned to levels we saw pre-pandemic. Clients continue to want to hold meetings, though we’re increasingly having to boost creativity to combat flat budgets or very small increases and deliver more for their money. There’s a need to address skyrocketing expectations, in that every year we add more value to a customer’s experience or event, and we must build upon that the following year. The question becomes: How do we continue to evolve and go from good to great, when “great” one year is just “good” the next?

We are seeing consolidation of agencies throughout the UK, which is creating a new picture for us. Procurement being involved in purchasing meetings and events is the norm, with a greater focus on driving value, containing costs, and achieving optimization through procurement specialists. The old challenge with procurement and local stakeholders conflicting over wants and needs continues to impact the ability to balance cost and service. On the venue side, the leisure market is reducing once again after taking over for a period post-pandemic. This adds additional pressure for meetings and events, where we continue to see venues stand firm on the acceptance of clients’ MSAs, and on occasion, show little flexibility with their terms and conditions. However, with lead times continuing to extend, especially for those larger annual events, we’re seeing a little more opportunity to obtain decent levels of space and some leniency in rates, although there are still challenges from venues on client specific MSAs. Following the UK’s change to a Labour government, we’re on the cusp of understanding what impact this will have within our sector but are expecting changes for 2025 that will be announced late this autumn.

Regionally London is a hot spot, but the city has its upsides and downsides, which governments and local businesses are aware of and working to address. From a sustainability point of view, it has an excellent public transportation system, but it’s also very expensive, tipping some organizations out of the city.

Larger agencies are well positioned to accommodate growing requirements of all events, including managing liability, sustainability, legal, compliance and security. Meanwhile, smaller agencies are going up for sale, either through acquisitions or partnerships within the space, as they struggle to accommodate these additional requirements . Lead times for smaller events are increasing  a bit, from 3 to 4 months, while key target annual events are being looked at two or more years out. Clients are feeling more confident in forward planning and using rates for extended commitments with venues in the same brand but different destinations. Planners are emphasising overall wellbeing, such as incorporating more outdoor experiences and adding “quiet rooms” to prioritize participants’ mental health. However, they aren’t prepared to allocate more budget toward these additions. Client expectations from a production and engagement standpoint are climbing, but budgets to affect those changes rarely match. As a result, we’re seeing a shift in spend, with companies dedicating more budget to breakout sessions (where attendees spend more time) versus the main plenary, or repurposing equipment across individual breakouts within an event (such as a wide LED screen being divided into three screens for three breakouts)

Budgets are under scrutiny. Also, HMRC’s tax allowance for staff or client entertainment has been static for over 20 years and no longer aligns with the prices venues are demanding, which means tax bills are higher than ever before. Clients need to accrue and allow for this in their annual budgets. Despite inflation easing and fuel costs dropping, rising food prices, energy costs, and venue service fees are driving up M&E expenses.  Clients are prioritizing cost and ROI over sustainability. To cut emissions, some are opting for smaller regional events, while others prefer one larger global event.