2023 State of the Meetings Industry: Planner Survey

It’s no secret that meeting planners vet various destinations, properties, and incentives as they plan upcoming events. In a post-pandemic landscape, meeting space is in high demand. Still, meeting planners have new expectations from venues, and hotel sales teams must adapt their terms accordingly.

Together with ConferenceDirect, a full-service meeting solutions company, Knowland asked meeting planners to share their observations and opinions on what to expect in the coming year.

Highlights from the survey include:

• Staff shortages are impacting service standards; rising costs redefine goals – Fluctuations in the industry service levels are causing organizers to redefine event strategies and goals, including profitability.
• Attendee size is no longer a major challenge, and meeting volumes continue to rise – More than 70 percent of 2022 events had attendance at, or above, 80 percent of 2019 levels.
• Technology and diversity, equity, and inclusion are key trends – Using technology to enhance the attendee experience is top of mind for planners, followed closely by a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Download to hear what planners had to say.