Nine meetings and events trends you should know for 2026
The guide identifies AI operational use, trust-building, and attendee-led personalization as key drivers reshaping corporate events and hospitality strategy.
Reports
Big shifts in global planner sourcing for meetings and events
Cvent's survey of 1,650 global planners reveals 70% expect event volume growth in 2026 (down from 90%), with AI adoption hitting 75% and rising costs driving demand for experiential venues.
SiteMinder report reveals major shift in how travellers are researching their 2026 hotel stays
Online travel agencies (OTAs) have overtaken search engines as travellers' primary starting point for hotel discovery, according to SiteMinder's Changing Traveller Report 2026, released today. Twenty-six percent of travellers surveyed will now begin their hotel research on an OTA, up from 18% last year, while those who will start with a search engine have fallen to 21% from 36%.Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family have doubled from 7% to 14%, familiar hotel brands have grown from 3% to 7%, while AI use as a discovery starting point has reached 4%, up from 1% last year — rising higher among Gen Zs and Millennials.The hotel discovery landscape is more dynamic than it's ever been before. Not only is the starting point of research diversifying, but travellers are moving more seamlessly between channels, often using several simultaneously to build confidence in their choices. This non-linear journey has become the natural rhythm of modern travel planning. Trent Innes, Chief Growth Officer at SiteMinderWhile AI remains an emerging channel for initial hotel discovery, the technology is set to rapidly transform the broader booking journey. Eighty percent of travellers now want AI-powered capabilities, with price monitoring and alerts (44%) leading their wishlist, according to SiteMinder.The report, the world's largest consumer research on accommodation, surveyed 12,000 travellers across 14 countries including Australia, China, France, India, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US.It also revealed that:
Hotel Dynamic Pricing: The Complete Guide for Hoteliers
Hoteliers and hotel revenue managers know how quickly markets can fluctuate and how fast demand for travel can change. As demand changes, successful hotels need to be able to quickly adjust revenue strategies to capture as much business as possible, even when overall travel to the area is lighter. For many revenue managers, implementing hotel dynamic pricing strategies have helped them stay afloat during uncertain times.
MICE Benchmark 2025: From Speed to Loyalty
The 2026 Playbook for Winning Meeting & Event BookingsBetween March 2023 and June 2025, we analysed over 50,000 direct online bookings across independent hotels, chains, meeting venues and conference centres in Western Europe. The results show just how quickly the world of meetings & events is evolving — and which factors really make the difference.
Is your hotel’s marketing keeping up with 2025 guest expectations?
Guest behaviours are changing fast, and marketing strategies need to keep pace. At Bookboost, we wanted to see how hotels are really using their data, running campaigns, and connecting with guests today.
By Jamie McBride, Head of Marketing, Bookboost
Where do hoteliers really want AI to take over? HiJiffy’s white paper reveals the answers
From major chains to independent hotels, HiJiffy's latest survey shows that AI is no longer a future trend, it's a present-day reality. But as automation becomes more deeply embedded in hotel operations, a more nuanced question is emerging: where is the line?
NEW: ITB Travel & Tourism Report 2025/2026
Knowing what makes the industry tick and how it should deal with challenges: as the world's leading tourism trade show kicks off, interested parties can look forward to the publication of the ITB Travel & Tourism Report 2025/2026. Totalling 32 pages, it offers far-reaching insights into how the tourism industry views digitalisation and disruption and provides 20 takeaways with specific recommendations for action on the future role of marketing in tourism. The report was based on a three-part survey by the global travel community carried out between summer 2024 and the beginning of 2025, in collaboration with Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and a number of industry experts.
The Hotel Profit Playbook: Data-driven Strategies to Move Beyond Rooms Revenue
MDO, in collaboration with Stayntouch and Revenue Analytics, has released "The Hotel Profit Playbook: Data-Driven Strategies to Move Beyond Rooms Revenue," a special report aimed at redefining the way hoteliers approach profit management.
Trend Report: Sandals® Resorts Takes the Romantic Pulse of America, Coins 2023 'The Year of We'
Couples are optimistic about their relationships and intend to make more time for their partners in 2023 according to a recent survey by the Sandals Institute of Romance – Sandals Resorts' trend-house responsible for analyzing and spotting the latest global news in modern love, relationships, and intimacy. Surveying more than 1,000 adults across the United States in partnership with Wakefield Research, the data points to major trends, expectations, and other factors impacting relationships, passion, and connection in the year ahead.
New Tripadvisor Report - An Economic Portrait of the Traveler
This wide-ranging, international sentiment study examines the purchasing behaviour of travellers and the influence their spending has across industries. It also offers advice for marketers looking to capture the attention of this important group of consumers.
PwC Report: Give customers good reasons to be loyal to your brand
Here’s the good news this holiday shopping season: Consumers are open to trying new brands, which means the door is open for savvy consumer-facing companies to entice new customers by delivering on their fast-changing preferences.
Travellers Seeking to Redefine Value in 2023 – New Skyscanner Report
Travel marketplace Skyscanner is today publishing a new report exploring the latest trends in global travel. Titled Skyscanner Horizons: Outlook in 2023 as travellers redefine value, the report unpacks and explores a combination of consumer survey and proprietary search and booking data to provide a unique view of how travellers are thinking about their plans for the next 12 months.
Personalization, Mobile Technology, and Networking Drive Attendee Engagement at Events, According to New Cvent and Edelman Intelligence Report
With nearly 70 percent1 of marketing leaders stating that events play a significant role in accelerating sales, meetings and events continue to be key business drivers for organizations around the world. According to a new report by Cvent and Edelman Intelligence, event professionals can deliver more impactful and profitable events through enhanced technology, tailored communication, and networking opportunities.
Corporate Hotel Rate Negotiations 2017 Forecast – A Change in the Balance of Power from Sellers to Buyers
As the corporate and contract rate negotiation season is about to begin, the 2017 outlook is for a change in the balance of power from sellers to buyers. Corporate and contract rate negotiations generally begin during September and continue into December. Corporate and contract rates represent almost 20 percent of occupied U.S. room nights and almost 30 percent of U.S. lodging industry revenue.Following among the largest percent and dollar increases in corporate contract rates in decades of typically between 5.75 to 7 percent for 2016, the forecast for 2017 is for increases on 3.25 to 4.0 percent. Overall average daily rate (ADR) for the U.S. lodging industry is expected to increase approximately 4.5 to 5.0 percent in 2016, with smaller increases for 2017 of 4.0 to 4.5 percent.U.S. hotel occupancy in 2015, approximately 65.5 percent, was the highest since 1984 and consensus forecast for 2016 at the time of the negotiations was for occupancy to increase, so the balance of power in negotiations favored sellers. Actual occupancy will be slightly lower than occupancy in 2015.There are four factors that will have the greatest effect to shift the balance of power from the sellers to the buyers:
By Bjorn Hanson, Ph.D., Clinical Professor, NYU
RateGain's Hotel Pricing Trends - Middle East (Dec 2012 - Feb 2013)
Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in ME. This set covers December 2012 to February 2013, taken in the 2nd week of December 2012 (all rates are in US dollars for two adults for a one-night stay).
RateGain's Hotel Rate Parity Trends - Middle East(Dec 2012 - Feb 2013)
Hotel rate parity trends for December 2012 to February 2013 of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in ME. The report shows the percentage of hotels with cheaper rates on their own brand site compared to their rates on other OTAs.
RateGain's Hotel Rate Parity Trends - USA (Nov 2012 - Jan 2013)
Hotel rate parity trends for November 2012 to January 2013 of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in USA. The report shows the percentage of hotels with cheaper rates on their own brand site compared to their rates on other OTAs.
RateGain's Hotel Pricing Trends - USA (Nov 2012 - Jan 2013)
Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in USA. This set covers November 2012 to January 2013, taken in the 3rd week of November 2012 (all rates are in US dollars for two adults for a one-night stay).
RateGain's Hotel Pricing Trends - Australia & New Zealand (Nov 2012 - Jan 2013)
Data trends on cheapest hotel rates as well as median rate for three months of three, four and five star hotels across some of the major cities in Australia & New Zealand. This set covers November 2012 to January 2013, taken in the 3rd week of October 2012 (all rates are in US dollars for two adults for a one-night stay).