Events Industry Council report identifies 12 trends that will define the future
A new report from the Events Industry Council (EIC) warns planners to brace for a complex and evolving landscape. The “Futures Landscape Report 2025,” released this week, identifies 12 critical themes poised to reshape the industry, urging professionals to adopt a proactive, rather than reactive, approach.
The report, a culmination of insights from industry leaders and a global survey, paints a picture of a sector grappling with macro forces like economic redistribution, rapid technological shifts, and increasing political polarization. “This isn’t just about bouncing back,” says EIC President and CEO Amy Calvert. “It’s about understanding the long-term forces that will redefine how we do business.”
Developed with support from the SITE Foundation, GainingEdge, and Ipsos, the report delves into areas ranging from Accessibility and Advocacy to Wellbeing and Technology. Notably, it highlights the growing importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and Climate Risk.
“The pandemic reshaped the way we come together,” notes 2025 EIC Board Chair and ICCA CEO Senthil Gopnath. “It also spurred a new spirit of innovation that will be essential as we move forward and drive our industry into the future.”
While the EIC’s Quarterly Events Barometer, produced with Oxford Economics, shows a return to 2019 levels in group room nights and RFP activity, indicating resilience, the report cautions against complacency. “We’re seeing strong indicators of recovery, but we can’t ignore the broader trends,” Calvert emphasizes. “These macro forces will fundamentally alter human behavior over the next decade.”
The report suggests that planners must become more agile, adaptable, and forward-thinking. For instance, the discussion on Infrastructure highlights the need for venues to accommodate evolving technological demands and sustainability goals. The Mobility theme stresses the importance of understanding changing travel patterns and accessibility needs.
Furthermore, Risk & Security considerations are becoming increasingly paramount, reflecting global uncertainties. The report also addresses the ongoing challenge of Talent acquisition and retention, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies to attract and develop skilled professionals.
“The insights in the Futures Landscape Report reveal an opportunity through thoughtful consideration of what lies ahead for continued innovation and collaboration for our industry to lead with confidence and purpose,” Calvert says.
For meeting and event planners, the report serves as a crucial strategic tool. It underscores the necessity of not only staying abreast of current trends but also anticipating future challenges and opportunities. As the industry navigates a complex and uncertain future, foresight and adaptability will be key to success.
Here is a thumbnail view of all 12 trends:
1.Accessibility
67% of EIC study respondents say Accessibility is either very or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Population Fluctuations: Aging markets bring a host of new accessibility needs for venues and experiences.
Polarized Politics: Increasing awareness of invisible disabilities like neurodiversity is an
accelerating trend, but some supporters of this momentum (e.g.,Gen Z) face political backlash.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Digital technologies that leverage AI and ML are enhancing in-person
accommodations and helping create inclusive experiences (e.g., catching human bias in events design).
Key Tension: Events organisers are struggling to understand how to discern expectations and needs (e.g., for aging markets) while creating budgets to allow for accessibility implementation.
2. Advocacy
61% of EIC study respondents say Advocacy is either very or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Employer-Employee Power Shifts: Gen Z is advocating for themselves — as employees, for their industries and their sectors. They expect a reciprocal advocacy relationship from employers
and institutions to protect them.
Resilience & Resistance: Amid climate emergencies and now chronic climate-induced weather events, many industries are more vulnerable to disruption, including travel, hospitality, and tourism.
Key Tension: Event organisers told us that industry advocacy efforts are fragmented due to diverse stakeholder interests, lack of coordination, and inconsistent messaging, despite the need to rev up in a post-pandemic landscape.
3. Business Models
80% of EIC study respondents say the Events Business Model & Impacts is either very or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technology evolutions are reshaping human capabilities but bringing new financial and technological capital into industries that have been focused on human connection.
Economic Redistribution: Across many markets, professionals are living through a rising cost of living while businesses similarly face rising costs.
Employer-Employee Power Shifts: Employees are demanding better treatment amid increasing productivity expectations, but economic fluctuations and industry trends can favour employer priorities.
Key Tension: Events organisers are grappling with attracting sponsors, participants, and suppliers in an Attention Economy while also trying to support financial objectives required to meet business goals.
4. Climate Risk
65% of EIC respondents say Climate Risks are either very important or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Resilience & Resistance: The longevity of systems (financial,social, and environmental) is in peril due to increasing environmental risks.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technological revolutions are taxing environmental systems and creating new climate risks while climate solutions race to mitigate damage.
Polarized Politics: While most people around the world agree climate change is negatively affecting business and lifestyle, most feel progress is stifled by naysayers.
Key Tension: While the current narrative puts the impetus on individuals rather than industry, our stakeholders believe the events industry must play a bigger role in mitigating event externalities (e.g., pollution, waste).
5. DEI
The Events Industry Council’s (EIC) 2022 Equity Benchmarking Study revealed “widespread DEI dissatisfaction among event professionals, especially amongst minority groups and women” (EIC).
Macro forces driving change:
Population Fluctuations: Many countries are becoming increasingly diverse and multicultural.
Gen Z is heavily prioritizing and focusing on the value of diverse perspectives and visibly intentional inclusivity.
Polarized Politics: Increasing backlash against DEI is calling for a revamp of what corporate integration of representation and inclusivity looks like.
Economic Redistribution: With inequality growing in major global markets, representation of voices across the socio-economic spectrum is increasingly important.
Key Tension: Events industry leaders told us that DEI (and belonging) efforts are needed, but genuine internal implementation often lags, with stunted progress and lacking authenticity.
6. ESG
59% of EIC study respondents say ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance standards) is either very or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Resilience & Resistance: Many seek to find resilient solutions for longevity of systems (financial, social, and environmental) despite backlash.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technological revolutions and evolution are changing how we manage people and creating both greater efficiencies and carbon burden on the planet.
Polarized Politics: While most people around the world agree climate change is negatively affecting business and lifestyle, most feel progress is stifled by naysayers.
Key Tension: ESG implementation varies across regions, and organizations face challenges balancing profit with ESG goals, but many see its importance for brand reputation, employee engagement, and attracting attendees.
7. Infrastructure
58% of EIC respondents say infrastructure is either very or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Resilience & Resistance: Aging infrastructure and climate risks are leading to the growth of vulnerable spaces and places around the globe.
Economic Redistribution: With a growing middle class in some markets and expanding wealth gap in others, economic investment across communities is fragmented.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technology evolutions are reshaping the digital and physical built environment.
Key Tension: Infrastructure is vital to event success, impacting everything from attendee experience to cost management and sustainability, but existing infrastructure is aging and lacking adaptation strategies, at-risk of destination avoidance.
8. Mobility
Macro forces driving change:
55% of EIC study respondents say Mobility is either very important or extremely important for the
future of the events industry.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technology evolutions (e.g., AI, ML, virtual spaces) are reshaping how we navigate around the digital and physical built-environment.
Polarized Politics: Tides of protectionism and populism are changing the former globalization, “status quo” of expansion into and exploration of other markets, changing how people travel the world and interact with each other.
Key Tension: While many worry about the impacts of global political forces (e.g., populism, protectionism, globalization currents, travel documentation/requirements), others fear the commoditized value of mobility.
9. Risk & Security
71% of EIC study respondents say Risk Assessment & Mitigation/ Security is either very or
extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Macro forces driving change:
Resilience & Resistance: Increasing climate risks are leading to the growth of vulnerable spaces and need for more contingency plans amid heightened disruption (e.g., supply)
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technology evolutions are reshaping human capabilities but bringing a host of new data management strategies and protocols to protect the volume of information collected, stored, and used to power our tools.
Key Tension: Event professionals are forced to be experts in a constantly evolving security and risk management landscape, against the threat of client loss, brand reputational damage, financial loss, and employee retention.
10. Talent
Macro forces driving change
75% of EIC respondents say Talent and Workforce Development is either very important or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Population Fluctuations: With four generations in the global workforce, generational demographic, value, and skill gaps are growing across both aging/shrinking and younger/growing markets; talent diversity is paramount.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technological revolutions (e.g., AI) are changing how we work and interact with each other, bringing productivity gains and new types of professional burnout.
Health is Wealth: Many find the stressors of modern lifestyles in conflict with attempts to slow down and prioritize wellbeing.
Key Tension: Populations are aging but many experience agism; rifts between generational working styles and ideas about work-life balance and purpose are coupled with a lack of investment in career trajectories and upskilling.
11. Technology
Macro forces driving change
68% of respondents say Technology (including AI) is either very important or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Population Fluctuations: Generational demographic, value, and skills gaps are growing across both aging/shrinking and younger/growing markets.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Technological revolutions (e.g., AI) are changing how we work and interact with each other, bringing productivity gains and new workload stressors.
Key Tension: While AI may not altogether replace humans, many are fearful that its productivity enablement and capacity-building potential will create increased professional burnout due to increased demands.
12. Wellbeing
Macro forces driving change
69% of EIC study respondents say Wellbeing is either very important or extremely important for the future of the events industry.
Health is Wealth: Many find modern lifestyles in conflict with attempts to slow down.
Employer-Employee Power Shifts: Employees are demanding better treatment and lifestyle balance amid increasing productivity expectations.
Population Fluctuations: A growing number of markets are aging, bringing together four generations in the workforce of the global workforce.
Tech-tonic Shifts: Productivity advancements are also driving trends in burnout and isolation (e.g., social media).
Key Tension: An ‘always-on’ industry with increasingly real -time, high-pressure demands is at odds with growing trends that promote better wellbeing to retain employees and boost business performance.
Any thoughts, opinions, or news? Please share them with me at vince@meetingsevents.com.
Photo by EIC
