What the new rules mean for business events—and what comes next
It’s been just over a month since the REAL ID Act finally took flight—literally. On May 7, 2025, after years of postponements and polite nudges from the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. officially began enforcing the requirement that domestic air travelers show a REAL ID-compliant form of identification to board a commercial flight. For the meetings and events industry, the ripple effects have been swift, sometimes jarring, and surprisingly revealing.
A Rocky (But Predictable) Takeoff
Despite extensive public outreach and years of lead time, the first few weeks saw no shortage of confused travelers, missed flights, and TSA agents scrambling to manage crowds. At Dallas-Fort Worth alone, over 300 passengers were stopped in a single morning for lacking compliant ID. The chaos wasn’t entirely unexpected. But what’s been less publicized is how this seemingly bureaucratic change has played out specifically for business travel—and by extension, the events and conferences that depend on it.
For planners, show organizers, and the countless suppliers who make up the backbone of the meetings industry, the rollout has highlighted just how precarious our dependence on air travel really is. When a senior sales executive misses the opening keynote because she brought the wrong form of ID, or a keynote speaker nearly misses his connection due to confusion over enhanced driver’s licenses, it’s more than an inconvenience—it’s a hit to the credibility and cohesion of the event itself.
A New Planning Imperative
What we’re seeing is a subtle but important shift in the responsibilities of meeting professionals. It’s no longer enough to confirm flight arrival times and hotel room blocks. Now, planners are acting as unofficial compliance officers, embedding REAL ID reminders in registration forms, pre-event emails, apps, and FAQs. The smart ones are even providing links to TSA guidance or encouraging attendees to carry a passport as backup.
Some organizations are taking it a step further, providing ID verification checklists during the registration process or hosting webinars for first-time attendees—especially for conventions attracting international participants who may be unaware of domestic U.S. travel rules.
Lost Attendees = Lost ROI
While we don’t yet have hard numbers on no-shows tied directly to REAL ID, anecdotal reports from event organizers suggest that business travel disruptions are not just hypothetical. Exhibitor drop-offs, missed appointments, and delayed arrivals are all happening—and they’re hitting smaller events and second-tier cities harder, where travel options are already more limited.
This isn’t just an airport problem—it’s a meetings industry problem. When attendees don’t arrive on time (or at all), it disrupts networking, hurts exhibitor ROI, and undermines the overall value proposition of in-person events.
The International Angle
International attendees aren’t subject to REAL ID—but if they plan to travel domestically once in the U.S., they need to carry passports at all times. That’s led to additional pre-event communication challenges, especially for events targeting multinational audiences. Some planners have begun issuing domestic travel advisories alongside traditional visa support materials.
A Wake-Up Call for the Industry
In truth, the implementation of REAL ID might be the wake-up call our industry needed. It has forced planners and venues alike to think more deeply about travel risk—not just weather delays and mechanical issues, but now ID compliance and federal travel regulations. It’s also revealed how many travelers, even frequent fliers, are still unaware of what constitutes valid documentation.
As we look forward, a few trends are emerging:
More proactive communication from event organizers, particularly around travel logistics and ID education.
Closer collaboration with DMVs, travel providers, and TSA to create streamlined resources for business travelers.
Increased emphasis on virtual and hybrid event options to accommodate those who can’t travel due to ID issues or last-minute barriers.
Longer lead times for registration and travel planning, as attendees navigate the bureaucratic maze of updating their identification.
Final Boarding Call
Where do we go from here? The good news is that things will likely get smoother from here. As more Americans obtain compliant IDs and airports fine-tune their screening processes, the panic will fade. But that doesn’t mean the job is done for the meetings industry.
We need to treat this moment not just as a logistical hiccup, but as a call to action. REAL ID may be a federal policy, but its success—or failure—plays out in the exhibit halls, breakout rooms, and general sessions of our industry. The smoother we make that journey for attendees, the more resilient our events become.
The next time a major regulation hits the travel sector, we’ll be ready—not scrambling to react, but leading the way with clarity, communication, and calm.
Any thoughts, opinions, or news? Please share them with me at vince@meetingsevents.com.
Photo by Getty Images For Unsplash+
