With Q1 rapidly coming to a close, it’s worth examining the state of b-to-b events and where they’re going in the year ahead. So we compiled data from Bizzabo’s 2025 State of Events and Industry Benchmarks, MPI’s Q1 2025 Meetings Outlook Report and Splash’s 2024 Outlook on Events to find out where b-to-b event profs stand on budgets, ROI, attendee feedback and the value of live experiences within the broader marketing ecosystem.
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
The good news is that sentiments on the overall state of the industry are positive, with more organizations reporting that events are essential to growing their business.
• 80% said in-person conferences, summits and conventions are a critical component of their organization’s success
• 78% said in-person conferences, summits and conventions are their organization’s most impactful marketing channel
• 66% said they plan to hold more events in 2025
BUDGET & COSTS
Balancing event budgets and rising costs is still a major pain point for meetings and conference organizers, but it’s not all doom and gloom.
• 47% said they were “very concerned” about costs outpacing budgets in 2025, while 43% were “somewhat concerned”
• 60% of those who hosted a mix of in-person, virtual and hybrid events reported that in-person experiences have been the most effective for generating revenue
• 53% said their event budgets would grow in 2025, while 22% expect theirs to stay the same
MEASUREMENT & ROI
Effectively measuring the impact of events and proving ROI continue to be areas of opportunity for event profs.
• 70% reported difficulty demonstrating ROI for in-person conferences, summits and conventions
• 54% of U.S.-based marketers aren’t tracking registrations to measure their events’ impact
• 24% said sales pipeline growth is the highest priority for their company’s in-person conferences, summits and conventions
ATTENDEE SENTIMENTS & STATS
An increase in b-to-b event attendance looks to be in order this year, with attendees seeking a balanced schedule and interactive touchpoints.
• 76% of organizers expect favorable meeting attendance throughout 2025, up from roughly 71% in 2024
• 47% of organizers expect weaker virtual event attendance in 2025
• 71% of attendee-side respondents said ease of check-in at a conference can make or break their event experience
• 72% of attendee-side respondents said it’s vital that in-person events have ample free time that isn’t fully booked with sessions and conference-related experiences
• 55% of attendee-side respondents said it’s somewhat important to have immersive experiences that allow them to disconnect
Image credit: Man As Thep; DivVector
