Corporate meetings and business events generated $217.8 billion in U.S. business-travel spending in 2024, equal to 40.4% of total U.S. business-travel spending, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). The available figures show a large, recovering market, rising per-attendee costs, and different spending expectations by meeting type.
Table of contents
- U.S. expenditure totals
- Recovery and economic impact
- Cost per attendee
- Corporate spending expectations
- Global travel benchmarks
- Regional and industry outlooks
U.S. expenditure totals
Recent U.S. estimates place meetings, conventions, events, trade shows, and related group travel among the largest parts of business travel. GBTA reported $217.8 billion in U.S. business-travel spending from meetings, conventions, and events in 2024. That represented 40.4% of the U.S. business-travel total for that year.
The U.S. Travel Association’s business and group travel data reported $126 billion in travel-related spending from U.S. meetings and business events, including conventions and trade shows, in 2024. These figures use different scopes, so they should be treated as separate reported measures rather than combined.
Earlier U.S. benchmarks were also substantial:
- Meeting and event-related travel spending totaled $119 billion in 2023, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
- U.S. meetings and events generated nearly $100 billion in travel spending in 2022, according to Global Meetings Industry Day 2023.
- Domestic group business travel accounted for 38% of all domestic U.S. business-travel spending in 2022.
- U.S. group business-travel spending was forecast to increase 25% in 2023 and exceed $110 billion, based on the same U.S. Travel Association source.
The pre-pandemic comparison point was also high. In 2019, meetings, events, conferences, and trade shows accounted for 42% of U.S. business-travel spending, while meeting and event-related travel spending was nearly $130 billion. Those activities represented 11% of all U.S. travel spending in 2019, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s economic-impact factsheet.
| U.S. measure | Reported amount or share | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings, conventions, and events business-travel spending | $217.8 billion | 2024 |
| Meetings and business events travel-related spending | $126 billion | 2024 |
| Meeting and event-related travel spending | $119 billion | 2023 |
| Meetings and events travel spending | Nearly $100 billion | 2022 |
| Meeting and event-related travel spending | Nearly $130 billion | 2019 |
Recovery and economic impact
Meeting expenditure is also associated with employment, payroll, and tax receipts. The $126 billion in U.S. meetings and events spending in 2024 directly supported nearly 620,000 American jobs, according to the U.S. Travel Association’s Global Meetings Industry Day report. The $119 billion reported for 2023 directly supported nearly 600,000 American jobs.
The 2022 figure of nearly $100 billion was associated with 600,000 American jobs. The 2019 total of nearly $130 billion directly supported 800,000 American jobs, $42 billion in employee payroll, and $19 billion in federal, state, and local tax receipts, according to the 2019 economic-impact factsheet.
The disruption in 2020 was unusually severe. U.S. meetings and events experienced a 76% decline in direct travel spending compared with 2019. The reduction represented $97 billion in lost meeting and event-related travel spending and was associated with 640,000 American jobs lost. These are historical figures for 2020 versus 2019; they should not be interpreted as current estimates.
For event planners, the recovery figures provide context for budget conversations. The market’s reported spending totals rose from nearly $100 billion in 2022 to $119 billion in 2023 and $126 billion in 2024 in the U.S. Travel Association series. The associated job counts, however, vary by year and source framing, so the totals are best used as economic-impact benchmarks rather than as a direct measure of an individual event’s return.
Cost per attendee
Per-person costs rose even as the broader meetings market recovered. The average cost per attendee at corporate meetings and events increased 4.5% in 2024, according to GBTA’s pricing outlook. GBTA projected a 3.7% increase in 2025 and a 2.4% increase in 2026. The latter two figures are forecasts, not measured historical changes.
Another GBTA benchmark put the global average daily cost per meeting attendee at $155 in 2023 and $160 in 2022. The average was forecast at $162 for 2024 and approximately $169 for 2025, according to Global Business Travel and Events Costs Moderating in 2024. The 2024 and 2025 amounts are forecasts in that source.
| Meeting-cost benchmark | Amount or change | Period or status |
|---|---|---|
| Average cost per attendee | 4.5% increase | 2024 measured change |
| Average cost per attendee | 3.7% increase | 2025 forecast |
| Average cost per attendee | 2.4% increase | 2026 forecast |
| Global average daily cost per attendee | $155 | 2023 |
| Global average daily cost per attendee | $160 | 2022 |
| Global average daily cost per attendee | $162 | 2024 forecast |
| Global average daily cost per attendee | Approximately $169 | 2025 forecast |
These benchmarks help separate headcount growth from price pressure. A larger meeting budget does not necessarily mean a larger event if the cost per attendee is also increasing. For planning, the measurement period and forecast status matter: $155 and $160 are reported historical daily averages, while $162 and approximately $169 were forward-looking estimates.
Corporate spending expectations
Corporate executives surveyed in late 2022 expected spending to increase across several meeting categories in 2023 compared with 2022. The strongest result in the supplied categories was for small meetings and events: 54% expected company spending to increase. The corresponding shares were 50% for meetings with customers, suppliers, or stakeholders, 49% for medium-sized conferences or conventions, and 49% for larger conferences and trade shows. These are survey expectations, not realized spending totals.
Company size affected expectations for some travel categories. Among executives at companies with more than 1,000 employees, 62% expected spending on small meetings and events to increase in 2023 versus 2022. Among executives at companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, the share was 46%. For short overnight business trips, the figures were 57% for larger companies and 39% for smaller companies.
The same U.S. Travel Association executive summary showed that only 35% expected their company to spend at least as much as in 2019 on conference, convention, and trade-show travel during the next six months. In contrast, 64% expected less spending than in 2019 for conferences and trade shows, 67% expected less for customer and stakeholder meetings, and 72% expected less for internal meetings.
This contrast matters when setting a corporate meeting budget. Executives could expect year-over-year growth from the lower 2022 base while still anticipating spending below the 2019 benchmark. The period in question was the six months following the Q4 2022 survey, so these percentages describe expectations at that time rather than a current outlook.
Global travel benchmarks
Meeting budgets often include travel categories beyond venue and program costs. GBTA forecast global business-travel spending at $1.48 trillion in 2024. Global business-travel spending reached approximately $1.3 trillion in 2023 after growing 30% from 2022. A related estimate placed total 2023 global business-travel expenditure at $1.34 trillion.
The $1.34 trillion estimate included $501 billion in lodging, $282 billion in air travel, $245 billion in food and beverage, $165 billion in ground transportation, and $142 billion in other travel expenses. These categories describe global business travel broadly, not corporate meetings alone, but they provide useful context for travel-heavy event programs.
In the 2024 GBTA survey, global business travelers estimated average spending of $834 per person on their most recent business trip. Their estimated category amounts were $312 for lodging, $176 for air travel, $153 for food and beverage, $103 for ground transportation, and $89 for miscellaneous spending. These are traveler estimates for the most recent trip, not a per-attendee meeting package price.
Regional and industry outlooks
Business-travel expenditure growth differed by region in 2023. Asia Pacific spending grew 36%, the fastest growth among the regions reported by GBTA. Western European spending grew 33%, while North American spending grew 25%.
GBTA also projected different growth rates by industry through 2028. Spending in financial and insurance activities was projected to expand 72%. Retail-trade spending was projected to grow 41%, and spending in agriculture, forestry, and fishing was projected to grow 32%. These are business-travel forecasts through 2028, not meeting-specific expenditure totals.
Canada provides a national benchmark: Canadian business-travel spending was estimated at C$36.5 billion in 2024, equal to 102% of its pre-pandemic level, according to GBTA’s Canadian outlook.
Europe was another major market. European business-travel spending was projected at US$391.1 billion in 2024, a 10.4% increase from 2023, and forecast to reach US$517.2 billion by 2028. Europe was estimated to account for 26.4% of global business-travel spending in 2024. Within the European total, lodging accounted for $139.9 billion, more than any other European spending category reported by GBTA. These figures come from GBTA’s European business-travel outlook.
For event-planning decisions, the geographic figures suggest that location, travel mix, and industry exposure can materially change the expenditure environment. The regional growth rates and industry projections are directional benchmarks, while the reported U.S., Canadian, and European totals use their stated currencies, periods, and forecast or estimate labels.