As the new year started, there was renewed optimism for the growth of attendance for in-person events and conferences.
This was exemplified by the American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast that found 74% of surveyed meeting professionals felt optimistic about the industry. This positive outlook comes alongside anticipated budget increases—66% of respondents expected to see their budgets grow.
A third of the way through 2025, Demand Gen Report’s “Event Pulse Check” found the outlook is a reality. The newly released survey found nearly 75% of respondents said their company’s budget to attend in-person events increased or stayed the same over the last year. In that cohort, 40% answered that their budget increased slightly or significantly.
This went in hand with attendance plans, as 43% were scheduled to attend more in-person events in 2025 and 36% the same amount.
What’s Attracting Attendees To Events?
Event quality is on the rise. When asked about current events on the market, 31% of respondents noted the offerings at the conferences they are attending — such as agenda and speakers; venue; food and beverage offerings; entertainment; sponsor mix and networking opportunities — are better (24% slightly and 7% significantly) while 41% said the quality is the same as in the past.
Content is key, as the two top answers to the Event Pulse Survey were the quality of speakers—both the people who are on stage and the brands they represent— at 29% and the number of relevant sessions at 19%.
The next two qualities at 17% each were a top-notch venue at a great location paired with one-to-one networking and access to possible partners and clients.
To drive home that education and making connections are paramount for conference goers, the two categories that ranked least important were quality of event amenities and services (such as food and beverage options as well as venue features) at 19% and after-hours events, ranked last by more than half (52%) of respondents.
How Can We Make Events Better?
While 31% stated events are meeting their expectations, roughly 25% believe conference quality is declining. Respondents pointed to a variety of offerings that would draw them in.
In terms of speakers, four categories ranked above 50%:
- Analysts and futurists (60%);
- Practitioners (57%);
- Strategists and agency leaders (52%); and
- Industry influencers (50%).
To some surprise, big names aren’t as attractive anymore, with authors ranking at 31% and celebrities and well-known names ranking last at 21%.
The were four type of events that are being prioritized by respondents:
- 29% preferred smaller-scale conferences that span several days;
- 26% are targeting large-scale conferences and expos (like Inbound and Dreamforce);
- 26% cited intimate networking and learning opportunities; and
- 14% are looking for half or one-day educational events.
What Events Are Your Peers Registering For?
While conference attendance is rising, there are always “must attend” events and the B2B industry is no different. The ones most cited were the B2B Marketing Exchange (#B2BMX), Forrester Summit and Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo, with one respondent noting these events “are core to my industry and have the most potential for business development along with solid sessions.” Events ran by Salesforce, AWS and MarketingOps.com received multiple mentions as well.
Instead of specific shows, responses included:
- “I like to go to industry trade shows where my ideal clients gather.”
- “Interaction with experts to meet the demands for the economy.”
- “Events made by relevant people.”
The results taken as a whole show that B2B marketers are increasingly attending shows they see rising in quality—but they have ideas on what they want and how to make them better. The content of the show matters, best exemplified by B2B marketing leaders on stage offering their expertise on how to succeed.