The average in-person event attendance rate is 68% in 2025–2026.

This benchmark reflects consolidated data from Bizzabo, Cvent, Skift/EventMB, MPI, Freeman, Markletic, and other major industry studies.

Below are the latest attendance benchmarks, no-show patterns, and behavioral trends shaping in-person events today.

Average Event Attendance Rates (2025–2026)

Event Format	Average Attendance Rate
In-person events	68%
Hybrid events	52–58%
Virtual events	30–38%
Community/meetup events	55–65%
Corporate internal events	72–82%
Workshops / trainings	60–75%
Webinars (live)	32–42%

These represent the most consistent ranges across enterprise reports and global event software platforms.

RSVP-to-Attendance Reality (2026)

Across industries, 60–70% of RSVPs actually show up to in-person events.

But the more accurate picture comes from the free vs paid divide:

No-Show Rate (Free Events)

40–50% no-show
Common in roadshows, community events, meetups
Source: EventTechLive, Bizzabo, Freeman

No-Show Rate (Paid Events)

3–10% no-show
90–97% people attend once money is involved
Source: EventTechLive

This “commitment gap” is one of the biggest challenges for planners in 2025–2026.

Typical Event Size (2025–2026 Benchmark)

Across all reported in-person events:

37% of events have 101–500 attendees.

(Bizzabo 2025)

This represents the most common size cluster for corporate conferences, trainings, and industry meetups.

Why In-Person Attendance Has Stabilized in 2026

1. Networking remains the #1 attendance driver

81% of attendees cite networking + expertise access as their primary reason to attend in-person.

(Freeman Trust Report)

This continues to outperform content-focused motivations.

2. Virtual formats have plateaued

Virtual attendance rates have stabilized but remain lower due to:

Low commitment friction
Multitasking behavior
Preference for on-demand content

3. In-person events offer outcomes digital cannot

Product demos, breakout workshops, and relationship-building create stronger “return on attendance.”

Late Registration Behavior (Major 2025–2026 Trend)

One of the biggest behavioural shifts:

29% of attendees register on the same day as the event.

(Goldcast, EventTechLive)

This makes headcount forecasting difficult until the final 24–48 hours.

For most planners, the most accurate forecast window is:

T-48 hours → +/- 20% accuracy
T-24 hours → +/- 10% accuracy

This behavior is consistent across free, hybrid, and virtual events.

Attendance Rate Comparison (2021 → 2026)

A unified trend across all research sources:

Year	In-Person	Hybrid	Virtual
2021	20–30%	50–55%	60–70%
2022	45–55%	45–50%	50–60%
2023	60–65%	50–60%	40–50%
2024	65–68%	50–58%	35–45%
2025–2026	68%	52–58%	30–38%

Virtual attendance continues to decline as in-person formats mature.

How to Estimate Attendance in 2026

For most events:

Expected Attendance = RSVPs × 0.6 to 0.7

For internal corporate events:

Expected Attendance = RSVPs × 0.75 to 0.85

For paid conferences:

Expected Attendance = Paid Registrations × 0.9 to 0.95

Validated 2025–2026 Sources

Here are the exact industry research sources reflected in this article:

In-Person Event Attendance Rate: Latest Benchmarks (2025–2026)

Sara Roy