The global event industry has entered its strongest growth phase in a decade. Attendance is rising, in-person formats are stabilizing, and technology adoption is accelerating. At the same time, planners face unpredictable show-up rates, late registrations, and increased costs.

Below is the fully updated 2025–2026 dataset, replacing every outdated 2023–2024 statistic from earlier versions of your blog.

Related: If you specifically want attendance benchmarks, see our In-Person Event Attendance Rate Guide (2026)

1. Global Market Size & Growth (2025–2032)

Latest verified figures:

Global events: $1.35T in 2025, growing to $2.1T by 2032 (CAGR 6.4%)

U.S. events: $466.13B in 2025, reaching $651.53B by 2032

Corporate events: $325B in 2023 → $600B by 2029 (10.6% CAGR)

Event management software: $14.37B in 2025 → $107.28B by 2037 (17.7% CAGR)

Sports events: $485.14B in 2025 → $884.69B by 2033

Takeaway:

The global event market is expanding in every category - physical, hybrid, virtual, and software.

2. In-Person Event Attendance Trends (2025–2026)

In-person events are now the default again.

Key numbers:

57% of organizers report increased attendance YoY
65.8% will host the same or more in-person events in 2025
In-person B2B events grew 40% YoY
80%+ of attendees prefer in-person (Freeman)
70% of corporate events in North America are physical (Cvent)

Attendance Rates by Event Type (2026)

Event Type	Show-Up Rate
Free B2B Events	50–60%
Paid Events	90–97%
Internal Events	85–95%
Community Events	40–55%

Deep dive:

Full benchmarks are in the In-Person Event Attendance Rate Guide (2026)

3. Virtual & Hybrid Event Data (2026)

Virtual Events

Market: $236.69B in 2025 → $537.18B by 2029
Live webinar attendance: 30–40%
On-demand views: 40–45%

Hybrid Events

93% of organisers continue using hybrid components
Hybrid wins when budgets, travel, or teams are restricted

4. Event Technology Adoption (Apps, Software, AI)

79% use EMS platforms
61% use mobile event apps
AI adoption growing via:
- attendee segmentation
- predictive attendance modeling
- networking automation
- agenda personalization
AR/VR event tech CAGR: 10.77% (2024–2028)

5. Budgets, Costs & Planner Expectations

66% expect bigger budgets in 2025
65% increasing meeting spend
Planners expect 2–4% cost increases in 2026
BUT 40% expect potential attendance drops due to cost pressure

6. Trade Shows & Experiential Events

U.S. trade shows: $15.8B (2024) → $17.3B (2028)
Exhibitions & experience market: $57.17B in 2025 → $77.62B by 2031

Trade shows continue to dominate pipeline creation.

7. Why People Attend Events in 2026

Across every report, the #1 reason:

**Networking.

Not content. Not speakers. Not swag.**

Attendees want:

real conversations
curated meetings
hands-on formats
space to connect

Events with packed agendas score lower in satisfaction.

8. The 2026 Forecast

Expect:

More events
Higher budgets
Less predictable turnout
Faster tech adoption
Hybrid safety nets
AI-driven planning
Stronger ROI pressure

2026 favors planners who can predict attendance, personalize experiences, and design for networking.

Sources

Cvent: Event Statistics - https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/events/event-statistics

Bizzabo: Event Marketing Statistics - https://www.bizzabo.com/blog/event-marketing-statistics

Whova: Event Trends 2025 - https://whova.com/blog/top-event-industry-trends-2025-incorporate-events

Northstar Meetings Group: Forecast 2026 - https://www.northstarmeetingsgroup.com/News/Industry/Meetings-and-Events-Industry-Forecast-2026

ICC Belfast: Event Trends - https://iccbelfast.com/blogs/event-trends

EventGroove: Industry Stats - https://products.eventgroove.com/blog/articles/event-industry-statistics

Allied Market Research: Global Event Outlook - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/events-industry-market

Swoogo: Event Statistics - https://swoogo.events/blog/event-statistics

Giant Printing: Trade Show Statistics - https://giantprinting.com/trade-show-statistics