A new report from the Events Industry Council (EIC) finds direct spending generated by business events was US$1.3 trillion (AU$1.82 trillion) in 2025.
This spend figure is a 12.2 per cent rise on the same figure from 2019. Collective participants in business events around the world were found to be 1.65 billon last year, also up on pre-pandemic levels, although only by one per cent.
The 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Report from EIC was completed in partnership with Oxford Economics, with support from a variety of business events industry stakeholders.
According to the report, spending as a result of business events – including the cost of delivering events and to attend them – made the sector a bigger spender than both the air transport and aerospace industries, as well as a variety of other manufacturing related sectors.When looking at a broader spending profile, including indirect and induced spending, alongside direct spend, the research and analysis behind the report determined a US$3.1 trillion spend could be attributed to the business events industry.
Direct GDP from the business events sector was found to be US$759 billion, while total GDP came to US$1.8 trillion. The report also found that business events directly supported 9.7 million jobs around the world.
The research draws on a variety of sources, including a primary survey of 1,600 business events stakeholders from around the world, industry data from secondary sources, studies completed at a country level, data from the EIC’s Global Business Events Barometer and Oxford Economics’ business travel and economic forecasts.
Oxford Economics predicts that direct spend generated by business events will climb to US$1.6 trillion by 2028, with a further 700,000 people employed in the industry.
