Planners advised to be prepared when travelling to an event in the US Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/diegograndi
Recent US government policy has raised concerns about entering the US to attend events. A GBTA poll released earlier this month asked business travellers to think about the remainder of 2025, and to cite their biggest concerns about the potential long-term impact of recent and potential US government announcements or actions.
A decrease in non-US based employee willingness to travel to the US for work was cited by 41% of respondents (up from 37% when the same poll was done in April) while 31% said border detentions were a concern (up from 22% in the April poll).
With events such as IMEX America on the horizon, there is likely to be a large contingent of travellers descending upon the US in the next couple of months. With this in mind, what should delegates be mindful of saying when visiting the US to attend a conference?
Event profs respond
Global DMC Partners president and CEO Catherine Chaulet says that while the agency haven't seen major issues regarding entry within the MICE industry yet, it's important to watch the greater travel industry as a whole, particularly with reports from other sectors, such as scientists and academics, being flagged for using terms like ‘work.’
“This is definitely something planners and delegates should be aware of and plan for in advance,” she says. “What we are seeing is more challenges related to travellers from countries that require visas to enter the US.”
In these cases, adds Chaulet, listing 'tourism' is not an option because these travellers need a sponsor letter in order to obtain their visa, so they must list work.
Timothy Glanzer, chief elevation officer at Elevated Meeting Solutions says he has suggested to colleagues from around the world who come to the US for events, to note that travelling to the destination to ‘attend an event’ would not necessarily include ‘for work’.
“International travellers, especially those from certain countries are concerned, and are staying away from US-based events due to that concern,” he says. “[Travellers] should be prepared for delays and you could have further questioning … depending on the country [you are from].”