Boyle: a weaker but more adaptive market Photo Credit: IAPCO
In 2025, Professional Conference and Congress Organisers (PCOs) accredited by IAPCO organised 23,512 meetings and events worldwide, up 20.8% from 2024.
Across 187 office locations, they managed more than 7.7 million participants and generated an economic impact of over 17.3 billion euros (US$20.2 billion).
On Global Meetings Industry Day 2026, IAPCO shared the results of its 2025 Annual Member Survey, pointing to resilience in an evolving market where growth is supported by smaller teams.
Members are delivering more with leaner permanent teams, with meetings per staff member increasing from 2.02 to 2.89.
At the same time, participant numbers per event have fallen from 408 to 328, while average economic impact per event has declined.
For Martin Boyle, CEO of IAPCO, the results signal a profession that is becoming more agile, efficient and responsive in a complex environment.
“What we are seeing is not a weaker market, but a more adaptive one. Our members are delivering more meetings, often with smaller formats and leaner teams, while maintaining the quality, professionalism and trust that IAPCO Accreditation represents. That speaks to the resilience of our community and its ability to respond to change without losing sight of excellence,” Boyle said.
The forward pipeline remains encouraging. From 2027 to 2029, members already have 6,841 confirmed and pending events, according to IAPCO.
Further, a significant proportion of confirmed future business still has no venue or destination attached, which IAPCO says creates valuable opportunities for destinations, convention bureaux, venues and strategic partners to engage early and influence outcomes.
IAPCO president, Sissi Lignou, added: “One of the most important signals in this year’s data is that the future pipeline remains strong.”
“It is a timely reminder that this sector continues to plan ahead and realise value, even against a backdrop of ongoing complexity.”