Portrait of European Meetings 2024 Edition: Perspectives from Travelers and Planning Professionals

European destinations and tourism industry stakeholders have a tremendous opportunity to lead their community recovery based on when and how the meetings industry will continue to bounce back from COVID-19. Current studies in the market look at basic meeting planner sentiment, but it is crucial to also understand the mindsets of attendees and corporate decision-makers. Leaders need to make important decisions regarding capital investments, marketing budgets, and overall growth and development strategies. It is also essential to gain a clear and timely understanding of what meetings and conventions look like in the future to guide these decisions.

In cooperation with IMEX Group and MMGY Hills Balfour, a division of MMGY Global, MMGY Travel Intelligence Europe has fielded a tracking survey four times – in April 2022, July 2022, July 2023 and December 2023 – to understand the mindsets, intentions and preferences of meeting, conference and convention attendees. In order to compare their perspectives with the ones of those responsible for industry planning efforts, MMGY Travel Intelligence has also surveyed meetings professionals to gauge their views. Meeting attendees ultimately drive the future direction of the M&C industry. Having an informed perspective on what this audience thinks and comparing it to the current perspectives of meetings professionals provides substantial insight into the landscape likely to emerge in the coming months and years. Within this wave the survey was fielded to attendees in Austria, Belgium and Switzerland and to planners throughout Europe and the U.K.