As the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia F1 races face likely cancellation, the fallout is highlighting broader risk for live events across the region as trade shows, conferences, and corporate gatherings prepare for the post-Ramadan business rebound. The conflict is causing the most significant disruption in the Middle East since the Covid-19 pandemic. From Skift Meetings…
Regional instability is rippling across the global events industry, forcing organizers to make high-stakes calls with little certainty. Airspace shutdowns and safety advisories are prompting cancellations and postponements across the Gulf and casting doubt over upcoming trade shows, including IAAPA Expo Middle East, scheduled for 31 Mar–02 Apr in Abu Dhabi. From Skift Meetings…
Business events across the U.S. are facing mounting cancellations and disruptions due to the ongoing federal shutdown that began on October 1. Government-linked conferences are hit hardest, with major gatherings being scaled back or scrapped entirely, forcing planners to re-evaluate travel, location and engagement strategies amid uncertainty. From Skift Meetings…
Skifts’s third annual summit for CEOs and thought-leaders in the Business Events Sector tackled some of our industry’s toughest issues. Their key findings are essential reading for all those who want to understand the ways and unprecedented speed with which our sector is evolving, and the future challenges that are heading in our direction.
Skift Meetings Editor-in-Chief Miguel Neves dissects key factors driving corporate trust in the power of events to unlock business value in ways that are inaccessible to other channels and tools: Brands are making bold experiential moves, and the events industry stands to benefit — if it delivers on the promise of meaningful experiences…
Association leaders at Skift Meetings Forum 2025 highlighted current challenges faced by the events industry. They’re adapting by shortening events, creating value-driven and generationally tailored experiences, and managing attendee hesitancy. Declining international participation, late registrations, and political sensitivities are forcing leaders to rethink formats, messaging, and speaker vetting to keep conferences relevant.
A planner’s guide to making a lasting mark on attendees, companies, communities, and the environment: In this report, Skift Meetings set out to provide insights, strategies, and real-world examples to empower planners to create events that not only meet objectives but also leave a lasting positive impact on their attendees, communities, and the planet.
From Skift Meetings: The White House has proposed the largest single-year budget cut to NASA in U.S. history. As a result, space science and exploration are taking a hit — and so are the cornerstone conferences that support these efforts. NASA is facing a proposed 24% budget cut. The financial uncertainty is already hitting the…
From Skift Meetings: Visa delays, funding cuts, and geopolitical tensions are driving scientific conferences out of the U.S. Some are relocating. Others are canceling. The International Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (IACBT) canceled its August 14-17 conference in Nashville — its first U.S. meeting in 40 years. Approximately 900 were expected. Organizers cited visa uncertainty,…
Germany reports attendance figures back up to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. This is a useful report for those interested in communicating the enormous scale of the meetings sector in individual countries. 377 million attendees participated in approximately 2 million events in a single year! From Skift Meetings…
From Skift Meetings: Tariffs are impacting the live events industry, and the Live Events Coalition and its allies are stepping up pressure on lawmakers to act. AV and production equipment, raw materials, decor, furnishings, food and beverage, and technology will all increase in cost, said Wendy Porter, vice chair of government affairs for the Live…
From Skift Meetings, by Andrea Doyle: The Trump administration’s tariff policies are sending ripples through global trade, and in the process, they are impacting the global trade show business, said Kai Hattendorf, CEO of HTF Business Events Expertise, and the former CEO of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. “If permanent, this isn’t…
From Skift Meetings: Meeting professionals have been navigating a landscape where access, funding, and conference attendance are no longer guaranteed, said Pat Schaumann, president of Schaumann Consulting Group. Schaumann is also the director of Meeting Professional International’s Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate (HMCC) program. In 2025, the U.S. was expected to host over 1.5 million medical…
From Skift Meetings: As U.S.-Canada tariffs take hold and cross-border meeting attendance dips, one veteran planner is helping associations rethink US-Canada event strategies. Some associations are moving events from the US to Canada, where favorable exchange rates, easier visa processes, and lower costs make it an appealing alternative. As the US dollar weakens under new…
From Skift Meetings: President Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs on dozens of nations, including a new 34% tariff on Chinese goods. Many countries have announced countermeasures, escalating trade tensions that could have significant ramifications for the global meetings sector. In response, the Live Events Coalition, originally formed during the Covid crisis but later put…
By Jorge Eduardo Q: In today’s 24/7 news cycle and hyper-connected feeds, event leaders are bombarded by headlines, hot takes, and trending crises every minute. Economic shifts, health emergencies, political strife, and algorithmic sensationalism form a loud backdrop that challenges clarity. Within this noise, strategic discernment becomes not just an asset, but a necessity for…
From Skift Meetings: The business events industry is pushing back against U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made ships. While policymakers aim to curb China’s maritime influence, industry leaders warn that these measures will increase costs, disrupt supply chains, and ultimately harm American businesses. Several business events industry associations have joined a coalition of more than 300 groups…
From Skift Meetings: Federal layoffs are sending shockwaves through the government meetings sector, leading to widespread event cancellations and millions in lost hotel revenue. The ripple effects extend beyond hotels to meeting planners, sourcing companies, and event tech firms who rely on steady government business. Brett Sterenson, president of Hotel Lobbyists, a site-selection company that…
From Skift Meetings: The Trump administration’s new tariffs and government travel restrictions are dealing a blow to cross-border business events. With US delegate attendance declining and high-profile cancellations like Canada House at SXSW, the industry faces mounting challenges. “I have had one client try to cancel their leadership summit in Chicago, one client who is…
From Skift Meetings: A growing wave of meeting cancellations signals trouble for the business events industry. Providence is one destination already feeling the impact. The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau in Rhode Island received its first business meeting cancellation on January 27. The conference, focused on renewable offshore wind energy, included 3,300 room nights…
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