Conference Matters 144

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IAPCO members generate 17.8 billion euro in economic impact

In 2024, members of the International Asso ciation of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) collectively organised 19,469 congres ses and events, resulting in a global economic impact of more than 17.8 billion euro. This is one of the key findings from the association’s Annual Member Economic Impact and Business Strategy Report. Compared to 2023, this represents an increase of 3.54 billion euro, or 19.8 percent. This growth is mainly attributed to the addition of 2,425 extra congresses, organised by the 92 IAPCO-accredi ted companies operating from 180 offices world wide. According to IAPCO, these figures illustrate the essential role of professional congress organisers in driving economic growth, fostering innovation, and facilitating international know ledge exchange. IAPCO CEO Martin Boyle highlights the broader significance of the sector: “Each of the 19,469 congresses not only delivered substantial eco nomic impact, but also fostered innovation,

sectors such as healthcare, science, enginee ring, energy, financial and professional services, technology, and manufacturing.” The outlook remains positive: for the next three years, 1,969 conference contracts have already been signed, even though the location or venue has yet to be determined.

facilitated knowledge exchange, and streng thened global collaboration – core values of IAPCO’s mission.” According to Boyle, the sector’s growth remains a constant in an uncertain world: “The drive for people to come together and share knowledge has never been stronger. Our results represent not only economic impact, but also progress in

Strong growth for business events worldwide

quarter but significantly higher than in Q4 2023 (86 percent). Western Europe stands out for its strong growth, with RFP activity increasing sharply over the past three quarters. In North America, RFP acti vity remains consistently above 2019 levels. The average room rate in RFP responses in Q4 was 119 percent of the 2019 level, signalling a full recovery in hotel pricing for business events.

The global business events market experienced robust growth in 2024, according to the latest quarterly report published by the Events Indus try Council (EIC) on April 17. Activity in nearly every region has returned to, or even surpassed, pre-pandemic levels, despite mounting concerns about shifting policies and the threat of a global trade war. The Global Events Barometer report for the

fourth quarter of 2024 shows that both the number of booked hotel group room nights and the volume of event requests for propo sals (RFPs) are close to or above 2019 levels. The hotel group room nights index reached 96 percent of pre-pandemic figures - a slight decrease from the third quarter, but an improve ment compared to a year earlier (93 percent). The number of RFPs rose to 98 percent of 2019 levels, also slightly below the previous

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