According to the GBTA Global Business Travel Forecast 2027, business travel and event costs are expected to remain elevated through the rest of 2026, before pricing growth begins to moderate in 2027.
For EAs, PAs and in-house event planners, meeting demand is rising. Organisations are also shifting towards larger events, while food and beverage, production and labour costs continue to place pressure on event budgets.
At the same time, higher airfares and accommodation rates, particularly across Asia-Pacific, will influence destination selection, delegate costs and the overall event experience.
Meetings are getting bigger, but so are the budget pressures
The multi-year shift towards smaller meetings is beginning to reverse, with planners seeking larger room blocks for larger events.
Budgets are also increasing, but event costs are rising just as quickly. This means additional funding is often being used to maintain event quality rather than expand the overall program.
According to the GBTA report, the typical meeting is not expected to become significantly more expensive on a per-person basis. Instead, larger and more production-intensive events are absorbing a growing share of total budgets.
| Meetings and events forecast | 2026 | 2027 |
| Daily average cost per delegate | US$263 | US$267 |
| Annual cost increase | +3.0% | +1.5% |
For in-house event organisers, this makes portfolio planning increasingly important. Businesses may need to make clearer choices about which meetings warrant greater investment, which formats deliver the required outcomes and where costs can be contained without diminishing the delegate experience.
Food, beverage, production and labour are driving event costs
While group accommodation rates remain comparatively contained, costs inside the event space are rising more quickly.
Food and beverage costs within managed programs are predicted to increase by approximately 5% to 8%. Production and labour costs are expected to rise by 6% to 10%.
These are two of the largest expense categories within many event budgets, which means even moderate increases can have a significant impact on total program spend.
The report finds that 72% of event planners expect cost pressures in the year ahead. At the same time, 63% identify engagement as their primary measure of event success.
This creates a delicate balancing act for those responsible for organising corporate meetings and events. Events must continue to deliver meaningful engagement while catering, technology, production and staffing costs continue to increase.
It also reinforces the importance of comparing total event costs, rather than assessing venue hire or room rates in isolation.
Airfares will affect delegate travel budgets
Air travel remains the most volatile category in the business travel forecast.
Global blended airfares are expected to rise by 4.7% in 2026 before growth slows to 1.5% in 2027.
| Global airfare category | 2026 forecast | 2027 forecast |
| Blended airfares | +4.7% | +1.5% |
| Economy airfares | +8.7% | +1.1% |
| Premium airfares | +9.5% | +2.2% |
Asia-Pacific faces particularly strong pressure. Average airfares across the region are forecast to rise by 6% in 2026.
Asia-Pacific economy fares are expected to increase by 9.2% in 2026, while premium fares are forecast to rise by 18.6%, the highest premium-fare increase across the regions covered in the GBTA forecast.
However, growth is expected to ease considerably in 2027, with Asia-Pacific economy fares increasing by 2.5% and premium fares by 2.4%.
For events involving interstate or international delegates, airfare movements could materially affect the overall cost per attendee. The report recommends securing capacity and rates early on premium-heavy and corporate-heavy routes, where airlines have the greatest pricing power.
Accommodation costs will continue to rise
Global hotel average daily rates are forecast to increase by 3.7% in 2026 and 1.8% in 2027.
Asia-Pacific hotel rates are expected to grow faster than the global average:
| Asia-Pacific hotel rates | Average daily rate | Annual change |
| 2025 | US$139 | +0.7% |
| 2026 | US$146 | +5.0% |
| 2027 | US$149 | +2.1% |
The GBTA report identifies Asia-Pacific and Latin America as the regions with the fastest hotel rate growth.
However, a significant global hotel construction pipeline is helping to contain overall accommodation increases. Approximately 2,600 new hotels are expected to open worldwide in each of 2026 and 2027.
The report recommends considering secondary and resort markets to avoid the premiums associated with top-tier cities.
Why is this important for in-house event organisers and EAs?
In-house event organisers are often responsible for balancing several competing priorities: budget, destination, delegate experience, internal expectations and measurable event outcomes.
The GBTA 2027 outlook shows why these decisions cannot be made independently.
Higher airfares can affect attendance and destination viability. Accommodation rates influence the cost and availability of room blocks. Food, beverage, production and labour costs determine what can realistically be delivered within the venue.
Actual event costs will vary according to destination mix, negotiated supplier agreements, booking behaviour, seasonality, event size and program composition.
What are the key event planning trends for 2027?
The outlook points to several clear trends:
- Meeting demand and total budgets are continuing to rise.
- Larger and more production-intensive events are attracting a greater share of spend.
- Food, beverage, production and labour costs are rising faster than group room rates.
- Asia-Pacific airfares and hotel rates will remain under pressure.
- Cost growth is expected to moderate in 2027, but prices will remain elevated.
- Engagement remains a critical measure of event success.
For EAs, PAs and event planners, 2027 will require sharper choices about where, when and how organisations bring people together.
The opportunity is not simply to spend less. It is to understand the full cost of each event, prioritise the meetings that matter most and direct budgets towards experiences that deliver meaningful engagement to maximise event ROI.
Meet GBTA at FACTS 2026
Explore these latest trends, projections and more at FACTS 2026. GBTA will be attending FACTS at ICC Sydney on 25 and 26 November 20026 and we’d love you to join too. Be part of the conversations shaping the business travel and events industry – register for free as part of the FACTS Qualified Buyer Program here.