January 2026
Event professionals from two of the biggest names in the industry—Cvent’s Kelli Kopec and Maritz’ Steve O’Malley—reflect on the year that was.
As 2026 begins, event professional sentiment breaks through an important positivity threshold while still contending with growing costs and expectations.
Business projections remain historically weak in the third consecutive Meetings Outlook survey, budgets are expected to continue rising as costs do the same and the demand for meetings and events persists despite new challenges.