Amex GBT: Personalization Beats Instagram Bait in 2027 Meetings Forecast

Meeting planners are walking into 2027 with their chins up and their contracts lawyered.  The 16th edition of the American Express Global Business Travel Global Meetings and Events Forecast finds 93% of the 500 meeting professionals YouGov surveyed across 11 countries are optimistic about the sector’s health next year, and respondents expect to run more meetings of every type than they did in 2026.  But there’s an important caveat: Only 45% call themselves “very optimistic,” compared with 62% a year ago, and the two priorities nipping at attendee experience on the 2027 agenda are improving risk management and compliance and cutting costs. For advisors and planners working the luxury end of the group business, the most useful finding is a shift in taste. The report declares the era of the Instagrammable event over. Attendees want to be treated as individuals: 35% of respondents say guests now expect more personalized interactions, 31% want richer, curated networking, and another 31% are asking for hands-on sessions and workshops over passive programming. Designing events that land with those more demanding attendees is the single biggest challenge planners name for the year ahead. “Demand for in-person experiences is rising rapidly as the volume of digital
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