Industry Research

This report focused on a few main topics: expenditure by inbound business visitors to Britain, behaviour of delegates extending their trip for leisure, travel choices, sustainability & other findings.

Report highlights:

• Average delegate spend at business events in the UK has risen well above inflation since 2017, primarily due to longer stays.
• International business events attract much higher average spend than their domestic equivalents (4:1), as international visitors stay longer and pay higher attendance fees.
• Delegates from outside Europe spend £1,824 on average, compared to £872 for delegates from within Europe, and £328 for UK delegates.
• Extending a trip increases spend by a factor of 2.5. Among those who extend their trip for leisure, the average spend is £1,760. Without the extension, the same delegates would have spent £714 on average.
• Looking at differences among event types, the average trip spend for association events (£854) is significantly higher than for corporate events (£651), and both types are higher than exhibitions (£326).
• Average spend (within the UK) for incentive trips is £2,113 per delegate.
• The main motive to attend an event is networking/collaboration (64%), followed by learning (53%) and career development (33%).
• The majority of delegates hope to return to the city/region for leisure and/or business.

The report provides salary data and events industry insights, covering benefit packages and salary brackets for specific positions.

The report by Public First for Visit England reveals the positive cultural and social impacts that tourism has on local communities across the UK, including examples of the role that events have played in this.

White Paper published in May 2025 by The Business of Events by dt. the post-Brexit landscape has made it challenging for world-leading Britih businesses to deliver events in the EU. 

BCG report published in April 2025 including a new definition of Creative and Entertainment Industries, removing IT and software, adding sports and live music.