Travel Guide
Global instability disrupts international meetings industry
May
The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) has launched findings from its 2026 Global Socio-Political Impact Survey, highlighting the growing disruption international conflicts and coverage modifications are inflicting to the international meetings and conferences industry. The survey, performed with 5 main international enterprise occasions associations, gathered insights from 130 organisations worldwide.
The report signifies a pointy rise in disruption, with 73.84% of respondents stating that international conflicts have impacted their capacity to plan or host international meetings, a big enhance from 53.92% in 2025. This underscores the rising affect of geopolitical instability on convention planning and participation.
Travel disruptions have additionally intensified, with 65.38% of respondents experiencing points affecting shoppers and contributors, up from 41.67% in 2025. Additionally, 58.46% reported decreased international attendance, while practically half famous elevated prices for each groups and shoppers.
Sissi Lignou, President of IAPCO, emphasised the essential position of Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs) in navigating these challenges: “These findings show that global socio-political instability is now directly affecting essential exchanges in conferences and meetings.”
The survey additionally highlights the influence of presidency insurance policies, significantly these from the US, on future occasion planning. Martin Boyle, CEO of IAPCO, said, “The meeting and conference industry is operating within increasing complexity, and the role of the Accredited PCO has never been more important.”
IAPCO’s findings stress the necessity for stronger industry advocacy and collaboration to deal with these challenges. The full report is offered on IAPCO’s web site
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