According to the American Express Global Meeting Events Forecast 2019, the North American meeting industry for the next year looks robust.

There are a few clouds on the horizon, but all in all the 2019 forecast includes growth for all types of meetings and events and a healthy 2% increase in product launch meetings and a 2.85% increase for incentive travel. Meeting professionals in Canada expect the number of internal meetings to be relatively flat.

Planners in Canada expect their meetings to last longer in duration than their American counterparts, with costs per attendee to be between $1,200 and $1,700 (excluding air transportation). Canadians on average spend about $700 more per attendee than the US does.

Canadians expect costs for hotel accommodation to increase by 2.41% regionally in 2019. With room rates eating up a substantial part of the budget, planners may reduce offsite activities to control costs. Planners in North America report a huge increase in concern over the reduction or elimination of commissions by hoteliers.

Read More