Orlando has claimed the No. 1 spot among North America’s top meetings destinations for 2027, according to the latest 2027 Global Meetings and Events Forecast from American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT).
The ranking puts the Florida destination ahead of established meetings powerhouses Las Vegas, Chicago and New York, reinforcing its position in a competitive market.
The report’s destination rankings, based on a survey of Amex GBT Meetings & Events professionals, offer a snapshot of where industry experts see the strongest appeal for meetings and events in the year ahead.
Top Rankings, Worldwide
North America’s top five are Orlando, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and Dallas. The list reflects a mix of major convention destinations, with Orlando’s first-place showing particularly notable as the city continues to build its profile as a meetings hub alongside its established leisure and entertainment offerings.
The rankings also highlight different destination leaders across the globe. In Latin America, Buenos Aires takes the top spot, followed by Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Panama City and Rio de Janeiro. Barcelona leads Europe, ahead of London, Madrid, Paris and Lisbon.
In Asia Pacific, Singapore ranks first, with Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney rounding out the top five.
What Planners Expect in 2027
Beyond the destination rankings, the forecast points to generally positive expectations for the meetings industry in 2027. For example, 94% North American meeting professionals are optimistic about the health of the sector in 2027—including those who are very or somewhat optimistic—with 96% anticipating increased overall meetings and events spending.
The regional outlook is even stronger in Latin America, where 98% overall are optimistic about the sector, while 88% expect spending to increase. Europe reports 91% overall optimism and 91% anticipating higher spending, with Asia Pacific posting 92% optimism and 89% expecting increased spending.
“Improving the Attendee Experience”
The report also identifies potential challenges for planners, including hotel costs and staffing concerns in North America, major sporting and cultural events that could affect availability in Latin America and Asia Pacific, and rising hotel rates and extreme temperatures in Europe.
However, across all destinations, the top ranking priority for the year ahead was “improving the attendee experience with more memorable events.”
Meanwhile, the top planned usage of AI differed by region, with North America citing “chatbots”; Latin America and Europe saying “equipping onsite staff with insights to personalize attendee experience,” and Europe also adding, “generating creative event concepts/themes”; while Asia-Pacific plans to use AI most for “event communications.”
To see the complete report, click here.
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