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Planners Pivot as Disruption Intensifies

November 12, 2026

No one knows better than planners that the show must go on, which is why they are facing disruption with pivots rather than cancellations.

Meeting professionals head into 2027 confident, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead. According to the 2027 Global Meetings and Events Forecast from Amex GBT, 93% of planners are optimistic about the health of the meetings and events industry next year, and they expect to run more meetings of every type than they did in 2026. A closer dig into the stats indicate that their level of enthusiasm has cooled a bit, which the percentage of those calling themselves “very optimistic” having dropped to 45%, down from 62% a year ago.

A Less Certain World, A Higher Priority on Risk

The reason for that drop in optimism becomes easier to see once you dig into their priorities. Improving attendee experience remains the top goal for the third year running, cited by 42%. But improving risk management and compliance has climbed into a tie for second place at 31%. The 16th edition of the forecast, based on a YouGov survey of 500 meeting professionals in 11 countries conducted in August 2026, describes a sector readying itself for a more uncertain world.

At the top of that uncertainty list is mounting travel disruption, according to the report’s chapter on resilience. It cites the World Economic Forum‘s latest Travel & Tourism Development Index, which flags geopolitical uncertainty and extreme weather as growing pressures on global travel networks. Amex GBT’s own traveler care service assisted 71% more travelers in 2025 than the year before.

Planners being planners, they aren’t waiting to see what shakes out, but are already mobilizing for action. Some 79% say they apply risk management practices to all or most of their meetings. And when geopolitical instability does affect their programs, cancellation is rarely the answer: Instead of just holding fewer meetings, reported as a strategy but just 22%, planners are reaching for Plan B. The most common response is changing the destination or city (39%), followed by moving more meetings to virtual formats (37%). Running smaller meetings with fewer attendees and changing venues tie at 30%, while 24% switch hotels or accommodation.

Consolidation Becomes a Safety Net

Consolidation is emerging as a risk strategy in its own right. Fifty-five percent of respondents now use the same travel management company for both meetings and transient travel, up from 50% last year. Group air management, which covers flights for 10 or more passengers attending the same event, is expected to feature in 51% of 2027 meetings, up from 43% in 2026. This is because consolidation also gives them visibility.

When attendee travel sits on a single manifest, handled in line with data protection requirements, planners and security teams can see who is where and act quickly in a crisis. Without it, teams are left piecing together information from expense reports, personal itineraries and traveler self-reporting. A dedicated group travel provider’s airline relationships can also help find alternatives fast when flights are disrupted.

“Responding quickly during disruption is central to how we serve our clients,” said Gabriel Berna Marot, Director of Global Travel for Meetings at Amex GBT Meetings & Events.

For all the attention they are placing now on risk, the forecast identifies a notable blind spot: Only 25% of meeting professionals explicitly include safety and security topics in their meetings policy. The report calls policy the bedrock of an adaptive program and urges planners to check whether theirs addresses attendee safety and risk management.

It also recommends that flexibility extend to supplier agreements. Contracts that allow plans to change without penalty fees give planners room to pivot, and a meetings and travel provider can help negotiate those terms.

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