GBTA Forecast: Bigger Meetings, Rising Costs

August 20, 2026

Meeting demand is growing, and planners are once again looking at larger events, according to the latest Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) forecast. But bigger programs are also putting more pressure on budgets, with F&B, production and labor costs rising faster than many other meeting expenses.

Released by GBTA and ALTOUR, the 2027 Global Business Travel Forecast finds that the multiyear trend toward smaller meetings is reversing, with planners seeking larger room blocks for larger events. Budgets are increasing, but much of the additional spending is going toward maintaining quality rather than expanding programs.

The daily average cost per delegate is expected to rise about 3% in 2026 and 1.5% in 2027. GBTA says that puts the typical meeting at the lower end of industry cost projections, in part because negotiated group hotel rates remain relatively contained.

The bigger increases are happening inside the meeting itself. F&B costs for managed programs are rising in the mid- to high-single digits, ahead of the 3.5% year-over-year increase in the food-away-from-home index.

Production and labor costs are climbing at similar rates. Because F&B and production account for two of the largest portions of most meeting budgets, those increases can have an outsized effect on total spending.

Travel costs are also expected to remain elevated. Global airfares are forecast to rise 4.7% in 2026, with premium fares increasing even faster, before airfare growth slows to 1.5% in 2027. Hotel rates are projected to rise 3.7% this year and 1.8% next year.

GBTA describes 2027 as a year of “normalization—not reversal.” In other words, costs may become easier to manage, but planners shouldn’t expect a return to 2025 pricing. The report also advises organizations booking international programs to plan for a weaker dollar, which could increase the cost of overseas travel and commitments priced in euros and other international currency.